Phrynocephalus guinanensis, Ji, Xiang, Wang, Yue-Zhao & Wang, Zheng, 2009
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.185512 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5694778 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DD87EB-FFA6-4E58-FF51-F98CFB99F99B |
treatment provided by |
Plazi |
scientific name |
Phrynocephalus guinanensis |
status |
sp. nov. |
Phrynocephalus guinanensis sp. nov.
( Figure 1 View FIGURE 1 )
Holotype. NNU (Nanjing Normal University) P 2004.006, adult male ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, C); Senduo (35 ° 34’N, 101 ° 05’E; altitude 3350 m ASL), Guinan County, Qinghai Province, China; collected by Xiang Ji on 17 May 2004.
Paratypes. NNU P 2004.001-005, NNU P 2004.007-040, 19 adult males and 20 adult females; same data and collector as for holotype.
Etymology. The specific epithet is a latinization of the name Guinan County, Qinghai Province, China.
Diagnosis. A large viviparous species of Phrynocephalus , distinguishable from congeners using the following combination of characters: up to 84 mm SVL; dorsal ground color of head, neck, trunk, limbs and tail brown with weak light brown mottling; lateral ground color of head, neck, trunk and tail light black with weak white-gray mottling in adult males, and green with weak white-gray mottling in adult females; ventral ground color of tail white-gray to black in the distal part of the tail in adult males, and totally white-gray in adult females; ventral surfaces of hind-limbs white-gray; ventral surfaces of fore-limbs brick-red in adult males, and white-gray in adult females; ventral ground color of trunk and head black in the center but, in the periphery, brick-red in adult males and white-gray in adult females, and totally white-gray in adult females; 5 − 8 nasal scales; 5 − 8 internasal scales; 8 − 12 scales around parietal eye; 13 − 18 supraocular scales; 126 − 164 dorsal scales; 101 − 136 ventral scales; 144 − 186 scales around mid-body; 21 − 31 gular folds; 15 − 19 subdigital lamellae of the 4th finger; 22 − 29 subdigital lamellae of the 4th toe ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ).
Sexual variation in measurements and scutellation of P. guinanensis sp. nov. is presented in Table 1 View TABLE 1 . It differs from P. vlangalii in all examined morphological traits ( Table 1 View TABLE 1 ). Moreover, it differs from P. vlangalii , a species with females being the larger sex ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ; F 1, 388 = 25.89, P <0.0001), in that male and female adults are monomorphic in SVL ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ; F 1, 207 = 0.03, P = 0.871).
Description of holotype. Adult male ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A, C); SVL 71.7 mm, TL 71.8 mm, HL 18.7 mm, HW 16.5 mm, FLL 23.6 mm, HLL 33.4 mm, FFL 6.8 mm, FTL 10.9 mm, FCL 2.1 mm, TCL 1.8 mm; 7 nasal scales; 7 internasal scales; 10 scales around parietal eye; 13 supraocular scales; 149 dorsal scales; 127 ventral scales; 170 scales around mid-body; 25 gular folds; 15 subdigital lamellae of the 4th finger; 24 subdigital lamellae of the 4th toe; head moderately long (HL/SVL 0.26), wide (HW/HL 0.77), distinct from neck; snout moderately rounded at tip; interorbital region weakly concave; tympanum opening not visible; scales on snout, forehead and dorsum of body small, granular, and nearly homogeneous; body relatively robust; fore-limbs moderately long (FLL/SVL 0.33); hind-limbs more robust and longer (HLL/SVL 0.47) than fore-limbs.
......to be continued N 20 20 20 20 Color of holotype in life. Dorsal ground color of head, neck, trunk, limbs and tail brown with weak light brown mottling (red coloration was not natural but a temporary mark “6” for the holotype); lateral ground color of head, neck, trunk and tail light black with weak white-gray mottling; ventral ground color of trunk and head black in the center, and brick-red in the periphery; ventral ground color of tail white-gray to black in the distal part of the tail; ventral surfaces of fore-limbs brick-red; ventral surfaces of hind-limbs white-gray.
Color variation. In life, adult females (NNU P 2004.021-040) differed in coloration from the holotype in the following four aspects: lateral ground color of head, neck, trunk and tail green with weak white-gray mottling; ventral ground color of trunk and head black in the center, and white-gray in the periphery; ventral ground color of tail totally white-gray; ventral surfaces of fore-limbs white-gray.
Female reproduction. Adult females (N = 14, 65.2 − 78.9 mm SVL) gave birth between late July and early August. Postpartum body mass varied from 8.3 − 15.2 (mean = 11.1) g, litter size from 1 − 4 (mean = 2.1) young, neonate mass from 0.8 − 1.3 (mean = 1.1) g, and litter mass (litter size × neonate mass) from 1.0–4.1 (mean = 2.2) g.
Natural history. At the locality where specimens of P. guinanensis sp. nov. were collected, individuals were abundant in sand dunes with very sparse vegetation consisting of Elymus grasses and man-planted saplings (Genera Salix and Populus ). No other known Phrynocephalus lizards in Qinghai resemble P. guinanensis sp. nov. in habitat use. As in numerous other toad-headed lizards, burrows are used to escape predators, or to avoid extreme thermal conditions in P. guinanensis sp. nov.
P. guinanensis | P. vlangalii | Statistical results |
---|---|---|
Females Males | Females Males | Species Sex Species × Sex |
N 20 20 | 20 20 | |
Snout-vent length 71.4 ± 0.7 71.0 ± 0.9 (mm) 64.0 − 76.7 61.6 − 78.0 | 66.2 ± 1.1 64.6 ± 0.8 58.9 − 77.1 57.8 − 72.2 | F 1, 76 = 45.14, F 1, 76 = 1.41, P F 1, 76 = 0.49, P <0.0001; = 0.239; P = 0.485 PG> PV F = M |
Tail length 67.8 ± 0.9 73.2 ± 0.9 (mm) 56.0 − 76.0 62.1 − 81.0 | 59.7 ± 1.0 65.7 ± 1.1 53.3 − 70.2 56.5 − 75.5 | F 1, 75 = 11.84, F 1, 75 = 179.18, F 1, 75 = 3.14, P <0.001; P <0.0001; P = 0.081 PG> PV F <M |
Head length 18.2 ± 0.1 18.4 ± 0.2 (mm) 16.7 − 19.1 17.0 − 19.9 | 16.5 ± 0.2 17.0 ± 0.2 15.0 − 18.5 15.7 − 18.0 | F 1, 75 = 18.74, F 1, 66 = 17.43, F 1, 66 = 2.27, P <0.0001; P <0.0001; P = 0.136 PG> PV F <M |
Head width 14.9 ± 0.1 15.3 ± 0.1 (mm) 13.7 − 15.6 14.3 − 16.5 | 14.8 ± 0.2 14.8 ± 0.2 13.5 − 16.4 13.6 − 16.2 | F 1, 75 = 5.74, F 1, 75 = 8.13, F 1, 75 = 0.76, P = 0.019; P <0.006; P = 0.384 PG <PV F <M |
Fore-limb length 21.4 ± 0.2 22.7 ± 0.2 (mm) 19.1 − 23.5 20.9 − 24.8 | 18.8 ± 0.3 19.0 ± 0.2 16.2 − 21.0 17.9 − 20.4 | F 1, 75 = 84.72, F 1, 75 = 15.27, F 1, 75 = 3.93, P <0.0001; P <0.0003; P = 0.051 PG> PV F <M |
Hind-limb length 31.8 ± 0.3 33.8 ± 0.2 (mm) 29.0 − 34.9 31.8 − 35.6 | 27.6 ± 0.3 28.6 ± 0.3 24.5 − 29.5 26.3 − 31.6 | F 1, 75 = 137.50, F 1, 75 = 46.74, F 1, 75 = 2.13, P <0.0001; P <0.0001; P = 0.149 PG> PV F <M |
4th finger length (mm) 6.4 ± 0.06 6.7 ± 0.08 5.6 − 6.9 5.7 − 7.3 | 5.6 ± 0.1 6.2 ± 0.1 4.7 − 6.7 5.4 − 7.1 | F 1, 75 = 19.85, F 1, 75 = 29.05, F 1, 75 = 6.12, P <0.0001; P <0.0001; P = 0.016 PG> PV F <M |
4th toe length (mm) 10.0 ± 0.08 10.7 ± 0.1 9.2 − 10.6 9.3 − 11.8 | 7.9 ± 0.1 8.7 ± 0.1 6.9 − 8.7 8.0 − 9.3 | F 1, 75 = 239.65, F 1, 75 = 65.57, F 1, 75 = 0.16, P <0.0001; P <0.0001; P = 0.693 PG> PV F <M |
Claw length of the 4th 2.3 ± 0.06 2.1 ± 0.06 finger (mm) 1.8 − 2.7 1.7 − 2.9 | 1.8 ± 0.06 1.8 ± 0.03 1.3 − 2.2 1.5 − 2.2 | F 1, 75 = 20.91, F 1, 75 = 2.45, F 1, 75 = 4.81, P <0.0001; P = 0.121; P = 0.031 PG> PV F = M |
Claw length of the 4th 2.1 ± 0.04 2.1 ± 0.05 toe (mm) 1.8 − 2.4 1.8 − 2.6 | 1.9 ± 0.04 1.8 ± 0.03 1.5 − 2.2 1.6 − 2.0 | F 1, 75 = 20.06, F 1, 75 = 0.02, F 1, 75 = 0.57, P <0.0001; P = 0.890; P = 0.451 PG> PV F = M |
Nasal scales 6.0 ± 0.2 6.1 ± 0.2 5 − 8 5 − 8 | 4.1 ± 0.1 4.1 ± 0.1 3 − 5 3 − 5 | F 1, 76 = 112.61, F 1, 76 = 0.16, F 1, 76 = 0.16, P <0.0001; P = 0.688; P = 0.688 PG> PV F = M |
Internasal scales 7.0 ± 0.2 6.9 ± 0.2 5 − 8 5 − 8 | 6.2 ± 0.2 6.4 ± 0.2 5 − 7 5 − 7 | F 1, 76 = 13.87, F 1, 76 = 0.02, F 1, 76 = 0.74, P <0.0004; P = 0.890; P = 0.393 PG> PV F = M |
Scales around 10.0 ± 0.2 9.9 ± 0.2 parietal eye 8 − 12 8 − 11 | 7.3 ± 0.2 7.6 ± 0.2 6 − 9 6 − 9 | F 1, 76 = 150.78, F 1, 76 = 0.38, F 1, 76 = 0.75, P <0.0001; P = 0.537; P = 0.388 PG> PV F = M |
Supraocular scales 14.9 ± 0.3 14.5 ± 0.3 13 − 18 13 − 17 | 10.7 ± 0.3 10.4 ± 0.2 10 − 14 9 − 12 | F 1, 76 = 208.87, F 1, 76 = 10.88, F 1, 76 = 3.05, P <0.0001; P <0.002; P = 0.085 PG> PV F> M |
Dorsal scales 141.5 ± 2.1 141.1 ± 1.8 128 − 164 126 − 157 | 104.7 ± 1.5 103.0 ± 1.9 93 − 118 85 − 116 | F 1, 76 = 402.87, F 1, 76 = 0.30, F 1, 76 = 0.11, P <0.0001; P = 0.584; P = 0.738 PG> PV F = M |
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