Panaspis ericae, P. Marques & Parrinha & Lopes-Lima & Tiutenko & Bauer & Ceríaco, 2024

P. Marques, Mariana, Parrinha, Diogo, Lopes-Lima, Manuel, Tiutenko, Arthur, Bauer, Aaron M. & Ceríaco, Luis M. P., 2024, A treasure trove of endemics: two new species of snake-eyed skinks of the genus Panaspis Cope, 1868 (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, southwestern Angola, Evolutionary Systematics 8 (2), pp. 167-182 : 167-182

Panaspis ericae sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8

Remarks.

This new species belongs to the clade containing both P. cabindae and the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Island taxa, P. africanus , P. thomensis and P. annobonensis . The phylogenetic relationship between P. cabindae and the island taxa had already been highlighted by Medina et al. (2016), Soares et al. (2018) and Ceríaco et al. (2020). The discovery of an additional taxa belonging to this Central-African clade is interesting, especially in the biogeographic context of the Serra da Neve inselberg. While most of the taxa occurring in the inselberg and its surroundings belong to here called “ southern African ” clades, the presence of other Central African associated species such as P. cabindae and Bitis gabonica ( Marques et al. 2024) denotes a past connectivity between Serra da Neve and the north-south humid / highland corridors that allow taxa from Central Africa to expand to southern regions such as Namibe Province.

Type materials.

Holotype. MUNHAC / MB 03-001525 (field number LMPC 3209 ; Fig. 3 ), unsexed adult, from the rock outcrops near Catchi, Serra da Neve (- 13.7653, 13.2571, 1645 m), Namibe Province, Republic of Angola, collected by Mariana P. Marques, Diogo Parrinha, Arthur Tiutenko and Luis M. P. Ceríaco on 29 October 2022.

Paratypes. MUNHAC / MB 03-001526 (field number LMPC 3210), same data as holotype ; MUNHAC / MB 03-001528 (field number LMPC 3275) from the basecamp near Catchi (- 13.7627, 13.2562, 1597 m), Namibe Province, Republic of Angola, collected on 1 November 2022 ; MUNHAC / MB 03-001529 - 001531 (field numbers LMPC 3282, 3354, 3355; Fig. 4 ) from 2 km N of Maylowe , near a dry riverbed (- 13.8265, 13.2601, 720 m), Namibe Province, Republic of Angola, collected between 3 and 5 November 2022 . All specimens were collected by the same collectors as the holotype.

Additional material.

2 km N of Maylowe, near dry riverbed [- 13.8265, 13.2601, 720 m] (MUNHAC / MB 03-001534).

Diagnosis.

Panaspis ericae sp. nov. can be distinguished from other member of the genus by the following combination of characteristics: 1) presence of supranasals; 2) pre-ablepharine eye (as defined by Greer 1974); 3) frontoparietals not fused, in broad contact with each other; 4) dorsum coppery-brown, with a dorsolateral light stripe extending to tail, followed by dark brown flanks; 5) absence of dark spots on middorsal region; 5) absence of rows of light spots on the neck; 6) absence of a white ventrolateral stripe; 7) 23 to 26 midbody scales rows.

Description of the holotype.

Unsexed adult in good condition. Arrangement and relative size of head, body and tail scalation typical for Panaspis . Robust, cylindrical body with well-developed pentadactyl limbs. Fore- and hind-limbs do not overlap when adpressed against the body. SVL 32.6 mm, TL 44.8 mm. Head length 6.1 mm, with relatively acuminate snout (HL 148 % HW). Other relevant measurements are presented in Table 4 . Rostral wider than high, and visible from above. Nasals widely separated behind rostral by frontonasal. Frontonasal flat anteriorly, wider than long. Nostrils small, set posteriorly in the nasals bordering the postnasal; supranasals present. Prefrontals separated from each other, contacting loreals, first supraciliary, first supraocular, frontonasal and frontal. Two loreals, subequal in size; two preoculars, inferior slightly larger. Frontal length shorter than distance between anterior tip of frontal and tip of snout; frontal in contact with prefrontals and frontonasal anteriorly, and with first supraoculars and frontoparietals posteriorly. Frontoparietals fused, in contact with each other, the frontal, supraoculars, parietals and interparietal. Frontoparietal plus interparietal length about 1.5 times the length of the frontal. Interparietal diamond shaped, posterior edge more acuminate, with visible parietal foramen in the center; parietals about the same width as that of the frontoparietals and contacting each other behind interparietal. A pair of large, broad nuchals collectively bordered by a total of eight dorsals. Supraoculars three. Supraciliaries four (left side) and five (right side), first higher than broad, last wider than high. Pretemporals two. Tympanum visible, ear opening wider than high, approximately one-fourth the height of the eye. Supralabials seven, the fifth being the subocular. Pre-ablepharine eye. Infralabials six. Postmental bordering seven scales (mental, two primary chin-shields, and two infralabials on each side). Ventral scales smooth. MSR 25, SAD 57, SAV 58. Scales on palms and soles smooth. Relative length of digits of manus III > IV > II > VI > I; relative length of digits of pes IV > III > II = V > I; tips missing on digits III of right pes, II of left pes, and digit 4 of right manus. LUFF 10 (left side); LUFT 14 (right and left side). Tail long, robust and tapering smoothly.

In preservative, dorsal aspect of head, dorsum and tail coppery brown; tail slightly lighter. A light dorsolateral stripe runs from posterior edge of eye through tail (becoming mostly indistinct on distal half of tail), bordered below by a thin black line. Flanks, face and sides of tail uniformly dark to greyish brown, slightly lighter on tail. Labials greyish white, with dark spots. Scales individually stippled with black, especially on top of head; some irregularly scattered dark spots on head and tail, but not on flanks or middorsal region. Ventrum greyish white; underside of tail creamy white.

Variation.

Variaton in scalation and body measurements of the type series of Panaspis ericae sp. nov. is reported in Table 4 . The majority of the paratypes agree entirely with the holotype, with few minor variations. In MUNHAC / MB 03-001528 the prefrontals are in single point contact instead of separated. Paratype MUNHAC / MB 03-001529 has an intrusive scale between parietals and nuchals. All paratypes generally agree with the holotype in terms of coloration.

Comparison with other Southwestern African Panaspis and related forms.

As the molecular data provide evidence of the independence of the P. ericae sp. nov. lineage from all other taxa, we here restrict our morphological comparisons to those named congeners occurring in Namibia and Angola and its sister taxa from the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands ( P. africanus , P. thomensis and P. annobonensis ). P. ericae sp. nov. can immediately be distinguished from P. maculicollis , P. wahlbergii , P. mocamedensis and P. mundavambo sp. nov. by having its frontoparietal scales not fused and in median contact, while on the latter taxa the frontoparietals are fused. It can also be easily distinguished from P. aff. breviceps by the condition of the eye (pre-ablepharine versus completely movable lower eyelids in P. aff. breviceps ) and a considerably lower number of midbody scale rows (23–26 versus 32–34 in P. aff breviceps ). Similarly, it can also be easily distinguished from the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Island species, P. africanus , P. thomensis and P. annobonensis by the eyelid condition (pre-ablepharine in P. ericae sp. nov. versus completely movable lower eyelids in the latter taxa). P. ericae sp. nov. is morphologically very similar to P. cabindae , with which it was originally confused in the field. Due to the extreme morphological conservatism of the genus, the morphological differences between these two species are subtle. However, since the two species are truly cryptic we followed Rheindt et al. (2023) and present a molecular diagnosis of the species. Panaspis ericae sp. nov, differs from its closest relative P. cabindae by a total of 23 fixed single nucleotide substitutions plus one insertion in the 16 S rRNA alignment and by 11 fixed single nucleotide substitutions in the RAG 1 alignment (see Appendix 2). The main molecular diagnostic feature between both species is the base nucleotide composition at positions 112, 114, 131, 150, 167, 208, 209, 219, 229, 231, 232, 282, 288, 295, 304, 315, 317, 318, 320, 322, 324, 325, 334, and 336 of the 16 S rRNA gene alignment and positions 6, 15, 183, 215, 234, 354, 366, 519, 521, 568, and 570 of the RAG 1 gene alignment.

Distribution.

The newly described species is currently only known from the Serra da Neve Inselberg in northern Namibe Province, southwestern Angola (Fig. 6 ). Given the isolation of the inselberg and the stark contrast with its surrounding habitat, the newly described species is assumed to be endemic to Serra da Neve.

Habitat and natural history notes.

In the highlands of Serra da Neve, at about 1600 m above sea level, specimens were collected under leaf litter in an area dominated by dense Miombo woodlands ( MB 03-001525, 001526, 001528) (Fig. 7 ; Grandvaux-Barbosa 1970; Huntley 2023). On the other hand, the specimens collected in the lowlands of the inselberg, at about 720 m above sea level, were found near a dry riverbed in an area dominated by dense mopane woodland in sandy soils with abundant leaf litter (MUNHAC / MB 03-001529, 001530, 001531, 001534) (Fig. 8 ) The species, as most Panaspis , seems to be a leaf-litter dweller. Its occurrence in both the base and top of Serra da Neve in two different habitats (miombo in the more humid highlands and mopane in the arid lowlands) indicates some ecological adaptability. It occurs in sympatry with Panaspis mocamedensis near Maylowe, preferring denser woodlands with more shade and leaf litter, especially associated with riparian areas, while P. mocamedensis occurs in the more open and arid woodlands. Paratypes MUNHAC / MB 03-001530 and 001528 were gravid. Paratypes MUNHAC / MB 03-001530 and 001531 were collected on a pitfall trap.

Etymology.

The specific epithet “ ericae ” is formed in the genitive singular and is feminine. It is given in honor of Erica Tavares (1997 –), an Angolan biologist and conservationist. Through her work in the Angolan environmental platform “ Eco Angola ” (of which Erica is a co-founder), Erica has revolutionized the Angolan conservation and ecological discourse, providing opportunities for members of the Angolan civil society, students, and young researchers to learn, debate and contribute to environmental causes. We suggest “ Erica’s Snake-Eyed Skink ” and “ Lagartixa da Manta-Morta de Erica ” as the English and Portuguese common names, respectively, for this species.

Figures

Figure 3. Live photo of the holotype of Panaspis ericae sp. nov. (MUNHAC / MB 03-001525) from vicinity of Catchi, Serra da Neve. Photo by Arthur Tiutenko.

Figure 4. Live photo of the paratype of Panaspis ericae sp. nov. (MUNHAC / MB 03-001531) from vicinity of Maylowe, Serra da Neve. Photo by Arthur Tiutenko.

Figure 5. Preserved holotype of Panaspis ericae sp. nov. (MUNHAC / MB 03-001525). Photos by Diogo Parrinha.

Figure 6. Topographic map of the Serra da Neve Inselberg with collection localities of Panaspis species in the region. Stars represent the type localities of the newly described species.

Figure 7. Miombo woodlands near the type locality of P. ericae sp. nov., in Catchi, Serra da Neve. Photo by Arthur Tiutenko.

Figure 8. Dry riverbed in mopane woodlands and its associated leaflitter in the base of Serra da Neve, near Maylowe, where some of the paratypes of Panaspis ericae sp. nov., were collected. Photo by Arthur Tiutenko.