Stenocercus erythrogaster (Hallowell)

Torres-Carvajal, Omar, 2007, A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SOUTH AMERICAN STENOCERCUS (SQUAMATA: IGUANIA) LIZARDS, Herpetological Monographs 21 (1), pp. 76-178 : 107-114

Stenocercus erythrogaster (Hallowell)

Brachysaurus erythrogaster Hallowell, 1856: 232 . Holotype: ANSP 8607 , a male from ‘‘ New Grenada [ Colombia].̕̕

Liocephalus erythrogaster Boulenger, 1885 a: 168 ; Ruthven, 1922:59.

Leiocephalus erythrogaster Burt and Burt, 1933:27 .

Ophryoessoides erythrogaster Etheridge, 1966:88 ; Etheridge, in Peters and Donoso-Barros, 1970:213; Fritts, 1974:35; Ayala, 1986:563.

Stenocercus erythrogaster Frost, 1992:43 ; Cadle, 2001:184; Harvey et al., 2004:941.

Diagnosis.— Stenocercus erythrogaster can be distinguished from other species of Stenocercus except S. huancabambae , S. iridescens , S. limitaris , S. puyango and S. santander by having imbricate scales on posterior aspect of thighs, nostrils medial to canthal ridge, and a longitudinal row of enlarged supraoculars occupying most of the supraocular region. Of these species, only S. erythrogaster and S. iridescens lack a postfemoral mite pocket. S. erythrogaster differs from S. iridescens (character states in parentheses) by having keeled or wrinkled dorsal head scales (smooth) and distinctly keeled ventrals (slightly keeled in juveniles, smooth in adults).

Description.—(1) Maximum SVL in males 87 mm (n = 8); (2) maximum SVL in females 91 mm (n = 8); (3) vertebrals 39–46; (4) paravertebrals 48–56; (5) scales around midbody 39–46; (6) supraoculars 3–5; (7) internasals 3–4; (8) postrostrals 4–5; (9) loreals 2–4; (10) gulars 16–22; (11) subdigitals on Finger IV 14–20; (12) subdigitals on Toe IV 23–28; (13) posthumeral mite pocket present as a shallow depression with a wide opening; (14) postfemoral mite pocket absent; (15) parietal eye not visible through interparietal cornea; (16) scales on occipitoparietal region large, keeled or wrinkled, imbricate; (17) projecting angulate temporals absent; (18) one row of enlarged supraoculars occupying most of supraocular region; (19) scales on frontonasal region imbricate anteriorly; (20) preauricular fringe present; (21) neck folds absent; (22) lateral and dorsal nuchals similar in size; (23) posterior gulars rhomboidal, smooth or slightly keeled, imbricate, not notched; (24) lateral and dorsal body scales similar in size; (25) vertebrals larger than adjacent paravertebrals; (26) dorsolateral crest absent; (27) ventrals keeled, imbricate, mucronate; (28) scales on posterior surfaces of thighs keeled, imbricate, mucronate; (29) inguinal granular pocket absent; (30) inguinal groove absent; (31) preanals projected; (32) tail strongly compressed laterally in adult males; (33) tail length 68–72% of total length; (34) caudal whorls per autotomic segment three; (35) caudals not spinose; (36) dark brown stripe extending anterodorsally from subocular region to supraciliaries present; (37) dark patch extensively covering gular region of females absent; (38) dark patch extensively covering gular region in 12% of adult males; (39) black patch on ventral surface of neck in 10% of adult males; (40) dark midventral longitudinal mark such as faint line, conspicuous stripe, or extensive patch in 90% of adult males; (41) dark patches on ventral surface of thighs in adult males absent; (42) postxiphisternal inscriptional ribs continuous midventrally, Pattern 6A.

S. frittsi 6

S. guentheri S. haenschi 7 n = 28 (33–50) n = 17 n = 46 (46) n = 86 n = 1 (1) Subdigitals Finger IV 12–16 18–21 16–22 15–23 26–28 14.60 ± 0.80 19.35 ± 0.70 19.02 ± 1.39 18.16 ± 1.57 27.00 ± 1.41 Subdigitals Toe IV 19–27 26–30 24–29 22–36 30 23.00 ± 1.30 27.53 ± 1.23 26.98 ± 1.65 27.30 ± 2.37 — Tail length/total length 0.61–0.68 0.63–0.65 0.59–0.65 0.58–0.68 0.61 0.65 ± 0.03 0.64 ± 0.01 0.64 ± 0.02 0.64 ± 0.02 — Maximum SVL males 74 89 79 96 76 Maximum SVL females 91 79 66 73 — Posthumeral mite pocket 3 absent 1 2 1 Postfemoral mite pocket absent 2 absent 2 1 Character S. huancabambae 2 S. humeralis S. imitator S. iridescens S. ivitus n = 32 (102) n = 44 n = 34 (80–115) n = 77 n = 1 Scales around midbody 37–53 98–125 85–124 35–52 44 43.94 ± 3.20 110.05 ± 6.68 102.96 ± 8.31 41.50 ± 3.34 — Vertebrals 37–51 81–112 49–66 40–52 47 43.39 ± 3.40 92.21 ± 6.82 56.87 ± 3.44 45.31 ± 3.37 — Paravertebrals 48–64 106–148 89–119 43–58 46 56.31 ± 3.74 128.23 ± 8.69 102.15 ± 6.39 49.93 ± 3.60 — Gulars 18–28 41–68 29–44 16–20 21 20.93 ± 1.64 48.84 ± 4.31 34.98 ± 2.97 18.13 ± 1.06 — Supraoculars 3–6 6–9 4–7 2–5 6 4 7 5 4 6 Internasals 4–7 3–4 3–5 2–4 3 6 4 4 3 3 Subdigitals Finger IV 14–20 24–33 19–26 15–18 20 16.81 ± 1.41 29.43 ± 2.10 22.95 ± 1.34 15.91 ± 0.88 — Subdigitals Toe IV 20–28 28–41 28–37 22–28 26 24.62 ± 1.56 37.02 ± 2.43 32.60 ± 1.89 24.55 ± 1.59 — Tail length/total length 0.67–0.70 0.62–0.68 0.65–0.70 0.65–0.70 — 0.69 ± 0.01 0.66 ± 0.01 0.68 ± 0.01 0.68 ± 0.01 — Maximum SVL males 99 112 100 99 — Maximum SVL females 75 108 87 81 64 Posthumeral mite pocket 3 1 1 2 absent Postfemoral mite pocket 2 2 2 absent 2 Character S. lache S. latebrosus 8 S. limitaris 8 S. marmoratus 9 S. melanopygus n = 40 n = 46 (37) n = 37 (44) n = 15 (32) n = 44 Scales around midbody 61–74 38–57 39–54 44–59 47–56 67.03 ± 3.41 44.20 ± 4.19 47.30 ± 3.16 52.00 ± 4.00 50.93 ± 2.41 Vertebrals 43–58 43–53 40–52 44–66 45–59 49.26 ± 3.88 48.20 ± 3.07 45.70 ± 2.54 55.00 ± 4.00 54.50 ± 3.01 Paravertebrals 53–73 42–56 48–60 51–68 45–58 61.73 ± 4.68 49.80 ± 3.60 54.19 ± 3.06 52.00 ± 4.00 53.20 ± 2.45 Gulars 20–28 18–26 17–23 23–30 20–25 22.93 ± 1.73 20.90 ± 1.79 20.10 ± 1.28 27.00 ± 2.00 22.57 ± 1.35 Supraoculars 4–6 5–7 3–5 4–8 5–6 5 6 4 6 5 Internasals 2–4 2–4 4–5 2–4 4–5 4 4 4 4 4 Subdigitals Finger IV 13–20 17–23 17–23 12–21 15–19 17.03 ± 1.80 19.30 ± 1.37 19.70 ± 1.26 17.00 ± 2.00 16.75 ± 1.06 Subdigitals Toe IV 17–30 23–28 24–32 16–23 21–28 24.85 ± 2.70 25.20 ± 1.55 27.50 ± 1.93 20.00 ± 1.00 24.00 ± 1.57 Tail length/total length 0.61–0.67 0.63–0.69 0.69–0.72 0.56–0.60 0.61–0.66 0.63 ± 0.02 0.66 ± 0.02 0.70 ± 0.01 0.58 ± 0.01 0.64 ± 0.02 Maximum SVL males 88 76 97 83 85 Maximum SVL females 81 67 82 77 63

Character S. fimbriatus 1,5 S. formosus

Color in life.—Dorsum brown with pale olive-green vertebral crest; vertical dull yellow stripe on shoulder; flanks with rose tint anteriorly and yellow keels in some scales; straw-yellow stripe from above tympanum onto shoulder; face bright straw-yellow with black suborbital bar; venter violet; gular and pectoral regions pale grayish brown; ventral aspect of tail with slight violet cast (ICN 9098, adult male, J. D. Lynch field notes, 24 June 1983). Harvey et al. (2004) also describe a series of dark brown chevrons longitudinally arranged over the vertebral line; however, they probably examined only female specimens because the venter is described as ‘‘immaculate tan̕̕ and not violet or pink as is characteristic in males of this species.

Distribution.— Stenocercus erythrogaster occurs between 9 ° N–11 ° N marking the northern limit of the distribution of Stenocercus ( Figs. 1 , 16 ). It is known from elevations of 50–1000 m in northern Colombia (Departamentos Bolívar, Chocó, El César, and Magdalena) and northwestern Venezuela (Estado Zulia; Harvey et al., 2004). This species is probably widespread in the northern lowlands of Colombia including Departamentos Antioquia, Atlántico, Córdoba, La Guajira, and Sucre ( Torres-Carvajal, 2007 b). Miyata (1982) erroneously reported S. erythrogaster for Ecuador.

Figures

FIG. 1.—Distribution of Stenocercus in South America.

FIG. 16.—Distribution of four species of Stenocercus in Colombia and Venezuela.