Proctoporus otishi, Mamani & Rodríguez, 2022

Mamani, Luis & Rodríguez, Lily O., 2022, A new species ofAndean lizard, Proctoporus (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae), from the highland of Parque Nacional Otishi in Peru, Zootaxa 5213 (1), pp. 75-85 : 76-80

Proctoporus otishi sp. nov.

Proctoporus sp. ( Rodríguez 2001: 128)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1CE8E03D-0E4C-4DB2-BC1E-853402614676 .

Holotype. MUSM 20754 , adult male ( Fig. 2 ) from north of Cordillera de Vilcabamba (11°39′36″S, 73°40′02″W, 3350 m a.s.l.), Parque Nacional Otishi, province Satipo, department Junín, in Peru. Collected by Lily O. Rodríguez on June 14 th, 1997.

Paratypes. Two females ( Fig. 3 ) from the same locality as the holotype collected by Lily O. Rodríguez on June 7 th ( MUSM 20753 ) and June 18 th, 1997 ( MUSM 20755 ) .

Etymology. The specific epithet otishi is a term that refers to the place where the new species was found— Parque Nacional Otishi, north of the Cordillera de Vilcabamba in Peru.

Diagnosis: (1) Frontonasal subequal, longer or shorter than frontal; (2) nasoloreal suture absent; (3) two supraoculars; (4) four superciliaries; (5) two postoculars; (6) palpebral disc undivided and transparent; (7) four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular; (8) three anterior infralabials; (9) six genials and four in contact; (10) three rows of pregulars; (11) dorsal body scales quadrangular, keeled, sub imbricate; (12) 32–35 scales around midbody; (13) 33–38 transverse dorsal rows; (14) 20–21 transverse ventral rows; (15) 22–25 longitudinal dorsal rows; (16) 10 longitudinal ventral rows; (17) two rows of continuous series of small lateral scales separating dorsals from ventrals per side; (18) 5–6 posterior cloacal plate scales; (19) two anterior preanal plate scales; (20) four femoral pores per hind limb in a male, absent in females; (21) preanal pores absent; (22) 11–13 subdigital lamellae on finger IV; 16–17 subdigital lamellae on toe IV; (23) limbs not overlapping when addressed against body; (24) pentadactyl, digits clawed; (25) in life, the dorsum is purple brown with tiny cream-colored spots, the flanks have enlarged cream-colored spots distributed irregularly from head to tail and the surface of the forelimbs and hindlimbs are similar to the flanks ( Fig. 3 ); in preservative, the dorsum, head, and dorsal surface of the tail are dark brown, the flanks of the body, tail and dorsal surface of the limbs are dark brown with small and irregular cream-colored spots, and the venter, throat, and ventral surface of the limbs and tail are dark brown ( Fig. 2 ). The measurements are shown in Table 1 .

Comparisons: Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. bolivianus , P. carabaya , P. chasqui , P. iridescens , P. kiziriani , P. lacertus , P. laudahnae , P. machupicchu , P. oreades , P. pachyurus , P. rahmi , P. spinalis , P. sucullucu , P. unsaacae , and P. xestus by the presence of three anterior infralabial scales (five in all species except for P. machupicchu , P. laudahnae , and P. unsaacae , which have four scales, and P. xestus , which has six scales); from P. katerynae and P. optimus by the presence of three rows of pregular scales (two in P. katerynae and P. optimus ); and from P. guentheri by the lack of two enlarged pregular scales (present in P. guentheri ).

Description of the holotype: An adult male, snout-vent length (SVL) of 45.3 mm and a regenerated tail length of 31.8 mm; the head scales smooth, without striations or rugosities; the rostral scale wider than height, meets the supralabials on both side, in contact with the frontonasal, nasals, and first supralabials; the frontonasal slightly longer than wide, the posterior the widest, and in contact with the rostral, nasals, frontal, and first superciliar; the frontal longer than wide, pentagonal, and in contact with the frontonasal, first supraoculars, and frontoparietals; the frontoparietals polygonal and in contact with the frontal, two supraoculars, parietals, and interparietal; two supraoculars, both in contact with superciliaries; interparietal longer than wide, irregularly heptagonal, and in contact with the frontoparietals, parietals, and occipitals; the parietals in the shape of an irregular pentagon and in contact with the frontoparietals, posterior to the postoculars, located posteriorly to the occipital and laterally to the supratemporals; three occipitals, occipitals smaller than the parietals; the nasal having a small suture under the nostril, longer than high and in contact with first supralabials; loreal scale absent; four superciliaries, the first one expanded onto the dorsal surface; the frenocular in the shape of irregular trapezoid and in contact with the second and third supralabals, both preoculars, and the first subocular; palpebral disc undivided, transparent; three suboculars; two postoculars; the temporals smooth, glossy, and polygonal; four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular. The mental wider than long and in contact with the first infralabial and posteriorly with the postmental; postmental pentagonal, in contact with the first infralabials and the first pair of genials; six genials and four in contact; the first pair in contact with the first and second infralabials; the second pair of genials in contact with the second and third infralabials; three pregular scale rows; seven gular scale rows; the collar fold distinct; the lateral neck scales round, smooth, and juxtaposed. The dorsal scales rectangular, longer than wide, juxtaposed, and with a single keel; 38 transverse dorsal rows and 25 longitudinal dorsal rows at midbody; a continuous longitudinal series of smaller laterals; scales at limb-insertion regions reduced in size; 20 transverse ventral scale rows; 10 longitudinal ventral scale rows at midbody; two anterior preanal plate scales; five posterior preanal plate scales. Caudal scales rectangular and juxtaposed dorsally, keeled dorsally and dorsolaterally, quadrangular and smooth ventrally.The forelimbs pentadactyl, digits clawed; the scales on dorsal surface of brachium polygonal, subimbricate, and smooth; the scales on ventral surface of brachium roundish, subimbricate, and smooth; the dorsal antebrachium scales polygonal, smooth, and subimbricate; the ventral antebrachium scales subimbricate, smaller than the dorsal antebrachial scales; the dorsal manus scales polygonal, smooth, and subimbricate; the palmar scales small, rounded, juxtaposed, and domelike; the dorsal scales on the fingers smooth, quadrangular and distributed as follows: three on finger I, four on finger II, six on finger III, six on finger IV, and five on finger V; subdigital lamellae seven on finger I, nine on finger II, twelve on finger III, twelve on finger IV, and eight on finger V. The hindlimbs pentadactyl, the digits clawed; the scales of the anterodorsal surface of the thigh large, polygonal, smooth, and subimbricate; scales on posterior surface of thigh small, rounded, juxtaposed; scales on ventral surface of thigh large, rounded, flat, smooth; the scales on the anterior surface of the crus polygonal, smooth, juxtaposed, and decreased in size distally; the scales on the anterodorsal surface of the crus rounded and subimbricate; the scales on the ventral surface of the crus large, smooth, flat, and subimbricate; the scales on the dorsal surface of the toes quadrangular, smooth, and distributed as follows: three on toe I, five on toe II, seven on toe III, nine on toe IV, and six on toe V; subdigital lamellae single distally and double proximally, six on toe I, eight on toe II, thirteen on toe III, fifteen on toe IV, and eleven on toe V. The limbs were not overlapping when adpressed against the body.

Variation: Based on the three voucher specimens of the type series of one male (holotype, MUSM 20754 ) and two females (paratypes, MUSM 20753 , 20755 ), respectively: the SVL of the male (45.3 mm) was lower than that of the females (49.6, 48.6 mm), and the head was wider in the male (6.2 mm) than in the females (5.8, 5.7 mm); one female ( MUSM 20755 ) had six supralabials and the other had seven ( MUSM 20753 ), and the male had seven on the left side and six on the right; the two females had six temporals on the left side and seven on the right, and the male had ten on both sides; the females had 34 and 32 scales around the body, and the male had 35; and the females had nine rows of gular scales and the male had seven. We did not observe significant variation in the color pattern. This variation was observed only in the type series, and the true intraspecific variation may be greater .

Distribution and ecology: The new species has only been found on the mountaintop of Parque Nacional Otishi, north of the Cordillera de Vilcabamba; it is an area that can be considered a “sky island” because the highlands are surrounded by montane forest, at elevations of 3350 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 4 ). The specimens of Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. were found to be associated with mosses of the genus Sphagnum and Bromeliads during diurnal assessments in a mixed ecosystem dominated by grassland and Polylepis forest. Six eggs were found under mosses ( Fig. 5 ); one nest had only two eggs, and the other had four eggs. We hypothesize that P. otishi sp. nov. may use communal nests that are characteristic of this genus ( Doan & Castoe 2003). Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. was found in sympatry with the amphibians Phrynopus sp. and Gastrotheca sp. No potential risks that could endanger Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. were observed, but they could be affected by global warming through the mechanism known as the escalator to extinction ( Freeman et al. 2018; Urban 2018).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Ventral and dorsal view and drawing of the head of the holotype of Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. (MUSM 20754, SVL = 45.3 mm, TL = 31.8 mm, male). Drawing by R. Cruz.

FIGURE 3. Image of the paratype of Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. (MUSM 20753, SVL = 49.6 mm, TL = 68.7 mm, female) in life. Photos taken by Lily O. Rodríguez.

FIGURE 4. Map showing the type locality of Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. in the highland of Parque Nacional Otishi.

FIGURE 5. Images of eggs of Proctoporus otishi sp. nov. found under mosses. Photos taken by Lily O. Rodríguez.