Lepidophyma cuicateca, Canseco-Márquez, Luis, Gutiérrez-Mayen, Guadalupe & Mendoza-Hernández, Andrés Alberto, 2008

Canseco-Márquez, Luis, Gutiérrez-Mayen, Guadalupe & Mendoza-Hernández, Andrés Alberto, 2008, A new species of night-lizard of the genus Lepidophyma (Squamata: Xantusiidae) from the Cuicatlán Valley, Oaxaca, México, Zootaxa 1750, pp. 59-67 : 61-65

Lepidophyma cuicateca sp. nov.

Fig. 1 , 2 A,B,C

Holotype. MZFC-16419, adult female, 1 km SE Santa María Texcatitlán, Municipality of Santa María Texcatitlán, Oaxaca, México (17.704º N, 97.062º W), 1180 m elev, on 28 July 2001 by Andrés Alberto Mendoza- Hernández (AMH-075).

Paratypes. MZFC 19738, 16420-21 collected at type locality, MZFC 19749, a juvenile specimen obtained at 1.5 km NE Santiago Dominguillo, Municipality of San Juan Bautista Cuicatlán (17º 39’ 37.1” N, 96º 53’ 42.3” W), 1086 mts.

Diagnosis. Lepidophyma cuicateca is most similar to the species of the Lepidophyma gaigeae Group (sensu Bezy and Camarillo, 2002) with which it shares the following characteristics: 1) small body size, 2) absence of tubercular scales on the body, and 3) poorly differentiated caudal whorls and interwhorls. The new species differs from other members of the group, except L. gaigeae , in having the enlarged caudal whorls separated by two complete rings of interwhorls (in L. dontomasi , L. lowei and L. radula , the whorls are separated dorsally by two rows of smaller interwhorls, only one of which is complete across the venter). The new species differs from L. gaigeae in having a higher number of middorsal scales between the occiput to rump (160– 161 vs. 121–155), and by having a lower number of femoral pores (21–27 vs. 31–34). Furthermore the new species is distinguished from the other species except L. lowei , in having a higher number of dorsals ( Table 1 ).

Description of the Holotype. Measurement (in mm): snout-vent length, 52.8; tail length, 81.7; head length, 12.6; head width, 8.1; head depth, 5.9; orbit length, 2.3; fourth toe length, 6.5.

Nasals in contact posterior to rostral, followed by median frontonasal, two prefrontals, median prefrontal and two frontals; interparietal (with black parietal organ faintly visible) touching both frontals anteriorly and postparietals posteriorly, and separating lateral parietals. Nostril bordered by nasal, postnasal, and first supralabial; postnasal followed by anterior loreal (higher than postnasal) and posterior loreal (same size as anterior loreal); three narrow preoculars on both sides (lower preocular triangular in contact with supralabials 4 and 5); four postoculars on both sides, uppermost not contacting parietal. 8/8 supralabials, fifth entering in the orbit. Postoculars followed by anterior temporals (three on right side and two on left side), very large second upper temporal (subequal to parietal), and large third upper temporal (ca. one-fourth size of postparietal); postocular separated from seventh supralabial by two large scales; two pretympanics separating postoculars from second postrorbital supralabial; 7/6 auriculars arranged in vertical row bordering tympanic opening. Large mental followed by five pairs of infralabials, fourth pair smallest, and first two pairs separated by very narrow gular scales anteriorly and posteriorly, gular scales small, 39 along midline between fold and second pair of supralabials.

Dorsal and lateral surface of body covered by small granules or scales of varying size, interspaces with numerous slightly enlarged, weakly keeled tubercules, each followed by one or more smaller scales of varying sizes; 27 large tubercles in each paravertebral row between axilla and groin.

Vertebral area with smaller granules, 4–5 between paravertebral rows, 161 along vertebral line between occiput and rump. Large tubercles on sides of body arranged in poorly defined vertical rows separated by smaller scales; 37 vertical rows of tubercles on side of body between axilla and groin; lateral tubercles rows almost in contact above with paravertebral row of tubercles.

Ventrals scales flat, mostly smooth, quadrangular, in 10 longitudinal rows at midbody; lateralmost row of ventrals slightly elevated and weakly keeled, ca. two-thirds size of adjacent ventrals, and not extending to axillary region; 35 transverse rows of ventral scales between gular fold and vent, including two rows of preanals (two anterior preanals followed by four posterior preanals); lateralmost posterior preanal one-half size of the adjacent medial posterior preanal. Scales on surface of limbs heterogeneous in size; dorsal surface of hindlimbs with scattered large keeled tubercles; 26 total femoral pores; 18 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe (1 divided by mid-ventral suture).

Tail encircled with whorls of large tubercular keeled scales, separated dorsally and ventrally by two smaller interwhorls, posteriorly whorls separated dorsally by three smaller interwhorls, only two of which are complete across the venter; tail with total of 35 caudal segments and total of 125 dorsal annuli (whorls plus interwhorls).

Color pattern. Dorsal surface of body with a pair of a paravertebral yellow spots intercalated by black spots along body including tail on pale brown background ( Fig. 2 A, B). Dorsal surface of head brown, each supralabial and infralabial with brown bar. Brown temporal stripe arising on nostrils extending along canthus rostralis and continued through eye and along the canthus temporalis. Pair of enlarged yellow postparietal spots. Two enlarged yellow spots bordered by black on base of the tail. Ventral surface of tail cream to yellow.

Distribution and habitat. Lepidophyma cuicateca is a rare species and is known from two places in the Cañada de Cuicatlán ( Fig. 3 ) at 1022 to 1180 m. At Santa María Texcatitlán, it lives beneath rocks along the Río Apoala, and in plantain, sapodilla tree, cherimoya tree, mango tree and coffee plantations along this river ( Fig. 2 D). At Santiago Dominguillo, it lives in tropical deciduous forest ( Fig. 2 E). Specimens were obtained in March and July at Santa María Texcatitlán and in May at Santiago Dominguillo.

Variation. Variation in selected features of specimens is presented in Table 2 and of colour pattern in Figure 4.

Etymology. The name cuicateca is an adjetive and refers to the type locality, Cañada de Cuicatlán, were the species lives.

Remarks. Only one other species of Lepidophyma , ( L. lowei from northern Oaxaca) has been described in the last 10 years (Bezy and Camarillo, 1997). The description of L. cuicateca adds another species to the genus, raising the number of species to eighteen, five of which belong to the Lepidophyma gaigeae Group. All species of the Lepidophyma gaigeae Group, with the exception of L. gaigeae , are rare lizards whose distributions are restricted to different mountain systems in Oaxaca. Lepidophyma gaigeae is found in the southern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental in limestone crevices in pine oak woodland. Lepidophyma lowei is found in the Sierra Aloapaneca in rock crevices in pine-oak woodland. Lepidophyma dontomasi is distributed in the Sierra Mixe in rock crevices and under rocks in oak savanna. Lepidophyma radula occurs in two localities, in the northern region of the Sierra de Miahuatlán and above Mitla; this species lives below rocks in tropical deciduous forest. Finally, L. cuicateca is known from the desert of the Cuicatlán Valley, occurring under rocks in tropical deciduous forest ( Fig. 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Specimens in life and habitat of Lepidophyma cuicateca; A: an adult specimen from Santa María Texcatitlán (MZFC 19739); B: Juvenile from Santa María Texcatitlán (Paratype, MZFC 16421); C: an adult from Santiago Dominguillo; D: Habitat at the type locality (Santa María Texcatitlán); E: Habitat in Santiago Dominguillo.

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of the members of the Lepidophyma gaigeae Group.

FIGURE 1. A: Lateral, B: dorsal and C: ventral view of the holotype of Lepidophyma cuicateca (MZFC 16419) from Santa María Texcatitlán, Oaxaca.

Tables

TABLE 1. Selected characteristics of members of the Lepidophyma gaigeae Group. See methods for abbreviations.

Species	SVL	TL	GUL	GC1IL	DOR	DAPVR
L. cuicateca	52.8	81.7	36–39	1	150–168	90–98
L. lowei	53	77	32–37	0	158	82–96
L. gaigeae	50.7–62.9	64.6–83.3	34–38	0–2	121–155	53–83
L. dontomasi	49.4–44.6	58.5–46.8	32–35	0–1	137–146	62–83
L. radula	37.4–52.8	50.1–67.9	28–32	0	120–129	67–79

TABLE 2. Variation in some features of the specimens of Lepidophyma cuicateca. See methods for abbreviations.

	MATU- RITY	SVL	TL	GUL	GC1IL	DOR	DAPVR	PVR	IWD2	IWV2	FPT	FTL	LTR
MZFC 16419 (Holotype)	Adult	52.8	81.7	39	1	161	90	56	2	2	13–13	18	37
MZFC 19738	Adult	52	51 (reg)	40	1	160	98	62	2	2	12–12	20	33
MZFC 19736	Juvenile	36.3	52.7	39	0	150	92	57	2	2	10–12	19	36
MZFC 16421	Juvenile	41	60.3	37	1	168	91	54	2	2	9–12	19	34
MZFC 16420	Juvenile	35.4	47.2	39	0	164	98	55	2	2	12–12	19	34
MZFC 19741	Juvenile	38.6	35.2 (reg)	36	1	151	96	57	2	2	13–14	18	35