Guarocuyus jaraguanus, Landestoy & Schools & Hedges, 2022

Landestoy, Miguel A., Schools, Molly & Hedges, S. Blair, 2022, A new genus and species of Caribbean forest lizard (Diploglossidae; Celestinae) from southern Hispaniola, Zootaxa 5219 (3), pp. 201-226 : 210-211

Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov.

Jaragua Forest Lizard

( Figs. 6–9 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B98E34A9-E3CA-4B50-BD05-41CC093E6A0D

Holotype. MNHNSD 23.3937 ( MALT1004 ; Fig. 8 ) collected by Miguel A. Landestoy on 22 September 2021 on Cayo de las Iguanas , Laguna de Oviedo, Parque Nacional Jaragua, Pedernales Province, Dominican Republic (17.73205, -71.37126, datum WGS84; elev. near sea level).

Paratypes. Nine males, seven females, and two juveniles. IIBZ-HER00001–00004 , MNHNSD 23.3912 – 3916 , collected by Miguel A. Landestoy, Gerson Féliz, and Juan Pérez-Vidal on 29 April 2021, at the same locality as the holotype . MNHNSD 23.3934 – 3936 , IIBZ-HER00005–00008 , collected by Miguel A. Landestoy, same data as the holotype . MNHNSD 23.3948 – 3949 , collected by Miguel A. Landestoy and Gerson Féliz on 4 June 2022 at Cayo Pei , Laguna de Oviedo (17.73099°, -71.37684°).

Diagnosis. See generic account above, description of the holotype and variation below.

The new species requires close comparison with Panolopus costatus and P. curtissi Grant , two species found in the neighboring mainland. Besides the traits listed above diagnosing the genus, Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov. further differs from those two species by body shape (subcylindrical to squarish vs. depressed in P. costatus and P. curtissi ) and a rounded snout (vs. a sharp snout in P. costatus and P. curtissi ), which is reflected by a higher rostral scale (RH/RW 54.1–64.5 vs. 37.6–52.8 in Panolopus ). It is also distinguished by long limbs (vs. short limbs in P. curtissi ). In coloration and pattern, the new species differs by having a dorsum with 7–9 broad dark brown to blackish transverse chevronate crossbands on a tan or orange-tan ground color (vs. an usually unpatterned to narrow herringbone patterned bronze-tan dorsum in P. costatus and P. curtissi ), sides with invading bars from dorsal chevrons but ground color much paler (vs. sides highly pigmented, creating a two-zone area–dorsum light and a lateral dark band along the sides in P. costatus and P. curtissi ), and by the presence of 8–10 longitudinal (transversed) blackish lines (vs. sometimes two broad paramedian nuchal lines in P. costatus , which more often occur in Comptus stenurus ; Schwartz 1964).

The new species similarly differs from Comptus stenurus in body shape, being slender, subcylindrical to squarish in habitus (vs. a fusiform, somewhat depressed habitus in Comptus stenurus ), and dorsal coloration and pattern consisting of 7–9 broad dark brown transverse crossbands or chevrons on an orange-tan ground color (vs. unpatterned to a pattern of herringbone on a bronze-tan dorsum in Comptus stenurus ); a lateral pattern of 7–10 dark brown to blackish vertical stripes (vs. a dark continuous band along the sides in C. stenurus ). Additionally, both species are allopatric. Also differing from Panolopus costatus , P. curtissi , and Comptus stenurus , is the lack of complete coalescence in the dorsal scale strigae (tuberculate and not continuous ridges; Thomas & Hedges 1989) in all specimens. This condition had been noted previously by Thomas (1966) in juvenile Comptus badius (Cope) .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Living individual (MNHNSD 23.3935) of Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov.

FIGURE 7. Dorsal view of a series of Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov. showing variation. Specimens: males, MNHNSD 23.3934 (A), MNHNSD 23.3936 (B), 1005 (C), MNHNSD 23.3937 (D), MNHNSD 23.3935 (E), and IIBZ-HER00006 (F), and females, IIBZ-HER00007–00008 (G–H).

FIGURE 8. Holotype MNHNSD 23.3937 (MALT1004) Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov. in dorsal (A), lateral (B), and ventral (C) views. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 9. Lateral view of the head of Guarocuyus jaraguanus sp. nov. (MNHNSD 23.3912) showing two (red shading) postnasal scales.