Rondonops, Colli, Guarino R., Hoogmoed, Marinus S., Cannatella, David C., Cassimiro, José, Gomes, Jerriane Oliveira, Ghellere, José Mário, Sales Nunes, Pedro M., Pellegrino, Kátia C. M., Salerno, Patricia, Souza, Sergio Marques De & Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut, 2015

Colli, Guarino R., Hoogmoed, Marinus S., Cannatella, David C., Cassimiro, José, Gomes, Jerriane Oliveira, Ghellere, José Mário, Sales Nunes, Pedro M., Pellegrino, Kátia C. M., Salerno, Patricia, Souza, Sergio Marques De & Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut, 2015, Description and phylogenetic relationships of a new genus and two new species of lizards from Brazilian Amazonia, with nomenclatural comments on the taxonomy of Gymnophthalmidae (Reptilia: Squamata), Zootaxa 4000 (4), pp. 401-427 : 405

Genus Rondonops , gen. nov.

Type species. Rondonops biscutatus , sp. nov.

Etymology. Rondon (in homage to Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon) + ops (from the Latin: power, might, strength, ability). The genus-group name is masculine, according to Article 30.1.4.3. The name refers to the accomplishments of Marshal Rondon (May 5, 1865 – January 19, 1958), a Brazilian military officer who dedicated his life to the exploration and integration of remote areas of the Brazilian territory, especially of southwestern Amazonia, and to the peaceful integration of indigenous peoples of Brazil (Conselho Editorial do Senado Federal 2003). In 1910, he was nominated the first director of Brazil's Indian Protection Bureau (SPI/FUNAI) and, in 1914, conducted, with Theodore Roosevelt, a scientific expedition to explore the River of Doubt, now Roosevelt River ( Diacon 2004; Roosevelt 1914). The Brazilian state of Rondônia, where we collected the first specimens of Rondonops , was also named after him.

Content. Rondonops biscutatus , sp. nov. and R. xanthomystax , sp. nov.

Definition and diagnosis. Size moderate, 65 mm maximum SVL; intact tail long, up to about three times SVL. Limbs slender, pentadactyl; first toe reduced, lacking a claw. Ear openings and eyelids distinct. Frontonasal single; prefrontals, frontoparietals, parietals, and interparietal present; parietals longer than wide; three supraoculars. Collar fold absent; three pairs of chinshields, posteriormost reduced. Nuchals very wide, smooth, imbricate, in two longitudinal rows from nape to arm level. Occipitals absent. Dorsal scales posterior to arm level narrower than nuchals, lanceolate, imbricate, strongly keeled, and mucronate. Ventrals identical to nuchals, smooth, imbricate, wider than long, forming two longitudinal rows. Males with a continuous series of pores, with no gap between preanal and femoral pores; females without femoral pores.

Rondonops differs from all other genera of Gymnophthalmidae by having an anterior series of smooth, imbricate, and extremely wide nuchals forming two longitudinal and 6–10 transverse rows, followed, posterior of the arm level, by much narrower, strongly keeled, lanceolate, and mucronate scales. It also differs from all other gymnophthalmid genera, except Iphisa , by the presence of only two longitudinal rows of ventrals. The following morphological characters ally Rondonops to Alexandresaurus , Iphisa , Colobosaura , Acratosaura , Stenolepis , Caparaonia , Colobodactylus , and Heterodactylus : interclavicle cruciform, with central area extremely reduced; lateral process of interclavicle long, straight, and pointed; glossohyal fused to basihyal; nasals in narrow contact with premaxilla, wide, divergent, and in contact at midline, but broadly separated anteriorly by the subtriangular lamina of premaxillary; first finger reduced (lost in Heterodactylus and Colobodactylus ), without a claw ( Rodrigues et al. 2009a). As currently defined, the Chirocolini (former Heterodactylini) contains Caparaonia , Colobodactylus , and Heterodactylus , whereas Alexandresaurus , Acratosaura , Colobosaura , Iphisa , and Stenolepis belong to the Iphisini ( Rodrigues et al. 2009a). Our phylogenetic analyses (below) clearly indicate that Rondonops is part of the clade Iphisini. The following unique characters of Iphisini are present in Rondonops : lateral expansions of the parietal and shape of postfrontal. Rondonops and the other Iphisini differ from the Chirocolini by the shape and size of parietal scale, condition of supratemporal fenestra and postorbital width ( Fig. 4 ). In addition to molecular characters, the Iphisini and Chirocolini differ by a more elongate body and higher degree of limb reduction in the latter. Rondonops and the other Iphisini differ from the Gymnophthalmini by possessing eyelids, which are absent in all Gymnophthalmini, except Tretioscincus ( Avila-Pires 1995; Rodrigues 1991).

Among Iphisini, Rondonops differs from Iphisa by having two pairs of enlarged chinshields (one in Iphisa ); dorsal trunk scales lanceolate, strongly keeled and not arranged in longitudinal rows (dorsal trunk scales broad, smooth and forming two longitudinal rows), and lateral scales keeled (smooth). It differs from other Iphisini ( Alexandresaurus , Colobosaura , Acratosaura , and Stenolepis ) and all Chirocolini by the presence of very wide ventrals disposed in two longitudinal rows (ventrals narrower, in four or six longitudinal rows), and 6–10 transverse series of smooth, wide nuchals disposed in two longitudinal rows (nuchals narrower, not forming two longitudinal rows). Rondonops further differs from Stenolepis by having prefrontals (absent), and from Acratosaura , by having only two pairs of enlarged chinshields (three). Among Chirocolini, Rondonops differs from Colobodactylus and Heterodactylus by having a distinct first finger (absent), prefrontal scales (absent), and parietals longer than wide (wider than long). From Heterodactylus it differs by having an enlarged interparietal (absent or vestigial), a distinct ear opening (absent), and a typical lacertiform body (extremely elongate). Rondonops differs from Caparaonia by having only two pairs of enlarged chinshields (three).

Figures

FIGURE 4. (A) Dorsal and (B) ventral views of the skull of Rondonops biscutatus (CHUNB 23454). Scale bar = 1 mm.