Vanzosaura multiscutata ( Amaral, 1933 ), 2014

Recoder, Renato Sousa, Werneck, Fernanda De Pinho, Jr, Mauro Teixeira, Colli, Guarino Rinaldi, Jr, Jack Walter Sites & Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut, 2014, Geographic variation and systematic review of the lizard genus Vanzosaura (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae), with the description of a new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 171 (1), pp. 206-225 : 216

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1111/zoj.12128
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13987920
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D9878B-2640-FFD2-FCEA-FEF6FEF3F9EB
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Vanzosaura multiscutata ( Amaral, 1933 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Vanzosaura multiscutata ( Amaral, 1933) View in CoL comb. nov. ( Figs 12 View Figure 12 , 13 View Figure 13 )

Gymnophthalmus multiscutatus: Amaral, 1933, p. 23 , figs 51–55.

Vanzosaura rubricauda: Rodrigues, 1991, p. 340 .

Holotype: MZUSP 40079, adult male from the municipality of Senhor do Bonfim , (10°27′S; 40°11′W), state of Bahia, Brazil ( Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ), collected by E. Garbe on 1908. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis: Vanzosaura multiscutata comb. nov. is characterized by: (1) 25–47 smooth subcaudals; (2) 10–13 femoral pores in males; (3) snout round in profile; (4) forelimbs proportionally short in relation to trunk length, with FAL 54.8 ± 0.02% of TRL in females and 57.8 ± 0.02% in males; (5) colour pattern single, complex, or intermediate, when complex, dorsal stripes merge in one continuous stripe on the snout; (6) inner row of ventral scales narrower than outer; (7) prefrontal scales usually in contact (81%); (8) medium size for the genus, with largest male attaining an SVL of 37.6 mm, and largest female attaining an SVL of 38.0 mm; (9) proportionally short tails for the genus, with an average rate of complete tails (not regenerated) in relation to body size (TAL/ SVL) of 1.65 ± 0.10.

Measurements of holotype (in mm): SVL 33.4; INL 11.0; TRL 19.1; HH 3.3; HW 4.3; HL 6.4; FEM 4.4; TIB 3.5; FTL 5.5; HUM 2.7; FAL 5.2.

Variation: Vanzosaura multiscutata comb. nov. is sexually dimorphic ( Vitt, 1982), with females slightly larger than males (ANOVA, F 1,336 = 8.39, P <0.05). Females have a larger TRL (ANCOVA, F 1,336 = 141.95, P <0.01), whereas males have significantly larger head dimensions (HH, HW, and HL) and longer limbs (FEM, TIB, HUM, and FAL) (ANCOVA, P <0.01). Some populations of V. multiscutata comb. nov. are highly polymorphic in colour pattern ( Delfim & Freire, 2007), especially at the Cariri/Seridó region of Caatinga (the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, and Pernambuco), and at the right bank of the São Francisco River (Xique-Xique, state of Bahia). In most localities, however, the ‘complex’ pattern is the only one present ( Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ).

Distribution and natural history: Vanzosaura multiscutata comb. nov. is widely distributed in the Caatinga of north-eastern Brazil, at low to moderate elevations ( Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ). A single population was found within the eastern Cerrado, in a dry forest habitat in the municipality of Santa Maria da Vitória, state of Bahia, representing a potential contact zone. The species is found in open habitats, and occupies a variety of microhabitats over sandy or rocky soils ( Vanzolini et al., 1980; Vitt, 1995; Delfim & Freire, 2007). The species is cryptic in its activity patterns, and feeds upon a variety of small-sized arthropods such as spiders, roaches, and termites ( Moraes, 1993; Vitt, 1995). Reproduction is continuous for both males and females in the two populations studied in Caatinga, with year-round oviposition, and females produce multiple clutches of two eggs ( Vitt, 1982; Moraes, 1993).