Cyrtopodion dehakroense, Masroor, Rafaqat, 2009

Masroor, Rafaqat, 2009, A new arboreal species of Cyrtopodion (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Deh Akro-II Wetlands Complex, Sindh, Pakistan, Zootaxa 2243, pp. 57-67 : 60-65

Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov.

Fig. 4 , Plates 1–2, Table 1

Holotype: Pakistan Museum of Natural History ( PMNH) 2167, an adult male ( Fig. 4 , Plate 1A, Plate 2); Ganjo Wetland, Deh Akro-II Wildlife Sanctuary, Nawabshah District, Sindh, Pakistan (26º27΄26.0ʺN, 68º49΄24.9ʺE), 9.8 m above mean sea level; collected by R. Masroor on 7 January 2009.

Paratypes: PMNH 2168, 2169, 2170 (adult males) and PMNH 2171 (adult female); collection data as for holotype. PMNH 2172, an adult male; Salahdi Waro (26º 23΄ 48.7ʺ N, 68º 48΄ 0 5.9ʺ E). PMNH 2173 and 2174, adult males; Akan Waro (26º 24΄ 0 6.1ʺ N, 68º 48΄ 10.6ʺ E) (Plate 1A–B, Plate 3). Paratypes were collected by the author on 7 January 2009.

Diagnosis: A medium sized gecko, snout-vent length to 36.0 mm; tail longer than body, TL/SVL ratio 0.73–0.75 in type series; 16–18 heterogeneous interorbital scales; body dorsum with prominent, moderate sized, trihedral tubercles, not in contact with each other, arranged in 10–12 longitudinal rows, 22–24 paravertebral rows extending from immediately behind occiput to level of vent; 21–25 rows of ventral scales across midbody; 92–102 scales along ventral midline of body; males with four preanal pores, femoral pores absent; tail distinctly segmented, each segment with 3–4 dorsolateral rows of small heterogeneous scales in a transverse row of six large mucronate scales, the row of mucronate scales the terminal row in each caudal segment, three on each side, their keels directed outward, separated from one another by 1–3 smaller scales; body dorsum with 7–9 distinct, V-shaped, narrow, dark brown transverse bands; subcaudals not entire, anteriorly in transverse series of several small scales, posteriorly paired..

Description of the Holotype: Habitus depressed; head relatively long (HL/SVL ratio 0.29), wide (HW/ HL ratio 0.60), not markedly depressed (HH/HL ratio 0.38), distinct from slender neck. Snout elongate (SE/ HL ratio 0.38), pointed. Eyes moderate in size (OD/HL ratio 0.19); pupil vertical with black crenelated margins; supraciliaries short, anterior larger than posterior, the later bearing tiny conical spines. External auricular opening relatively large (EL/HL ratio 0.09), oval and vertical (Plate 2C); eye to ear distance greater than diameter of eye (EE/OD ratio 1.19). Rostral scale rectangular, width about twice height, incompletely divided by a median furrow; two pairs of postrostrals separated by a series of small scales; nostrils small, oval, bordered by 3 nasals, rostral, and first supralabial; height of suture between first supralabial and rostral scale subequal or slightly shorter than the length of former along jaw margin; supralabials 12/12, first longest, succeeding four subequal, posteriormost smallest; infralabials 7/7, first three about equal in size (Plate 2C); head with heterogeneous tubercular scales; patch of larger preocular tubercles present; top of the head intermixed with hexagonal tubercular scales, those on the preocular and posterior of frontal region enlarged and flat; 9–10 tuberculated loreal scales between anterior border of orbit and upper nasal scale; preorbital, posterior frontal and postnasal area shallow; 17 rows of heterogeneous interorbital scales (Plate 2D); frontal, supraorbital, supraorbital and post-narial area of head concave with relatively smaller scales; canthus indistinct, loreal region concave.

features presented, see description for stable characters. All measurements in mm. * = regenerated tail. Holotype Paratypes

Body slightly flattened and elongate (TRL/SVL ratio 0.41), dorsal surface covered with small granular to weakly conical scales, among which are sometimes distributed rounded, smooth scales; dorsum with 12 longitudinal rows relatively large-sized trihedral tubercles, 8 median rows enlarged and distinctly trihedral, 2 lateralmost rows on each side subtrihedral and slightly irregular in arrangement; each enlarged tubercle surrounded by 11–12 and separated by 1–2, heterogeneous, flat, granular scales; 22 dorsal tubercles in paravertebral row extending from immediately behind head to level of vent (Plate 2A).

PLATE 1. A. Living holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2167) showing comparatively long tail, elongate, slender limbs and digits, and characteristic dorsal V-shaped thin cross bands. B. Adult male holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2167) in life. Note the enlarged trihedral tubercles on body dorsum and tail. C. Adult male paratype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2170) in life. Note the color pattern of the head characterized by darker, broader markings than those of body dorsum.

Mental scale large, pentagonal; three pairs of postmentals, first pair large, in contact behind mental for more than one half length of mental scale, second postmental more than half the size of the first one, third smallest, about one third size of second, first pair of gulars in contact with first postmentals greatly enlarged, subsequent rows of gulars decreasing in size, more posterior gular region with relatively homogeneous, smooth, granular to hexagonal scales (Plate 2E); abdomen with flat, squarish sub-imbricate scales, larger than dorsal granular scales, largest ventral scales about same size as dorsal tubercles, 22 rows across midventer; 95 scales along midventral line of body from postmental suture to anterior margin of vent (Plate 2B); lateral abdominal scales small, juxtaposed, in 3–5 rows; 4 well-developed precloacal pores in transversely enlarged squarish scales about equal in size to surrounding scales, the lateral two precloacal scales equal in size (Plate 2F), four larger scales behind precloacal scales; femoral pores absent, femoral scales enlarged.

Limbs moderate in length, when maximally extended forward, tip of manus barely reaching anterior edge of eye; tip of pes of adpressed hindlimbs extends to base of neck; digits somewhat elongate, subdigital scales smooth, completely lacking lateral projections; digit IV of manus with 13 and digit IV of pes with 19–20 subdigital lamellae, those on basal part of the digits broader than on laterally compressed distal portion; claws small, curved, sharp, present on all digits; dorsum of limbs with large, keeled, flattened trihedral scales; ventral limb scales heterogeneous, broader than high, smooth, those at joints small; upper fore limb with small, trihedral imbricate scales, underside of lower fore limb with large smooth, imbricate scales; dorsum of upper hind limb with large, keeled, tubercular scales, underside with large smooth scales in six to eight rows; dorsum of tibia with trihedral tubercles, subequal to dorsal trihedral tubercles, separated by small granular scales ( Fig. 4 ), underside with large smooth scales.

Tail fragile, longer than body, depressed, gently tapering to tip, segmented, each segment with 3–4 rows of small heterogeneous scales in a transverse row of six large mucronate scales, three on each side, their keels directed outward, separated by 1–3 smaller scales ( Fig. 4 ); anteriorly with 6–8 small subcaudals in a transverse row, reduced to two rows posteriorly, each longer than broad (Plate 2F).

PLATE 2. Holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2167) from Ganjo Wetland, Deh Akro-II wildlife sanctuary, Nawabshah District, Sindh, Pakistan. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. Lateral view of head. D. Dorsal view of head. E. Ventral view of head. F. of holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov.. F. Ventral view of the hindlimbs and tail; note small subcaudals and four preanal pores surrounded by equally-sized scales. Scale bars in A, B and F = 10 mm.

Color (in life): Dorsum light gray with nine dark brown, V-shaped, narrow transverse bands; head with somewhat faded brown coloration, labials with black speckling; a dark, relatively broad stripe extends from near the rostral, passing through eye, above external ear and terminating posterior to forelimb insertion. A second narrow dark stripe extends from the frontal region just above the eye onto the dorsum of neck, contacting the two to three anteriormost transverse color bands; limbs light gray, with transverse brown bands; tail dorsum with 13–14 dark brown (Plate 1B–C), V-shaped bands. Venter white to off-white, with brownish speckles extending from dorsum onto lateralmost scales.

Etymology: The new species is named after Deh Akro-II Wetlands Complex, the type locality. It is neuter, matching the gender of Cyrtopodion .

Variation: (Plate 1B–C, Plate 3) Variation in morphometric data and pholidosis is presented in Table 1 . There is no significant variation among the members of the type series of Cyrtopodion dehakroense except for the absence of precloacal pores in females.

PLATE 3. Paratype series of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (from left to right PMNH 2174, 2173, 2172, 2171, 2170, 2169, 2168). A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. Ventral view of the type series of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. Scale bar = 20 mm.

Distribution and Habitat: The type locality is situated in Dek Akro-II Wildlife Sanctuary (20,500 ha; Fig. 1 ). This sanctuary is located in the Nawabshah District, southwest Sindh Province, 320 km northeast of Karachi City. It is a complex of 36 perennial lakes of varying sizes and depths. Five are freshwater, the rest brackish. These wetlands are formed by seepage from the Jamrau and Nara Canal, flowing along the southeast boundary of the sanctuary.

Deh Akro-II Wildlife Sanctuary supports an unusual combination of desert wetland habitats. The sanctuary has four major habitat types viz., desert, wetland, agricultural land, and marsh. Sand dunes are dominant features. The sand dune flora includes Acacia jacquemontii , Acacia nilotica, Aerva javanica, Calligonum polygonoides, Capparis decidua, Cassia italica, Citrullus colocynthis, Crotalaria burhia , Euphorbia prostrata, Farsetia hamiltonii, Prosopis cineraria , Prosopis juliflora , Saccharum spontaneum, Salsola baryosoma, Salvadora oleoides , Zizyphus mauritiana , and Zizyphus nummularia . Wetland vegetation includes Alhaji maurorum, Calotropis procera, Cynodon dactylon , Cyperus rotundus, Eragrostris minor, Heliotropium strigosum, Hydrilla verticillata, Ipomoea aquatica, Limeum indicum, Phragmites karka, Phyla nodiflora, Populus euphratica, Saccharum bengalense, Stipagrostis plumosa, Suaeda fruticosa , Tamarix aphylla , Tamarix dioica , Tribulus longipetalus , and Typha elephantine . Reeds and Ta marix spp. occur along the lake margins. Agricultural areas consist of patches of irrigated fields adjacent to desert habitat. The flora in these areas comprises Achyranthes aspera , Alhagi maurorum, Amaranthis virdis, Cynodon dactylon , Azadirachta indica , Zizyphus nummularia , and Tribulus terrestris , amongst others. The vegetation found in marshy habitats is dominated by Saccharum spontaneum , Saccharum bengalense, Pluchea lanceolata, and Limeum indicum . (Anonymous 2002).

Two soil classes exist in the area, sandy soils in the desert and sandy clay loam in the low-lying areas. Desert soils are moderately calcareous and alluvial deposits and date from when the Indus River flowed through this area (Anonymous 2002). The mean elevation of the sanctuary is about 50 m above sea level. Summers are very hot, whereas winters are short, dry, and mild. May to July are the hottest months, with mean temperatures of 48–52°C. January is the coldest month with temperatures dropping as low as 11°C. Rainfall ranges from 88–135 mm yr -1. Most of the total rainfall occurs during the monsoon (mid-July to late August).

Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. has thus far been found only in the wetland habitats of the Deh Akro-II wildlife sanctuary, Nawabshah District, Sindh. It has been collected under the bark of old-growth Prosopis cineraria , a small to medium-sized evergreen, locally known as kandi or jand ( Fig. 3 ), found mainly in the Thar Desert of Pakistan and India. It grows in arid regions on a variety of soils.

Diet: Gut contents were recovered from six individuals of Cyrtopodion dehakroense . The stomach contents of PMNH 2168 included four unknown dipteran flies, PMNH 2169 contained seven flies and four termites, PMNH 2170, had ingested a scarabid beetle, PMNH 2169 contained six ants and two flies, and PMNH 2171 and 2172 contained one and two true bugs and eight and four ants, respectively. The stomachs of PMNH 2167, 2173 and 2174 were empty.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of Deh Akro-II Wetlands Complex, Nawabshah, Sindh, showing the collection localities for Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov.

FIGURE 3. Prosopis cineraria, the tree from which the holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2167) was collected

FIGURE 4. Dorsal view of the hindlimbs and tail of the holotype of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. (PMNH 2167). Note large tubercles on hindlimbs and mucronate tubercles on tail. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Mensural and meristic data for the type series of Cyrtopodion dehakroense sp. nov. Only variable meristic

Characters	PMNH No. 2167*	PMNH No. 2168	PMNH No. 2169	PMNH No. 2170	PMNH No. 2171	PMNH No. 2172	PMNH No. 2173	PMNH No. 2174
Sex	Male	Male	Male	Male	Female	Male	Male	Male
Head length (HL)	10.6	10.1	10.8	10.5	10.0	10.1	10.0	11.0
Head width (HW)	6.4	5.9	6.6	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	6.4
Head Height (HH)	4.1	3.8	4.2	4.0	3.8	3.9	3.9	4.2
Snout-eye distance (SE)	4.1	3.8	4.2	4.1	3.0	3.9	3.9	4.3
Orbital Diameter (OD)	2.1	2.1	2.2	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.0	2.2
Ear Length (EL)	1.0	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.1
Ear-Eye Distance (EE)	2.5	2.4	2.7	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.3	2.6
Trunk Length (TRL)	14.7	13.9	15.1	14.9	14.3	14.3	14.1	15.1
Snout-Vent Length (SVL)	35.5	32.6	36.0	35.0	33.6	34.2	33.1	35.7
Tail Length (TL)	48.5	43.4	32.1*	43.0*	35.5*	36.3*	29.7*	37.0*
Supralabials (SL)	12	13	13	11	11–12	11–12	10–11	10
Infralabials (IL)	7	8	8	8–9	9	8	7–8	7
Postmentals (PM)	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Interorbital Scales	17	16	17	18	16	18	18	16
Longitudinal rows of tubercles	12	10	12	11	10	12	12	11
Scales around dorsal tubercles	11–12	11–12	11	10–12	10–11	11–12	11–12	11–12
Paravertebral tubercle rows	22	24	22	22	23	24	22	24
Mid-Ventrals	95	94	102	100	98	101	92	95
Scales across belly	22	22	21	22	25	24	24	22
Precloacal Pores	4	4	4	4	—	4	4	4
Lamellae under Digit IV Pes	19–20	20	22–23	18–19	20	20	20	18
Lamellae under Digit IV Manus	13	13	15–16	13	13	13	12–13	13
Thin V-shaped bands on dorsum	9	7	7	7	8	8	7	7