Title
A new species of the genus stenocercus (Iguania: Tropiduridae) from the peruvian pacific coast (ica region)
Date Issued
01 January 2021
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Herpetologie, Und Terrarienkunde
Abstract
A new species of the genus Stenocercus is described from the Peruvian coastal desert in the Ica region. The new species is similar in ecology and morphology to Stenocercus modestus, but differs from it in lacking an oblique neck fold, a distinct patch of small scales posterior to the lateral region of the neck, and bright yellow lateral dots on the head and body in males. The new species also has more subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe than S. modestus, and females exhibit a wide dark stripe between the subocular and antehumeral regions, as well as dark reticulations in the gular region. Distribution models of the new species and S. modestus suggest no geographical overlap. In conclusion, morphology and species distribution models strongly imply the new Stenocercus species to be an undescribed lineage and different from all other species of the genus. This new species is the most southerly distributed Stenocercus in the Pacific coastal desert of Peru thus far. We propose the new species be classified as ‘Endangered’ based on its area of occupancy and threat-defined locations.
Start page
1
End page
14
Volume
57
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85101265643
Source
Salamandra
ISSN of the container
0036-3375
Sponsor(s)
We thank the Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Postgrado (VRIP) of the UNMSM for funding this study (Código B20100151) and the following people who helped us in different parts of the project: A. Wong, A. Jerí, A. Meza, D. Tataje, E. Salazar, M. Silva, M. Mendoza, and O. Machuca. We thank J. Pérez for his suggestions in the SMD analysis, E. Alvarado for data collection, and K. Siu-Ting for her English revision of our manuscript. We also thank the Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR) for issuing a research permit (RDG N° 286-2017-SERFOR/DGGSPFFS, RDG N° 152-2020-MINA-GRI-SERFOR-DGGSPFFS).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus