Lakigecko, Keywords., 2020

Keywords., Farhang Torki, 2020, A new gecko genus from Zagros Mountains, Iran, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 223) 14 (1), pp. 55-62 : 56-58

Lakigecko gen.n.

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Type species: Lakigecko aaronbaueri sp.n., herein described.

Definition: The monotypic genus Lakigecko gen.n. differs from all other genera of the Family Gekkonidae by the following combination of characters: (1) depressed tail; (2) much flattened head and body; (3) acute head angle (laterally); (4) eye horizontally ellipsoid (horizontal/vertical ratio in life more than 1.2 and preserved approximately 1.6); (5) whorls of tubercles approximately circular (extended onto ventrolateral surface): strongly spinose and keeled caudal tubercles that extend onto dorsolateral and ventrolateral surfaces, lateral tubercles larger than mid-dorsal and ventral, mid-dorsal and ventral tubercles are clearly different from smaller subcaudal scales, whorls separated by two rows of keeled scales; (6) spinose tubercles extend along entire length of tail (tubercle shape consistent throughout); (7) mid-dorsal tubercle rows separated from each other by two scales, dorsolateral rows of tubercles (four tubercle rows on each side) are in contact with one another; (8) dorsolateral scales strongly elevated, pyramidal, and keeled; (9) dorsal scales mostly smooth; and (10) without femoral or precloacal pores; two postcloacal pores (openings to the postcloacal sacs).

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Etymology: The generic nomen Lakigecko is derived from the word “Laki” which refers to the Lak region near the type locality.

Comparisons ( Fig. 2 , Table 2): Differs from Cyrtopodion Fitzinger, 1843 by having small, spiny, and strongly keeled subcaudal scales (vs. smooth, plate-like subcaudals); dorsal scales elevated and overlapping (vs. non-elevated or flattened cobble-stone shaped) and a greatly flattened and elongate head (vs. head oval and more massive); from Mediodactylus Szczerbak and Golubev, 1977 by having keeled, tubercular scales forming the end of each caudal segment (vs. in the middle of each segment), at least 14 sharply keeled tubercles in each caudal whorl (vs. a semicircle of six whorls: three on left and three on right), caudal tubercles in contact with one another laterally (vs. not in contact), caudal tubercles forming a relatively complete ring around the tail (vs. distributed only on the dorsal half of the tail), and a flattened and elongate head (vs. not); from Carinatogecko Golubev and Szczerbak, 1981 by smooth subdigital lamellae on the forelimbs and hindlimbs (vs. keeled transverse subdigital lamellae), and smooth dorsal scales (vs. strongly keeled); from Tenuidactylus Szczerbak and Golubev, 1984 by the lack of femoral pores (vs. more than 20 femoral pores), ventral subcaudals small and strongly keeled (vs. plate-like and smooth), 14 sharply keeled tubercles in each tail whorl segment (vs. six tubercles per whorl); and a flattened and elongated head (vs. not). In general, the new genus is easily differentiated from Cyrtopodion , Tenuidactylus , Mediodactylus , and Carinatogecko by its acute head angle (less than 30° vs. 40°, 40°, 35°, and 35°, respectively), strongly flattened head, depressed tail, more caudal tubercles, spinose caudal tubercles, and elliptical eye shape.

Lakigecko gen.n. can be distinguished from Agamura Blanford, 1874 by its large and strongly keeled caudal tubercles (vs. not), limbs robust (vs. slender), enlarged postmentals (vs. not enlarged), and tail broad (vs. slender); from Bunopus Blanford, 1874 , by subdigital lamellae completely smooth (vs. subdigital lamellae with free margin under magnification); 14 sharply keeled tubercles in each whorl segment of tail (vs. 4–6 and not sharp and spiny); from Rhinogecko de Witte, 1973 by nasal scales not forming a cylindrical caruncle (vs. nostril at apex of prominent swollen or cylindrical caruncle formed by the nasal scales); from Microgecko and Tropiocolotes Peters, 1880 by having uniform dorsal scales, large scales, and keeled tubercles on the dorsum of body and tail (vs. dorsal scales heterogeneous, scales small, and without keeled Holotype ( Fig. 3 ): MTD 49500, adult male, collected on the western slope of the central Zagros Mountains, Garmabe Region, Nourabad, Lorestan Province, western Iran on 8 April 2016 at night (34°03’N, 47°28’E, elevation 1,470 m asl) by Farhang Torki.

tubercles on dorsum and tail); from Hemidactylus by non-dilated digits (vs. well-defined dilated digital bases); from Pseudoceramodactylus Haas, 1957 , Crossobamon Boettger, 1888 , and Stenodactylus Fitzinger, 1826 and Teratoscincus by digits without elongate fringes (vs. digits with well-defined lateral elongate fringes); from Parsigecko Safaei-Mahroo, Ghaffari, and Anderson, 2016 by large, keeled tubercles on body dorsum, subcaudal scales small and strongly keeled (vs. without dorsal tubercles, and subcaudal scales large and smooth).

Contents: At present the new genus includes a single species, Lakigecko aaronbaueri sp.n.

Figures

Fig. 2. Comparisons of (1) head shape, (2) dorsal view, (3) dorsal view of tail, (4) lateral view of tail, (5) ventral view of tail, and (6) subdigital lamella of hindlimbs, in the new gecko with other genera. (a) Bunopus tuberculatus, (b) Tenuidactylus caspius, (c) Cyrtopodion scabrum, (d) Carinatogecko heteropholis, (e) Mediodactylus russowii, and (f) Lakigecko aaronbaueri sp.n. Photos by F. Torki (a–d, f) and B. Safaei-Mahroo (e).

Fig. 3. (a) Dorsal, (b) ventral, (c) lateral head, and (d) lateral tail views of the holotype of Lakigecko aaronbaueri sp.n. Red stars: tubercular whorls; white star: keeled scale interspaces.