Salvator Duméril and Bibron

Harvey, Michael B., Ugueto, Gabriel N. & Gutberlet, Ronald L., 2012, 3459, Zootaxa 3459, pp. 1-156 : 137-140

Salvator Duméril and Bibron

Figure 77

Salvator Duméril and Bibron 1839: 78 . Type species Salvator merianae by subsequent designation ( Peters & Donoso-Barros 1970).

Diagnosis.— Salvator is the only genus of Teiidae with the combination of two loreals, smooth ventrals, and a subcylindrical tail with two divided caudal annuli alternating with complete annuli. Unlike the superficially similar genus Tupinambis (characters in parentheses), Salvator also has a round pupil (reniform), complete row of lateral supraocular granules (absent), an incomplete or absent intertympanic sulcus (complete), and keeled proximal subcaudals (smooth).

Content.— Salvator duseni (Lönnberg) new combination, Salvator merianae Duméril & Bibron , and Salvator rufescens (Günther) new combination.

Definition.—Large lizards reaching 614 mm SVL ( Salvator rufescens ); tail 1.7–2.2X as long as body; posterior maxillary and dentary teeth longitudinally compressed, tricuspid in juveniles, becoming molariform in adults; pupil round.

Prefrontal separated from nasal, contacting first supraciliary; frontal entire, lacking longitudinal ridge; posterior suture of frontal usually contacting second supraocular; scales of frontoparietal region smooth, outwardly convex to flat; key-hole shaped depression absent; frontoparietals paired; parietals consisting of three regular scales; interparietal entire, smaller than flanking parietals; medial pair of enlarged occipitals absent; occipitals 8–14, larger than scales in first row of dorsals; supratemporals slightly to moderately enlarged, separated from parietals by one or more scales.

Rostral groove absent; nostril subcircular to subtriangular, positioned posterior ( Salvator rufescens ) or somewhat posterior ( S. merianae ) to nasal suture; loreals two; supraoculars eight; first supraocular entire, smaller than fourth supraocular, in contact or partially separated from second supraocular; circumorbital semicircles consisting of 2–8 small scales, restricted to posterior border of fourth supraocular or extending slightly anterior to its suture with third; supraciliaries subequal, 25–29, separated from supraoculars by one row of 16–26 granular scales; angulate keel extending from first subocular to suboculars below eye; suboculars 6–8; suboculars below eye contacting supralabials; first subocular contacting first supraciliary, separated from supralabials by scale inserted between suboculars and loreal; scales in front of auditory meatus not enlarged; auricular flap and preauricular fold absent.

Supralabials 14–18; first supralabial usually subequal to second, its ventral margin straight; infralabials 14–20; first pair of chinshields usually completely separated from infralabials by small granular scales; first pair of chinshields in medial contact; interangular sulcus absent; anterior gulars 24–34; gular patch absent; posterior gulars 9–16; intertympanic sulcus absent; larger anterior gulars not undergoing transition to smaller posterior gulars; mesoptychials not to slightly enlarged, not forming serrated edge of gular fold.

Dorsals round and flat, smooth on anterior trunk, keeled on posterior body and rump; scales on flank subequal to middorsals, not supported by small apical granules; scales on rump slightly smaller than proximal subcaudals; scales of chest large and flat; pectoral sulcus absent; ventrals smooth, in 36–41 transverse and 30–39 longitudinal rows; subrectangular scales lateral to ventrals gradually decreasing in size on flanks, bordering transverse folds of skin; preanals 9–14; preanal plate absent; preanal spurs and postanal plates absent; postcloacal buttons present in males; scales on dorsolateral edge of tail like those on top and sides, denticulate edge and dorsolateral crests absent; complete caudal annuli alternating with annuli complete ventrally but divided on sides and dorsum of tail; proximal subcaudals keeled.

Preaxial, dorsal, and postaxial sides of brachium and antebrachium covered in scales longer than wide (scales largest on preaxial and dorsal brachium and antebrachium, grading to granular scales postaxially), noticeably widened series absent from arm; scales on proximal, ventral surface of antebrachium slightly enlarged; subdigital lamellae of hand homogeneous in size, mostly divided, 14–19 under fourth finger.

Prefemorals 22–29; femoral and abdominal pores 21–51; each compound pore-bearing scale consisting of partially fused prefemoral or abdominal scale and 2–6 granular scales; 2–7 scales separating abdominal pore series medially; distal-most 1–2 femoral pores usually separated from others by 1–3 scales ( Salvator merianae ) or not separated ( S. rufescens ); gap of 2–7 granular scales separating femoral from abdominal pores; scales at heel relatively small and numerous; tibiotarsal spurs and shields absent; lamellae under fourth toe 24–31; distal lamellae of fourth toe smooth; continuous row of small granular scales separating digital lamellae along postaxial edge of each toe; noticeably enlarged postaxial scales between fourth and fifth toe absent; fifth toe well-developed, base of its claw extending beyond level of skin between third and fourth toes when adpressed, but not surpassing proximal free phalangeal articulation of fourth toe.

β- keratin containing layers of granular dorsal scales folded into macrohoneycomb; large flat dorsals lacking macrohoneycomb, instead uniformly covered in simple lamellae; large dorsal trunk scales usually lacking scale organs or with one subterminal lenticular scale organ (positioned atop keel on posterior trunk); caudals usually with two scale organs, one elongate and located posteriorly on medial side of keel (i.e., to left of keel on right side of tail, right of keel on left side of tail), another rounded located terminally, but not atop keel; ventrals lacking scale organs; generation glands present.

Snout same color as dorsal head scales. In juveniles, light vertebral and paravertebral stripes absent; dark dorsolateral field absent; dorsolateral light stripe present only on head and disappearing on neck; dark lateral field solid not well defined or absent (lateral field of some specimens broken into irregularly or badly defined blotches; in others, distinct and consisting of large black blotches on sides of neck, scapular region and anterior flanks); upper and lower lateral light stripes absent; thigh with numerous light spots. Adult males lacking light spots or ocelli on flanks; turquoise ventrolateral spots absent; venter with large melanic areas or blotches; juvenile dorsal color pattern present in adult males with moderate modification [= juveniles with better defined dorsal banding, greenish ( Salvator rufescens ) to bright green ( S. merianae ) head and anterior dorsum (condition of juvenile S. duseni unknown)].

Hemipenis (based on Salvator merianae ) bilobed, lacking apical awns, papillae, and basin; single enlarged apical lobe on either side of asulcate expansion pleat; lips of sulcus spermaticus flaring outward as prominent triangular sulcal flaps; 7–8 short grooves roughly perpendicular to apex of each sulcal flap, separated from one another by space roughly equal to width of two laminae; lateral and medial expansion pleats absent; asulcate expansion pleat interrupting 56–71 distal laminae; 33–40 laminae proximal to expansion pleat; discontinuous laminae and basal papillae absent.

Etymology.— Salvator is a masculine Latin noun in the nominative singular. In a somewhat florid footnote to their new name, Duméril and Bibron (1839) explain that “ Salvator ” was at the time a name frequently used for Jesus Christ in hymns of the Christian Church. The name was no doubt inspired by the common name “Sauvegardes,” meaning protector or savior in French and used by Cuvier and his contemporaries, especially in popular literature.

Distribution.— Eastern Andean foothills and lowlands south of the Amazon River in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Remarks. — Duméril and Bibron (1839) erected the new genus Salvator to accommodate New World species then commonly referred to as Monitor Fitzinger or Tupinambis Daudin. As they explain on p. 83, they considered this action necessary, because species of Varanus were commonly considered congeneric with the New World lizards. La Cepède’s (1788) illustration of Lacerta tupinambis included Varanus niloticus , V. salvator , and Tupinambis . Duméril and Bibron (1839) recognized two species S. merianae and S. nigropunctatus . Although “Nobis” appears after each of these names, Salvator Merianae was originally proposed as an apparent emendation of Monitor Meriani Blainville , and S. nigropunctatus was a new generic assignment of Tupinambis nigropunctatus Spix (= Tupinambis teguixin ). Both older names appear in the respective synonymies provided by Duméril and Bibron (1839). Nonetheless, as pointed out by Avila-Pires (1995), Blainville’s name is a nomen nudum, so that Duméril and Bibron become the authors of S. merianae .