Cnemidophorus confusionibus Arias, Carvalho, Rodrigues and Zaher, 2011

Silva, Marcélia Basto Da & Ávila-Pires, Teresa C. S., 2013, The genus Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae) in State of Piauí, northeastern Brazil, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 3681 (4), pp. 455-477 : 464-466

Cnemidophorus confusionibus Arias, Carvalho, Rodrigues and Zaher, 2011

( Figure 3 B).

Cnemidophorus confusionibus Arias, Carvalho, Rodrigues and Zaher, 2011a: 40 ; Arias, Carvalho, Rodrigues and Zaher, 2011b: 1

Material examined. Brazil. PIAUÍ. Municipality of Caracol, Parque Nacional Serra das Confusões (09°27’S, 43°05’W): MPEG 26463–26466, MPEG 28629–28660. Municipality of Curimatá, Serra Vermelha (10°02’11”S, 44°18’22”W): MPEG 29624, MPEG 29625.

Diagnosis. Cnemidophorus confusionibus is a member of the ocellifer subgroup. It is characterized by (between parentheses species from which it differs in that respect) being bisexual (only females in C. nativo ); presence of 14–21 femoral pores (27– C. abaetensis , 28–36 in C. littoralis , 33–45 in C. venetacaudus and 31–38 in C. cyanurus —all littoralis subgroup; 24–26 in C. nativo , 11–16 in C. jalapensis ); enlarged scales in the temporal region posterior to the third subocular (not enlarged in littoralis subgroup); five supraciliaries (6-7 in littoralis subgroup); absence of spurs in the heel of males (presence in littoralis subgroup); maximum SVL 3 76.5 mm, Ƥ 70.1 mm (3 59 mm, Ƥ 57 mm in C. mumbuca , 3 Ƥ 56 mm in C. jalapensis , 3 89 mm, Ƥ 77.5 mm in the new species); 20–28 scales around tail (26–31 in C. nativo and C. cf. ocellifer , 27–32 in C. nigrigula , 23–33 in the new species); 188–240 dorsals (206–253 in C. cf. ocellifer , 197–235 in C. mumbuca and 200–250 in C. jalapensis , 192– 255 in the new species); hemipenis smooth (with folds in C. cf. ocellifer , C. nigrigula , and flounces in the new species). Regarding colour pattern, C. confusionibus presents dorsolateral and lateral light stripes, yellow ocelli on dark band between dorsolateral and lateral stripes, ventrolateral region with yellow spots irregularly arranged, gular and venter immaculate (vertebral, paravertebral, dorsolateral and lateral stripes present in C. jalapensis and in the new species; ocelli bluish-green in C. cf. ocellifer , turquoise in C. nigrigula ; gular orange in the new species, black in C. nigrigula ; regon ventrolateral with bluish-green spots irregularly arranged in C. cf. ocellifer and in the new species; venter with orange spots in the new species).

Hemipenis (MPEG 28641, MPEG 28647, MPEG 28651, MPEG 28656, MPEG 28659). Short and slightly bilobed (lobes about 10% the size of the organ). It extends to level of the eighth row of subcaudals when inverted. Sulcus spermaticus slightly forked, deep and centripetal. Branches diverge close to the lobular crotch and extend to the central region of each lobe. Border of sulcus spermaticus smooth and very distinct. Lobes ornamented with small, non-calcified papillae in the apical region of the sulcate face. Region between lobes smooth. Sulcate and asulcate faces smooth. Basal region naked in the asulcate face, with a smooth protuberance on the sulcate face ( Figure 6 ).

Distribution. This species was recorded in an area covered by ‘caatinga’ vegetation, in the Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões, in southeastern Piauí (Arias et al. 2011). Two specimens of C. confusionibus (MPEG 29624 and MPEG 29625, males) were collected in the locality Serra Vermelha, municipality of Curimatá, about 130 km southwest of the type-locality, an area of semideciduous forest (IBGE 2004; Figure 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A— Cnemidophorus venetacaudus (adult male), Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões, Piauí (photo by Wáldima Rocha). B— Cnemidophorus confusionibus (adut male), Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões, Piauí.

FIGURE 5. Cnemidophorus records in the State of Piauí (PI), Brazil. Black circles (1 – 10) = Cnemidophorus pyrrhogularis sp. nov.; Squares (11, 12, probably 14 — Canto do Burití [see text]) = C. venetacaudus; Star (11) = C. cf. ocellifer; Crosses (12 and 13) = C. confusionibus; White circles (15) = non-identified specimens. Numbers represent: 1 — Pedra do Sal (Parnaíba); 2 — Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades (Piracuruca); 3 — Eco Resort Nazareth (José de Freitas); 4 — Fazenda Santa Fé (José de Freitas); 5 — Riachão (Lagoa Alegre do Piauí); 6 — Cacimba de Dentro (Cabeceiras do Piauí); 7 — Fazenda Bonito (Castelo do Piauí); 8 — Fazenda Guarani (Campo Maior); 9 — Usina Hidrelétrica de Parnaíba (Floriano); 10 — Fazenda São Pedro (Guadalupe); 11 — Água Mineral Manaíra (Dom Expedito Lopes); 12 — Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões (Caracol). 13 — Serra Vermelha (Curimatá); 14 — Canto do Buriti (Boqueirão Grande); 15 — Estação Ecológica Uruçuí-Una (Uruçuí). Vegetation map modified from IBGE (2004).

FIGURE 6. Right hemipenis of Cnemidophorus confusionibus (MPEG 28651). A—Sulcate face, B—Asulcate face. Scale 5 mm.