Title
A new genus and species of arboreal lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae) from the eastern andes of Peru
Date Issued
15 February 2019
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Florida International University
Publisher(s)
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Herpetologie, Und Terrarienkunde
Abstract
We describe a new arboreal genus and species of the family Gymnophthalmidae, subfamily Cercosaurinae, from Peru on the basis of genetic and morphological characters. Dendrosauridion gen. n. can be distinguished morphologically from all other genera of Cercosaurinae by having the lower palpebral disc transparent and undivided, dorsal scales smooth, lateral scales distinctly smaller than dorsal scales, and lateral scales adjacent to ventrals non-granular, not forming a distinct longitudinal line along body axis. Phenotypic synapomorphies are not known for the new genus. In a previously published phylogeny, Dendrosauridion gen. n. was identified as a distinct clade separated from all other cercosaurines. The mono-typic genus contains Dendrosauridion yanesha sp. n., which is known from two localities in montane forests of the eastern Andes in central (Region Pasco) and southern Peru (Region Cusco) from 2780 to 2825 m a.s.l. with a distributional gap of 413 km in between. The two adult males (SVL 59.1–60.2 mm) and one juvenile were found in trees. The secretive habits of D. yanesha sp. n. are likely the reason for its rarity and we propose the threat status of the new species as “Data Deficient”.
Start page
1
End page
13
Volume
55
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Forestal
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85069499632
Source
Salamandra
ISSN of the container
00363375
Source funding
Rufford Foundation
National Museum Prague
Ministerio del Ambiente
Rufford Foundation
Illinois Wesleyan University
Ministerstvo Kultury
Sponsor(s)
We thank T. M. Doan and an anonymous reviewer for providing helpful corrections and suggestions that helped to improve our manuscript. We thank C. Aguilar and J. H. Córdova (MUSM, Lima) and A. Resetar and J. Mata (FMNH, Chicago) for loan of material. We thank J. C. Cusi for preparing the map. Field-work by EL was funded in 2009 by the Senckenberg Naturhis-torische Sammlungen Dresden and a Rufford Foundation grant to AC, and in 2012 by a grant from Illinois Wesleyan University. The work of JM and JŠ was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2019-2023/6.VI.a, National Museum Prague, 00023272). We thank the Ministerio del Ambiente, Lima, Peru for issuing collecting permits (No-060-2003-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, No-408-2009-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS, No-008-2011-SERNANP-DGANP-JEF) and export permits.
We thank T. M. Doan and an anonymous reviewer for providing helpful corrections and suggestions that helped to improve our manuscript. We thank C. Aguilar and J. H. Córdova (MUSM, Lima) and A. Resetar and J. Mata (FMNH, Chicago) for loan of material. We thank J. C. Cusi for preparing the map. Fieldwork by EL was funded in 2009 by the Senckenberg Naturhis-torische Sammlungen Dresden and a Rufford Foundation grant to AC, and in 2012 by a grant from Illinois Wesleyan University. The work of JM and JŠ was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2019-2023/6.VI.a, National Museum Prague, 00023272). We thank the Ministerio del Ambiente, Lima, Peru for issuing collecting permits (No-060-2003-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, No-408-2009-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS, No-008-2011-SERNANP-DGANP-JEF) and export permits.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus