Pseudocalotes austeniana ( Annandale, 1908 ) Annandale, 1908

Mahony, Stephen, 2010, Systematic and taxomonic revaluation of four little known Asian agamid species, Calotes kingdonwardi Smith, 1935, Japalura kaulbacki Smith, 1937, Salea kakhienensis Anderson, 1879 and the monotypic genus Mictopholis Smith, 1935 (Reptilia: Agamidae), Zootaxa 2514, pp. 1-23 : 6-7

Pseudocalotes austeniana ( Annandale, 1908) new combination.

Figure 1

Salea horsfieldii Anandale, 1905 (not of Gray, 1845) Salea austeniana Anandale, 1908

Mictopholis austeniana Smith, 1935 a

Examined material. Holotype ZSI 3976, “Hills near Harmatti, Assam”, collector Colonel Godwin Austen; ZSI 24841, “Bomdila, West Humang Dist., Arunachal Pradesh”; MAVC L31, “Sangti Valley (27 26’48” N, 92 04’60” E, 1650 m a.s.l.), Dirang, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh”, collector Abhijit Das.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym after Colonel Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen. The specific name is a genitive based on a personal name and remains unchanged if the gender of the genus changes.

Distribution. Pseudocalotes austeniana new comb. is currently known from several populations in Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India: “ Hills near Harmatti, Assam” (currently encompassed within the city Itanagar (27°02’ N, 93°38’ E), Papum Pare District); “Bomdila, West Humang Dist., Arunachal Pradesh”(=Bomdila (27°15’ N, 92°24’ E), West Kameng District); Sangti Valley (27°26’48” N, 92°04’60” E, 1650 m a.s.l.), Dirang, West Kameng District; below Bompu Campsite (27°07’ N, 92°47’ E, 1800 m a.s.l.), Lama Camp (27°16’ N, 92°46’ E, 2350 m a.s.l.) and Alubari village below Lama Camp (27°17’ N, 92°46’ E, 2000 m a.s.l.), Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, West Kameng District ( Athreya 2006; Das & Das 2007).

Redescription of holotype (ZSI 3976). Adult female. Mensural and meristic data is summarised in Table 1 . General habitus moderately compressed. Snout bluntly pointed in profile, rostral octangular, approximately two and half times longer than deep, contacted by first supralabials, nasals and three scales dorsally. Nostril oval, laterally positioned, nasal large, oval in shape, bordered by seven/six scales (left/right side) including rostral and supralabial one. Five/six (left/right) smooth, rectangular supralabials and seven/eight infralabials (left/right). Loreal region concave, scales of the loreal region heterogenous in size, flat, consisting of a single row of enlarged scales extending from the posterior edge of the nasal, along the upper edge of the supralabials, below the orbit and curving upward along the posterior border of the orbit, remaining loreal scales small. From the posterior orbit is a row of four enlarged longitudinally keeled temporal scales extending to above the tympanum. Orbital scales small and granular. Tympanum naked. Canthals enlarged, overlapping slightly, dramatically decreasing in size along the supraciliaries.

Scales on the dorsal surface of the snout are heterogenous in size and shape, randomly rugose or with weak keels. Supraorbital scales smooth or weakly keeled, increase in size from the supraciliaries to the inner edges of the orbits, of which the enlarged scales follow the curvature of the orbit posterolaterally. One small scale row divides the enlarged scales of the inner orbits at the narrowest point of the frontal. The posterior head is dominated by two pairs of large scales, the anterior pair border laterally the posterior half of the parietal. Parietal scale moderately enlarged, longitudinally subrectangular without visible pineal eye. Temporal spines absent.

Mental subtriangular, approximately as wide as long, bordered posteriorly by a ventrolateral row of five elongated chin shields gradually changing shape posteriorly to blend with surrounding rows of gular scales. The first two pairs of post-mental chin shields are in contact laterally with the infralabials, the remaining shields are separated from the infralabials by one to two rows of small gular scales. Remaining gular scales smooth, subimbricate, increasing in size posteriorly and laterally again decreasing in size dorsally over the jowls to the level of the tympanum, those of the central throat are the smallest. A small longitudinal gular pouch present, transverse gular fold absent.

Ventral scales imbricate, smooth, heterogenous in size and not arranged in regular rows, approximately 51 scales around mid body. Nuchal crest is composed of seven short lanceolate spines, gradually increasing in size to the mid nuchal and decreasing posteriorly. The remaining vertebral scales are enlarged relative to adjacent rows but possess a more pronounced median keel providing a serrated appearance in profile. 33 middorsal scales in total from the first raised nuchal scales to above the vent. Dorsal scales are heterogenous in size and shape, only the larger scales with a weak median keel, not arranged into regular rows, keels on those of the upper flanks are mostly oriented obliquely upward, horizontal on the mid flanks and obliquely downward on the lower flanks. A distinct shallow oblique fold in front of, and curving around the anterior shoulder. Scales of the forelimbs and ventral hind limbs form regular rows, those of the dorsal hind limbs do not form regular rows and are heterogenous in size. All dorsal scales of the fore and hind limbs weakly keeled, ventrally smooth. 19 4FinLam and 31 4ToeLam. Scales on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the tail are weakly keeled. Precloacal and femoral pores absent.

Colouration in preservative. A thin brown stripe radiates anteriorly from the lower orbit to supralabial three, a second one posteriorly to above the last supralabial. Labials, canthals and supraciliaries pale salmon coloured. Remaining dorsal and ventral surfaces blue with brown mottling/reticulation on the head and dorsum. Fore and hind limbs banded dorsally. No alternating coloured patch on the throat. Tail light brown.

Variation. Mensural and meristic variation of examined specimens is primarily summarized in Table 1 . See Athreya (2006) for colour variation in life along with some basic meristic and mensural data for a larger number of specimens. The male ZSI 24841 has a considerably larger gular pouch which extends onto the anterior chest and has two short blunt conical scales on each side of the head, one behind the posterior most superciliary, another above the posterior border of the tympanum. Hemipenal swelling of the tail base not noticeable. The enlarged lateral scales of ZSI 24841 and MAVC L31 are noticeably smaller than those of the holotype.

Comparison. Pseudocalotes austeniana new comb. differs from all congeners except P. brevipes , by the presence (vs. absence) of an antehumeral fold and from all except P. brevipes and P. f l a v i g u l a by the presence of lateral scales of heterogenous size and shape. From the following species by dorsal and lateral scales forming irregular rows (vs. forming regular rows); P. dringi , P. floweri , P. khaonanensis , P. larutensis , P. microlepis , P. saravacensis and P. tympanistriga . From the following species by MB scale number, ~51–53 on P. austeniana new comb. (n=2); P. brevipes (65–80), P. flavigula (38–40), P. khaonanensis (72–75), P. microlepis (65–70), P. poilani (56–60), P. saravacensis (68), from the following by lower number of SL, 5–8 on P. austeniana new comb.; P. floweri (9–12), P. larutensis (10), P. tympanistriga (10–13), and from the following by the number of 4ToeLam, 24–31 on P. austeniana new comb.; P. brevipes (20–23) and P. saravacensis (20).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Comparison of head scalation; P. austeniana new comb. (ZSI 24841), profile view (A), dorsal view of the head (B), and P. kaulbacki new comb. (NHM 1940.6.3.40), profile view, dorsal crest not erect (C), dorsal view of the head (D).