Lygodactylus mirabundus, Lobón-Rovira & Bauer & Pinto & Trape & Conradie & Kusamba & Júlio & Cael & Stanley & Hughes & Behangana & Masudi & Pauwels & Greenbaum, 2024

Lobón-Rovira, Javier, Bauer, Aaron M., Pinto, Pedro Vaz, Trape, Jean-Francois, Conradie, Werner, Kusamba, Chifundera, Júlio, Timóteo, Cael, Garin, Stanley, Edward L., Hughes, Daniel F., Behangana, Mathias, Masudi, Franck M., Pauwels, Olivier S. G. & Greenbaum, Eli, 2024, Integrative revision of the Lygodactylus gutturalis (Bocage, 1873) complex unveils extensive cryptic diversity and traces its evolutionary history, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 201 (2), pp. 447-492 : 480-481

LYGODACTYLUS MIRABUNDUS SP.NOV.

( Fig. 21 ; Table 3 )

Zoobank registration: https://zoobank.org/ F4934B38-B746- 470D-B05B-BE56C1DEC7FE

Lygodactylus mirabundus sp. nov. is the last taxon within subgroup B, described above as B2. It is sister to L. kibera sp. nov. and L. karamoja sp. nov., from which it differs by a minimum of 8.93% for the 16S (uncorrected p-distance) mitochondrial gene (Table 2), and it lacks nuclear haplotype sharing for RAG1 ( Fig. 2B–C ).

Holotype: UTEP 22585 ( CFS 1142 w), male without tail and with a ventral incision, collected at Katako Kombe , Sankuru Province, DRC, S03.23949, E24.25117, 551 m a.s.l. on 8 May 2015 by Wandege M. Muninga, Chifundera Kusamba, and Mwenebatu M. Aristote.

Diagnosis: Lygodactylus mirabundus sp. nov. represents a moderately sized Lygodactylus (SVL 34.8 mm), with a gular pattern that is similar to the L. gutturalis group. Seven to eight supralabials and six infralabials. Large triangular mental followed by three symmetrical postmental scales ( Fig. 21 ). Ventral pholidosis with large, flattened, and imbricate scales. Ventral scales usually denticulated posteriorly. Digits elongated with five terminal scansors under the fourth toe ( Table 3 ).

Like other Lygodactylus within the L. gutturalis group, this species can be easily differentiated from members of the L. angularis group by its characteristic ∩ - shaped gular chevrons (vs. V-shaped gular in the L. angularis group), and from other members of the L. picturatus group based on dorsal coloration (light brown with five or six laterodorsal cream ocelli vs. usually blueish dorsum with yellow to white head in the L. picturatus group).

Lygodactylus mirabundus sp. nov. is a cryptic species and can be differentiated from other species within the L. gutturalis subgroup by only a few morphometric and meristic characters. It can be differentiated from other L. gutturalis subgroup species described above as follows: more precloacal pores [ten vs. 5–8 (in L. gutturalis ), nine (in L. dysmicus ), seven (in L. depressus ), 7–8 (in L. kibera sp. nov.), and eight (in L. karamoja sp. nov.), and a unique gular pattern comprising black markings on the mandibular margin that extend to the posterior region of the jaw, an inverted Y -shaped chevron that converges anteriorly, and a posterior middle line between the two chevron branches (vs. a ∩ -shaped pattern in all the described species above). For comparison with other species not included above, see the diagnoses in the species descriptions below.

Etymology: The name ‘ mirabundus ’ is a Latin adjective that means ‘astonishing or surprising’. The species is only known from a unique location in a transition zone between dry savannah and the Congolian Rainforest.

Description of the holotype ( Fig. 21 ): Measurements and meristic characters of the holotype are presented in. Adult male, with a snout–vent length (SVL) of 34.8 mm and a broken tail. Body slender, nape almost indistinct. Head as broad as body, and moderate head length (HW/HL 0.79). Canthus rostralis not prominent. Eye diameter 1.8 mm with circular pupil. Ear to eye distance almost double the orbit diameter (3.6 mm). Snout rounded and slightly pointed. Frontal granular scales larger than occipital scales, with 19 small granular scales between the eyes. Dorsal scales granular from rostral to tail. Rostral undivided, in contact with 1st supralabial, prenasals, and one large internasal scale. Seven to eight supralabials and six infralabials. Prenasal scale present and in contact with 1st supralabial. Nostril circular and not in contact with the rostral and surrounded by 1st supralabial, prenasal, and one supranasal. Postnasal not contacting the nostril, separated by 1st supralabial, which it contacts posteriorly. Four rows of scales between supralabials and orbit. Mental large, triangular, and posteriorly in contact with three rounded, symmetric postmental scales. Five barely symmetric post-postmental scales. Gular scales granular, rounded, and slightly smaller than ventral scales. Ventral scales large and imbricate with 21 scales rows across the venter. Body relatively robust and slightly elongated (TRL/SVL 0.44). Ten precloacal pores. Fore- and hind limbs moderately short, stout; forearm medium-sized (FL/SVL 0.14); tibia short (CL/SVL 0.17). Digits elongated and unwebbed with 5–6 terminal scansors. Thumb rudimentary with a small terminal claw. Relative length of digits: I <II = V <III <IV (manus); I <II <V <III <IV (pes).

Coloration: In life, unknown. In preservative (holotype; Fig. 21 ): dorsum uniform dark brown-grey with lateral black spots barely visible; black spotted marks on upper and lower lips; fore- and hind limbs slightly lighter dorsally; black line from nostril to anterior insertion of the forelimb; venter uniform light cream all along the body with gular pattern of two lines (one on each side) that do not connect anteriorly, followed by an inverted Y -shaped pattern with middle line between the branches of the Y -shaped chevron. Lamellae whitish on all digits.

Habitat and distribution ( Fig. 5 ): Lygodactylus mirabundus sp. nov. is only known from the type locality in DRC. The holotype was found on a large tree ~ 2 m above the ground at the edge of the transition zone between Miombo Woodland and the Congolian Rainforest. The association of this taxon with a particular biome will remain uncertain until more material is collected .

Natural history: Nothing is known about the natural history of this species.

Figures

Figure 2. A, Multilocus species tree and Bayesian chronogram of divergences among Afro-American Lygodactylus clade (Clade C of Gippner et al. 2021), based on an alignment of 13 concatenated markers (including eight nuclear-encoded genes, four protein-coding mitochondrial genes, and the 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene, see Gippner et al.2021). Branches with posterior probability> 0.9 are denoted by asterisks (*) at relevant nodes. Blue bars depict 95% High Probability Density (HPD) intervals of estimated divergence dates.B, Median-joining nuclear allele network showing the relationships between the L. picturatus-fischeri groups, inferred from the RAG1 nuclear gene (262 bp including all available RAG1 sequences of the L. picturatus-fischeri groups).C, Median-joining nuclear allele network of the RAG1 nuclear gene (980 bp) showing the relationships within the L. gutturalis subgroup, excluding L. gutturalis s.s. In all networks, circle frequency of alleles and small lines represent mutational steps.

Figure 5. Gular and skull osteology comparisons between holotype material or representative material of all members of the L. gutturalis subgroup and the L. angularis group mentioned in this work.From top to bottom, ventral view gular section; dorsal, lateral, and ventral view of the skull; lateral, dorsal, medial, and ventral view of jaw; and number of tooth loci. PM = premaxilla, MX(R) = right maxilla, MX(L) = left maxilla, DN(R) = right dentary of the jaw.

Figure 21. Holotype of L. mirabundus sp. nov. (UTEP 22585) from Katako Kombe, Sankuru Province, DRC. A, Dorsal and ventral view of body. B, Details of cloacal region and (C) right pes. D, Detailed view of head in dorsal, ventral, and lateral views (from top to bottom). Photos by J.L.R.