Ichnotropis microlepidota Marx, 1956

Conradie, Werner, Keates, Chad, Greenbaum, Eli, Lobón-Rovira, Javier, Tolley, Krystal A., Benito, Max, Vaz Pinto, Pedro, van Breda, Reuben V. & Verburgt, Luke, 2025, Systematics of African rough-scaled lizards, with description of two new species from eastern Angola (Squamata: Lacertidae: Ichnotropis Peters, 1854), Vertebrate Zoology 75, pp. 627-672 : 627-672

Ichnotropis microlepidota Marx, 1956

Figures 9 , 10 ; Table 3

Taxonomic note.

Described based on five specimens retrieved from the crop of a Dark Chanting Goshawk ( Melierax metabates ) at the base of Serra do Moco (the geographical feature of Serra do Moco which includes the highest peak in Angola at 2620 m a. s. l., is often colloquially referred to as Mount Moco) ( Marx 1956). Parker (1936) was actually the first to document this species as I. bivittata from Serra do Moco and alluded to its smaller dorsal scales. Remarkably, these smaller dorsal scales were one of the main diagnostic features when I. microlepidota was described. However, its taxonomic status has been disputed in the past ( Mayer 2013) because of its resemblance to I. bivittata and the lack of precise locality data, given that the type series was found in the crop of a dark chanting goshawk ( Marx 1956). No additional specimens were collected until PVP collected a topotypic specimen in October 2020 at Serra do Moco ( Benito et al. 2025). Thanks to this new material, Benito et al. (2025) provided the first phylogenetic placement of the species, validating its taxonomic status and demonstrating that this species belongs to the I. bivittata group.

Holotype.

FMNH 74285 , adult male, collected from the ‘foot of Mount Moco’ [= Serra do Moco] , Huambo Province, Angola, by Gerd Heinrich on 19 September 1954 .

Paratypes.

FMNH 74283 –84 ( females), FMNH 74286 –87 ( males); same collection details as holotype .

Additional material.

MHNCUP-REP 0983 , adult male, collected at Serra do Moco, Huambo Province, Angola ( –12.4554°, 15.1632°, 2300 m a. s. l.), on 18 October 2020 by Pedro Vaz Pinto ( Benito et al. 2025); juvenile specimen collected at Serra do Moco, Huambo Province, Angola, 1500–1900 m a. s. l., in March 1934 by Karl Jordan (Parker 1936).

General description.

A medium-sized, robust lacertid with a rounded snout and strongly striated and keeled head scales. Nostril pierced between three nasals; the supranasals are in broad contact behind the rostral; single frontonasal, as broad as long; paired prefrontal scales in broad contact medially; prefrontal in contact with the anterior supraocular and either in contact or narrowly separated from supraciliaries by a smaller scale; two large supraoculars, preceded by a single scale (documented by Marx 1956 as a small supraocular); the anterior supraocular is in broad or narrow contact with the 1 st supraciliary anteriorly; the posterior part of the anterior supraocular and the posterior supraocular are separated from the supraciliaries by one row of small scales (6); one post-supraocular scale; two loreal scales present, which are separated from the anterior supraocular by one scale; subocular in contact with lip; four supralabials in front of subocular; 6–8 infralabials (mostly seven); five chin shields, with the anterior three pairs in broad contact; four supraciliaries ( Marx 1956 recorded five, but he included the posterior loreal); 43–50 midbody scale rows; 8–10 longitudinal rows of enlarged ventral plates; 26–30 transverse ventral scale rows; 16–19 subdigital lamellae under the 4 th toe; 10–13 femoral pores per thigh. Size: Adult specimens varied from 48.7–52.0 mm (mean: 50.4 mm) SVL and 69.8 mm TAIL (only one specimen with intact tail). Largest female: 51 mm SVL ( FMNH 74283 ); largest male: 52 mm SVL ( FMNH 74285 , 74286). Colouration (Fig. 9 ): The dorsal pattern features a light brown central band extending from just behind the head to the hind limbs. This band is bordered on each side by two broken rows of black blotches. Along the lateral sides of the body, two cream to yellow longitudinal stripes run from the level of the ear openings posteriorly to the hind limbs. Between these stripes lie a series of paired white ocelli, each bordered externally by black rings. Below the lower lateral stripe there is a continuous row of single white ocelli. The dorsal surface of the head is brown, mottled with black speckling across most scales. The mouth is bordered in black, which fades to white along the upper portion of the supralabials and the lower portion of the infralabials. The first row of chin shields is entirely black, while rows two through five are bicoloured — black medially and white laterally. The throat (gular region) is pale red-orange, interspersed with black scales and marked by two distinct bright yellow-orange spots located beneath the posterior ends of the lower jaws. The ventral surface is uniformly white

Distribution.

Currently only known from the slopes of Serra do Moco, in the central Angolan highlands (Fig. 3 ).

Habitat and Natural History.

The specimens from the type series were preyed upon by a dark chanting goshawk ( Melierax metabates ) ( Marx 1956). The specimen collected by PVP ( MHNCUP-REP 0983 ) was found during the day on top of an exposed small rock in open montane grassland, with thick vegetation cover at 2300 m a. s. l. ( Benito et al. 2025). The montane habitat in Serra do Moco is mainly formed by a thick layer of grass and small bushes as well as many rocks underneath. This type of habitat is likely to hinder the species detectability.

Figures

Figure 3. Records of specimens from the Ichnotropis bivittata group, based on all literature records (open circles), examined material (closed circles) and genetically analysed material (white centres). Respective type localities are indicated by arrows: Ib – I. bivittata, Ibp – I. bivittata pallida, Ic – I. chapini, Im – I. microlepidota, Icn – I. capensis nigrescens, Io – I. overlaeti and It – I. tanganicana.

Figure 9. Photographs in life of Ichnotropis microlepidota (MHNCUP-REP 0983) from Serra do Moco, Huambo Province, Angola (adapted from Benito et al. 2025). Photographs in A dorsolateral view of the full body and B lateral view of the head. Photographs: Pedro Vaz Pinto.

Figure 10. Ichnotropis microlepidota (MHNCUP-REP 0983) specimen from Serra do Moco, Huambo Province, Angola (adapted from Benito et al. 2025). Photographs of body in A dorsal and B ventral views, and head in C dorsal, D lateral and E ventral views. Scale bars represent 10 mm. Photographs: Max Benito.