Carinatogecko Golubev & Szczerbak, 1981

Fathinia, Behzad, Karamiani, Rasoul, Darvishnia, Hamid, Heidari, Naghi & Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah, 2011, A new species of Carinatogecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Ilam Province, western Iran, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 5 (1), pp. 61-74 : 71

Comparison with the other species of Carinatogecko Golubev & Szczerbak, 1981

In order to compare Carinatogecko ilamensis sp. nov. with the other three species of Carinatogecko ( C. aspratilis , C. heteropholis , and C. stevenandersoni ), the material deposited at Razi University Zoological Museum ( RUZM-GC.110 – RUZM-GC.131) was examined and combined with information obtained from the literature (e.g., Leviton et al. 1992; Szczerbak and Golubev 1996; Anderson 1999; Fathinia 2007; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2007; Červenka et al. 2010; Torki 2011).

Based on the comparisons, C. ilamensis sp. nov. differs from its congeners by a combination of characters as follows: The color pattern is different from those of C. heteropholis , C. aspratilis , and C. stevenandersoni and dark transverse bands on dorsum in C. ilamensis sp. nov. are equal to, or wider than, light interspaces (in all other three species the darker bands are much narrower than interspaces; Fig. 11 ); the most obvious character differentiating C. ilamensis sp. nov. from the other three mentioned species comes from postmentals. Carinatogecko ilamensis sp. nov. has no postmentals (two pairs in C. aspratilis , and C. heterophilis , and 3-4 pairs in C. stevenandersoni ; Fig. 12 ); the mental is not pointed posteriorly in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (the opposite is true for the three other species; Fig. 12 ); enlarged dorsal tubercles extend onto nape and postorbital regions but absent on occiput in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (extending on to occiput, upper head, to between eyes, and onto temporal region in C. stevenandersoni ; extend onto occiput and run out before reaching the interorbital region in C. heteropholis , and run out in the occipital region in C. aspratilis ); Ventral scales not imbricate in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (strongly imbricate in C. aspratilis , weakly imbricate in C. heteropholis , weakly imbricate in C. stevenandersoni ); ventral scales not pointed in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (pointed in C. stevenandersoni , not pointed in C. heteropholis , weakly pointed in C. aspratilis ); scales posterior to the labials not enlarged in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (not enlarged in C. aspratilis , enlarged in C. heteropholis , much enlarged in C. stevenandersoni ); dorsal scales equal to ventrals in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (larger in C. stevenandersoni , equal or smaller in C. heteropholis , equal in C. aspratilis ); number of subdigital lamellae under fourth toe 16-18 in C. ilamensis sp. nov (16-20 in C. stevenandersoni , 15 in C. heteropholis ); SVL 36.53 mm in largest specimen of C. ilamensis sp. nov. (41.10 mm in C. heteropholis , less than 27 mm in C. aspratilis , 36.49 mm in C. stevenandersoni ); all lower labials not divided in C. ilamensis sp. nov. (fourth and fifth lower labials divided in C. stevenandersoni , not divided in both C. heteropholis and C. aspratilis ).

Figures

Figure 11. Comparison of dorsal pattern in (a) Bunopus tuberculatus and (b) Carinatogecko ilamensis sp. nov.

Figure 12. Comparison of a1-a2) mental and gular scales, b1-b2) dorsal pholidosis, c1-c2) ventral pholidosis, d1-d2) preanal pores, e1-e2) upper caudal region, and f1-f2) ventral region of tail in Bunopus tuberculatus (left) and C. ilamensis sp. nov. (right).