Congolacerta, 2011

Greenbaum, Eli, Villanueva, Cesar O., Kusamba, Chifundera, Aristote, Mwenebatu M. & Branch, William R., 2011, A molecular phylogeny of Equatorial African Lacertidae, with the description of a new genus and species from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (3), pp. 913-942 : 927-928

CONGOLACERTA GREENBAUM, VILLANUEVA, KUSAMBA, ARISTOTE & BRANCH GEN. NOV.

Type species: Lacerta vauereselli Tornier, 1902 .

Etymology: A feminine name derived from Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the genus occurs along most of the eastern montane border (Albertine Rift), and lacerta, a lizard.

Synonymy

1. Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758 (part); Tornier, 1902. Zoologische Anzeiger 25:701 [ Lacerta vauereselli ].

2. Algiroides Duméril & Bibron, 1839 (part); Peracca 1917. Atti della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino 52:351 [ Algiroides boulengeri ].

3. Adolfus Sternfeld, 1912 ‘1913’ (part); Arnold 1973. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology 25:357 [ Adolfus vauereselli ].

Content: Congolacerta asukului sp. nov. (described below); Congolacerta vauereselli ( Tornier, 1902) .

Distribution: Occurs from the Lendu Plateau (west of Lake Albert in DRC) along the Albertine Rift and its foothills through Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania as far south as the Kabobo Plateau at the border of South Kivu and Katanga Provinces, DRC ( Spawls et al., 2002; Appendix 2).

Diagnosis: Several mensural, meristic, and qualitative characters that diagnose Congolacerta are shown in Tables 3–5, including: modest SVL (50–58 mm); dorsoanterior border of quadrate bone rounded; size of long free ribs immediately posterior to thoracic ribs very elongated; posterior border of medial loop of clavicle present and thickened; small to very small postfemoral mite pockets present ( Arnold, 1986b); intramuscular portion of hemipenial armature deeply cleft anteriorly; shape of hemipenial clavulae complexly lobed; female genital sinus bilobed; habitat forest clearings and grasslands; and ventral coloration usually unpigmented ( C. vauereselli ) or yellow with black or brown blotches ( C. asukului ).

Description

Size and proportions: Relatively modest-sized member of the Equatorial African group of lizards (50–58 mm SVL), with no sexual dimorphism and a modest-sized tail ( SVL /TL = 44–52%; Tables 4–5) that is cylindrical without lateral fringes.

Skull: Congolacerta vauereselli premaxilla without anterior boss; postfrontal and postorbital bones fused; shape of squamosal bone slender; squamosal and parietal not in contact; dorsoanterior border of quadrate bone rounded; temporal osteoderms absent; maxilla not extending to coronoid notch; and 14 scleral ossicles in each eye ( Arnold, 1989a).

Postcranial skeleton: Average number of presacral vertebrae in males 25 or fewer (both species); C. vauereselli has six to seven long free dorsal ribs immediately posterior to thoracic ribs; very elongated long free dorsal ribs immediately posterior to thoracic ribs, about twice the length of other free dorsal ribs; posterior border of medial loop of clavicle present and thickened; and transverse process of anterior autotomic caudal vertebrae directed roughly laterally ( Arnold, 1989a).

Scaling: Contact between postnasal and supranasal scales below level of nostril absent; two loreal scales on each side; supraciliary granules present; lower eyelid opaque and covered with relatively small scales; parietal scales without lateral corner erosion; temporal scaling relatively fine; keeling on temporal scales variable, but usually absent; keeling on collar scales absent; granules beneath collar scattered or absent; dorsal scales somewhat enlarged; microornamentation of dorsal scales smooth; flank scales in close contact; four complete rows of ventral body scales and an outer row on each side that is strongly reduced anteriorly; keeling on ventrals absent; preanal scale entire and without keeling; no keeling on scales beneath limbs; row of femoral pores long, extending almost to knee ( C. asukului ) or shortened row of femoral pores, well separated from the knee ( C. vauereselli ); scales bearing femoral pores not or only slightly projecting, close together in males; hind toes without fringes; no pad of spinous scales on dorsum of tail base ( Arnold, 1989a). In contrast to Arnold, we did not observe a gular fold on any specimens of C. vauereselli , and only faint indications of a gular fold on four adult specimens of C. asukului .

Colouring: Congolacerta vauereselli : the dorsum of the head is light yellow to copper bronze with a continuous mid-dorsal band of the same colour and width of the head continuing to the end of the tail. Within the mid-dorsal band are small dark brown to black spots, sometimes forming a vertebral stripe. The lateral sides of the body are reddish brown, edged in black above, with one or two series of white, black-edged ocellar spots. A cream or white streak extends from the cheek to the side of the neck and passes through the ear opening. Venter usually immaculate and unpigmented. Colouring of C. asukului is generally similar to that of C. vauereselli (one major exception is yellow ventral pigmentation with black or brown blotches), and details are given in the species description below.

Distinctive internal features: Congolacerta vauereselli tongue surface mainly squamate; tongue colour in alcohol dark; a ‘Varanidae’ ulnar nerve pattern with no continuous independent ulnar nerve and all fibres to lower limb passing through the branchial trunk; exit of oviducts into genital sinus dorsal; female genital sinus bilobed ( Arnold, 1989a).

Hemipenis: Congolacerta vauereselli size relatively large; intramuscular portion of hemipenial armature very deeply cleft anteriorly; medial side of hemipenial armature not reduced; size of hemipenial clavulae large; shape of hemipenial clavulae complexly lobed ( Arnold, 1989a).

Ecology: Congolacerta vauereselli is found in clearings and openings within Guineo-Congolian forests from 1000–2675 m. Little is known of its natural history, but based on observations made in Bwindi National Park ( Uganda), Spawls et al. (2002) suggested that it is likely to be similar to A. africanus . Congolacerta asukului is known from high elevations (> 2650 m) grasslands of the Itombwe Plateau, and has been found in small burrows amongst tussocks of grass.

Reproduction: No reproductive data are available for either species of Congolacerta .

Remarks: Several mensural, meristic, qualitative, and molecular divergence characters distinguish the Itombwe population of Congolacerta from its congener C. vauereselli . The Itombwe population is described as a new species below.

CONGOLACERTA ASUKULUI GREENBAUM ,