Cnemidophorus murinus

Harvey, Michael B., Ugueto, Gabriel N. & Gutberlet, Ronald L., 2012, 3459, Zootaxa 3459, pp. 1-156 : 110

Cnemidophorus murinus Group

Definition.— The following combination of characters distinguishes the Cnemidophorus murinus Group ( Tables 9, 11) from other groups of Cnemidophorus : medium lizards reaching 159 mm SVL; interparietal frequently partially or completely longitudinally divided along midline [only 30% of C. ruthveni (n = 10) and 47% of C. murinus (n = 17) have completely entire interparietals]; median pair of occipitals small and flanked by subequal scales; first subocular usually separated from supralabials by anterior expansion of second subocular, occasionally subocular entire and contacting supralabials; partially or completely tripled row of granules between supraocular and supraciliaries (doubled in only one specimen of C. murinus ); mesoptychials not or only slightly enlarged; ventral scales in 35–40 transverse and 10 or 12 longitudinal rows; smooth proximal subcaudals; preaxial and postaxial brachial scales separated by granular scales; preaxial brachial scales barely enlarged and forming small patch near distal end of brachium; postbrachials not or only barely enlarged and, if discernible, restricted to small patch near elbow; enlarged antebrachials broadly separated from enlarged preaxial brachials by large gap of granules or distinctly smaller scales; combined femoral and abdominal pores 57–86; tibiotarsal shields absent; stripes absent or very inconspicuous (only slightly visible on posterior dorsum) in juveniles; spots on flanks of adult males very large; throat not melanic although very dark in some adult males; chest not black but often dark, often darker than the abdomen, pale bluish or grayish in adult males, never bright yellow.

Content.— Cnemidophorus murinus (Laurenti) and Cnemidophorus ruthveni (Ruthven) .

Distribution.— Curaçao, Klein Curaçao, Bonaire and Klein Bonaire.

Remarks.—The Cnemidophorus murinus Group is the most divergent morphologically. The two species in this group attain much larger SVLs than congeners and are unique in having a partially or completely tripled row of granules between the supraoculars and supraciliaries. Additionally, species in the C. murinus Group are the only Cnemidophorus with large flank spots in adult males and juveniles with no or very inconspicuous light stripes. Species of the C. murinus and C. vanzoi Groups have longitudinally divided interparietals and more transverse ventrals than congeners. The longer abdomen in the highly herbivorous species of the C. murinus Group may have evolved to accommodate unusually long intestines required to process plant matter ( Dearing 1993). We were surprised to find longitudinally divided interparietals in the three species of the C. murinus and C. vanzoi Groups. In other teiids, this trait occurs only in the geographically proximate species of the Ameiva erythrocephala Group.