Neusticurus cf. racenisi Roze 1958

Barrio-Amorós, César L. & Brewer-Carías, Charles, 2010, Venezuelan Guayana, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 1942, pp. 1-68 : 45-46

Neusticurus cf. racenisi Roze 1958

Common Venezuelan water teiid, Lagartijo acuático de Racenis, Maskani

Camp V. 22 March 2002. EBRG 4249 (subadult male) .

Our specimen agrees with the descriptions given by Avila-Pires (1995) and Donnelly and Myers (1991). type locality) agrees with MPEG 62208, the animal illustrated in Avila-Pires (1995), in having a middorsal row of enlarged, juxtaposed dorsal scales. Roze (1958 a:256) described the dorsal scalation as (free translation) “small, uniform and keeled scales, in transversal rows; on the laterodorsal region [or dorsolateral] there is a longitudinal zone with slightly more enlarged scales with larger keels, followed again laterally by small scales that end abruptly where the first row of ventral scales starts.” This is the condition we observed in all animals except MBUCV 3541. The redescription of N. racenisi by Donnelly and Myers (1991), based on the holotype, paratype, and three specimens from Guaiquinima (plus the data of Van Devender [1967]) agrees with that of Avila-Pires (1995) in mentioning large middorsal scales. The two specimens from Guaiquinima we have examined (MBUCV 7051–52; formerly AMNH 136196–97 and previously studied by Donnelly and Myers) do not have enlarged scales in the middorsal row; in fact the middorsal scales are smaller than the adjacent scales. Moreover, EBRG 4249 from Sarisariñama differs from Guaiquinima specimens not only by having a significantly lower number of subdigital lamellae under Finger IV and Toe IV, but in having many fewer femoral pores (23/23 vs. 31/ 32 in MBUCV 7052). Based on available data and available specimens we cannot offer a better solution than to include all the studied specimens at the moment under the same name. However, the currently recognized taxon racenisi is most probably a composite of similar species.

Neusticurus racenisi is widespread in lowlands and uplands in southern Venezuela ( Fig. 16 ). Only one subadult male ( Fig. 17 ) was caught by day in the stream near Canaracuni, where other Neusticurus were observed ( N. tatei is sympatric; see below) dropping into the water and usually escaping by diving under a submerged log or boulder.

Material examined. Neusticurus racenisi .— VENEZUELA: Estado Amazonas, Río Cataniapo, Salto las Nieves, EBRG 1804; Río Autana, Caño Cabeza Manteco, EBRG 1817; Ugueto, close to the Orinoco source, MBUCV 8014; Simarawochi, MBUCV 3959. Estado Bolívar, Jaua, elev. 1600 m, EBRG 3348; Canaracuni, base of Sarisariñama, EBRG 4249; Uruyen, MBUCV 1904, 3541; north side of Cerro Guaiquinima, elev. 1030 m, MBUCV 7051–52 (formerly AMNH 136196–97).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Distribution of Neusticurus bicarinatus, N. racenisi (black squares), N. rudis (black circles), and N. tatei (white squares) in Venezuela. The white circle identifies the single locality where N. bicarinatus, N. racenisi, and N. rudis are sympatric (La Escalera, Sierra de Lema, Bolívar State).

FIGURE 17. Subadult male Neusticurus racenisi from Sarisariñama (EBRG 4249).