Ichnotropis grandiceps Broadley, 1967

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 grandiceps Broadley, 1967

Figures 15 , 16 ; Table 4

Taxonomic note.

This is the most recently described species of Ichnotropis . It was described from the western Zambezi Region in north-eastern Namibia, based on only three specimens, and was distinguished from sympatric I. capensis based on its larger size, rounded head and dorsal colouration ( Broadley 1967 b). This is a rarely documented species and it is only known from the type series, four additional specimens collected from north-eastern Namibia ( Haacke 1970), one specimen from Khaudum, Namibia ( van Breda 2023), and one specimen from western Zambia ( Pietersen et al. 2017). Conradie et al. (2022 a) tentatively assigned material from eastern Angola to this species based on shared morphology, but phylogenetic analyses (see Results) recover it as a separate sister lineage, which represents a candidate new species described below.

Holotype.

USNM 163989 , an adult male, collected ‘ 25 miles west of Mohembo, Botswana, on the border of the Caprivi Strip (South West Africa) ’, Namibia by T. N. Liversedge and S. W. Goussard on 20 May 1967 .

Paratypes.

NMZB-UM 16278 ( male) and USNM 163990 ( juvenile); same collection details as holotype .

General description.

A large, robust lacertid with a pointed snout. Head scalation weakly striated. 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 separated from the anterior supraocular by a smaller scale (except on the right-side of TM 86237) and separated from supraciliaries by a smaller scale (except on the right-side of TM 38309); two large supraoculars, which are separated from the supraciliaries by one row of small scales (5–9) and preceded by a cluster of smaller scales (3–7); 2–3 post-supraocular scales; two loreal scales present, which are separated from the anterior supraocular by two scales; subocular in contact with lip; 4–5 (mostly five) supralabials in front of subocular; 5–7 (mostly six) infralabials; five chin shields, with the anterior three in broad contact; 4–5 (mostly five) supraciliaries; 44–47 (average: 45.6) midbody scale rows; 10 longitudinal rows of enlarged ventral plates; 27–31 (average: 28.3) transverse ventral scale rows; 20–26 subdigital lamellae under the 4 th toe; 8–14 femoral pores per thigh. Size: Adult specimens varied from 57.2–77.9 mm (mean: 65.6 mm) SVL and 103.4–148.0 mm (mean: 124.9 mm) TAIL. Largest female: 77.9 mm SVL (RE 211206 D 1 / NMNW R 12212 – Khaudum, Namibia); largest male: 70 mm SVL ( USNM 163989 – 40 km W of Mohembo, Botswana). Colouration (in preservative; Fig. 16 ): Above pale grey-brown, with darker stippling and a few scattered dark black spots on the body and tail. A poorly defined dark brown dorsolateral band extends from the neck to the groin, where it breaks up into a line of lateral spots on the tail. Sides of the head and lower flanks white. Venter white. In juveniles or subadults (Fig. 15 ), the dark brown lateral band is replaced by a mustard-coloured band ( Pietersen et al. 2017).

Distribution.

Known from northeastern Namibia and adjacent Botswana, and from western Zambia (Fig. 13 ). The apparent gap in distribution between northeastern Namibia / Botswana and western Zambia likely reflects a lack of sampling, and the species’ range is believed to be more continuous.

Habitat and Natural History.

Ontogenetic colour differences have been observed between juveniles and adults (this study). Found in sympatry with I. capensis sensu lato. Associated with Baikiaea woodland on deep Kalahari alluvial sands and hard lime-rich soils in open woodland ( Haacke 1970; Pietersen et al. 2021).

Figures

Figure 13. Holotype (BE _ RMCA _ Vert. R. 9691) of Ichnotropis overlaeti from Kapanga, Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photographs of body in A ventral and B dorsal (note the evenly spaced white dorsolateral spots indicated by the arrows) views, and head in C dorsal, D lateral and E ventral views. Scale bars represent 10 mm. Photographs: Max Benito.

Figure 15. Photographs in life of juvenile Ichnotropis grandiceps. Specimens photographed from A Ngonye Falls (TM 86237), Zambia and B Chitokoloki, Zambia. Photographs: A – Darren Pietersen; B – Frank Willems.

Figure 16. Ichnotropis grandiceps (RE 211206 D 1 / NMNW R 12212) specimen from Khaudum, Namibia. Photographs of body in A ventral and B dorsal views, and head in C dorsal, D lateral and E ventral views. Photographs: Werner Conradie.