Marisora brachypoda (Taylor)

Mccranie, James R., Matthews, Amy J. & Hedges, S. Blair, 2020, A morphological and molecular revision of lizards of the genus Marisora Hedges & Conn (Squamata: Mabuyidae) from Central America and Mexico, with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 4763 (3), pp. 301-353 : 331-332

Marisora brachypoda (Taylor)

Western Middle America Skink

Fig. 11A, B, C

Mabuya brachypodus Taylor 1956:308 (holotype KU 36528; type locality: “ 4 km. ESE of Los Angeles de Tilarán, Guanacaste ” [ Costa Rica]).

Marisora brachypoda : Hedges & Conn 2012:119 (in part); McCranie 2015:370 (in part); HerpetoNica 2015:219; McCranie & Gutsche 2016:45 (in part); Lara-Resendiz et al. 2017:226; McCranie 2018:339 (in part).

Mabuya unimarginata : Chacón & Johnston 2013:97; Miralles et al. 2017:72.

Mabuya unimarginata complex: Pinto-Sánchez et al. 2015:195 (in part; genetic data only).

Diagnosis. Marisora brachypoda is a large species of the genus characterized (data from 17 males, 19 females; [those marked by * in Appendix 1]) by (1) maximum known SVL in males 81.0 mm; (2) maximum known SVL in females 89.0 mm; (3) SW 3.4–5.1% SVL in males, 2.8–4.1% in females; (4) HL 15.7–19.7% SVL in males, 14.9– 19.5% in females; (5) HW 11.2–13.5% SVL in males, 10.8–13.0% in females; (6) EAL 1.2–2.3% SVL in males, 1.1–1.9% in females; (7) Toe IV length 9.4–10.7% SVL in five males, 6.3–9.5% in nine females; (8) prefrontals one per side; (9) supraoculars four per side; (10) supraciliaries 4 per side in 96.7%, rarely 5; (11) frontoparietals one per side; (12) normally fifth supralabial below orbit (96.7%), rarely sixth below orbit; (13) nuchal rows one per side; (14) dorsals 50–56 (53.3 ± 1.8) in males, 49–61 (52.6 ± 3.2) in females; (15) ventrals 50–63 (57.9 ± 3.4) in males, 55–62 (58.7 ± 3.2) in females; (16) dorsals + ventrals 107–123 (113.1 ± 3.4) in males, 104–129 (116.3 ± 7.0) in females; (17) scales around midbody usually 28 or 30 (each with 35.7%), occasionally 31 (12.9%), or rarely 29 (10.2%) or 32 (5.5%); (18) Finger IV lamellae 10–15 (12.4 ± 1.5) per side in males, 10–16 (12.5 ± 1.8) in females; (19) Toe IV lamellae 12–18 (15.4 ± 1.8) per side in males, 13–18 (14.9 ± 1.7) in females; (20) Finger IV + Toe IV lamellae 23–32 (27.9 ± 3.1) per side in males, 24–32 (27.3 ± 3.3) in females; (21) supranasals in medial contact and preventing frontonasal-rostral contact in 87.1%; (22) prefrontals not in medial contact; (23) supraocular 1-frontal contact absent in 96.4%, rarely point contact made on one side in 3.6%; (24) parietals in contact posterior to interparietal; (25) pale middorsal stripe absent; (26) thin, indistinct dark brown dorsolateral stripe present or absent; pale dorsolateral stripe usually absent, or indistinct if present; (27) dark brown lateral stripe present; (28) distinct white lateral stripe present; (29) palms and soles almost always pale brown or cream (96.4%), rarely dark brown (3.6%); (30) total lamellae for five fingers 43–46 (45.7 ± 1.8, n = 5) in males, 38–49 (48.8 ± 3.1, n = 6) in females; (31) total lamellae for five toes 52–55 (53.5 ± 1.3, n = 3) in males, 45–54 (48.8 ± 3.1, n = 6) in females. In addition, this is a short-limbed species with combined FLL + HLL/SVL 51.5–57.7% in males, 47.6–53.9% in females and normally having two chinshields contacting infralabial (77.8%) ( Table 3 ).

Marisora brachypoda is a member of the M. alliacea Group of Middle American Marisora and forms a clade nested between two clades containing the remaining Middle American species of the M. alliacea group ( Fig. 3 ). Marisora brachypoda has been diagnosed from the four species of Marisora described herein ( M. lineola , M. aquilonaria , M. syntoma , and M. urtica ) in their respective diagnosis above. Marisora brachypoda differs from M. roatanae in having pale colored palms and soles (versus palms and soles dark brown to black in M. roatanae ), having 43–46, x = 45.7 ± 1.8 total lamellae for five fingers in males (versus 48–55, x = 50.5 ± 3.1 total lamellae for five fingers in male M. roatanae ), and having 52–55, x = 53.5 ± 1.3 total lamellae for five toes in males, (versus 55–62, x = 60.3 ± 0.5 total lamellae for five toes in males in M. roatanae ). Marisora brachypoda has shorter limbs than do M. magnacornae and M. alliacea (FLL + HLL/SVL 51.5–57.7% in males and 47.6–53.9% in females versus 60.8–68.7% in males and 55.8–68.0% in females in M. magnacornae and 62.5–74.6 and 58.0–67.6, respectively in M. alliacea ). Marisora brachypoda differs from the extralimital M. pergravis by having fewer ventrals (50–63 in both sexes combined versus 70–73 in M. pergravis ), fewer dorsals (49–61 in both sexes combined versus 62–63 in M. pergravis ). Marisora brachypoda has frequently been confused with M. unimarginata , but differs from that species of the M. unimarginata Group of Middle American mabuyids by having shorter limbs (FLL + HLL/SVL 51.5– 57.7% in males and 47.6–53.9% in females versus 56.9–66.9% and 55.9–69.1%, respectively, in M. unimarginata ) and in lacking distinct dorsal spots (versus those dorsal spots present in M. unimarginata ). Marisora brachypoda is known to differ from the extralimital and poorly known M. berengerae (incomplete morphological data from literature available only from the unsexed holotype) of the M. unimarginata group only from genetic data; furthermore a large geographical hiatus inhabited by other species of Marisora occurs between those two species.

Distribution. Marisora brachypoda is known to occur on the Pacific coastal lowlands and into adjacent lower mountain slopes, from south-central Guatemala to west-central Costa Rica, including some of the islands in the Golfo de Fonseca, Honduras. Marisora brachypoda also occurs in the subhumid portion of the Caribbean versant Río Motagua Valley in eastern Guatemala, and in a subhumid tributary of that river valley that extends into westcentral Honduras to the vicinity of Copán ( Fig. 6 ). Its known elevational distribution is from near sea level to about 1400 m, but most localities lie below 1000 m.

Remarks. Our genetic analyses support recognition of Marisora brachypoda as a distinct species as originally proposed by Taylor (1956) and confirmed by Hedges & Conn (2012) with new morphological data. Three new specimens sequenced for this study that have voucher specimens are listed herein (Appendix 1). Morphological examination of those vouchers, plus examination of another voucher previously sequenced (UTA R-41513) from Zacapa, Guatemala, confirm the distinctiveness of M. brachypoda . Miralles et al. (2006) appear to have first sequenced tissues from UTA R-41513 but said that specimen was not collected. Marisora brachypoda was also recovered as a separate clade (UTA R- 41513 in tree Cluster 2) in the phylogenetic only Pinto-Sánchez et al. (2015) study.

Duellman & Berg (1962) listed the type series from the KU collection, but also included the collectors and dates of collection, which was not given for all by Taylor (1956). An adult female (USNM 589174) from Orealí, El Paraí- so in southern Honduras deposited three living young (UNAH 256405, USNM 589175– 76 in the collecting bag on 28 November. The SVL of those young on the same day was 29.6–29.7 mm and their tail length was 32.9–33.7 mm. Another female (UTA R-41513) from Zacapa, Guatemala, collected on 30 June deposited five young (UTA R- 41514–18) on the same day. Images of M. brachypoda are in Chacón & Johnston (2013; as M. unimarginata ), Fitch (1983; M. unimarginata ), Guyer & Donnelly (2005; as M. unimarginata ), HerpetoNica (2015); Köhler (2003, 2008; as M. unimarginata from Guatemala and Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua), Köhler et al. (2005; as M. unimarginata ), McCranie (2018), Mertens (1952; as M. unimarginata ), Savage (2002; as M. unimarginata ), Taylor 1956, and Villa et al. (1988; as M. unimarginata ).

Figures

FIGURE 3A. Phylogenetic tree of the genus Marisora from a maximum-likelihood analysis of DNA sequences of three mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cyt b) and three nuclear genes (NGFB, R35, and RAG2) in 140 individuals (4,029 bp). A scale bar (2% sequence divergence) is indicated below. The numbers at left of nodes are bootstrap support values. The tree is rooted with Mabuya dominicana. Species delimited using ABGD indicated by black vertical lines at right; samples with horizontal bars missing cytochrome b Figure continues on two pages.

FIGURE 6. Map showing the localities of the Marisora specimens examined for this study. The gray arrow points to island record for M. urtica. Two extralimital species are also indicated: M. berengerae (San Andres, purple arrow) and M. pergravis (Providencia, yellow arrow).

FIGURE 11. (A) Subadult male (UF 190316) of Marisora brachypoda (Granada, Nicaragua) showing dorsal color in preservative, SVL 58.5 mm; (B) Adult male (USNM 589193) of M. brachypoda (Isla del Tigre, Valle, Honduras) in life, SVL 60.4 mm; (C) Live M. brachypoda from El Arenal, Zacapa, Guatemala, essentially the site of a tissue sample; image by Jonathan A. Campbell.