Trapelus savignii, (DUMERIL & BIBRON, 1837)

Wagner, Philipp, Melville, Jane, Wilms, Thomas M. & Schmitz, Andreas, 2011, Opening a box of cryptic taxa - the first review of the North African desert lizards in the Trapelus mutabilis Merrem, 1820 complex (Squamata: Agamidae) with descriptions of new taxa, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (3), pp. 884-912 : 904

TRAPELUS SAVIGNII ( DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1837)

1837 Agama savignii Duméril & Bibron, Erpétol. Gén. 4: 508. – Terra typica: Egypt, El Arish.

Neotype: ZFMK 77470 ( Fig. 12 ).

Diagnosis: Medium-sized Trapelus [largest known voucher from Egypt SVL 123 mm ( Anderson, 1898)] with an average ratio TL/SVL of 1.3. Gular pouch well developed. Dorsal scales relatively uniform with intermixed larger scales. Ventral scales keeled. Usually vertebral scales slightly larger than the scales on the flanks. Coloration uniformly sandy grey with five brown transverse bands, which are interrupted by a yellowish stripe and whitish lines on the body and a barred tail. Additionally two transverse bands are on the interorbital area. Adult males get a characteristic coloration under nuptial conditions: throat and flanks bright to violet blue, the flanks with interspersed white spots. Additionally, pregnant females have a special coloration, with dorsal bands becoming brick red.

Taxonomic note: Saleh (1997) synonymized T. savignii with T. flavimaculatus but failed to explain his reasons for this specific taxonomic step. Therefore he was not followed by subspecific authors (e.g. Baha el Din, 2006).

Audouin (1827) also described a ‘ Trapelus savignyi ’ but this taxon was recognized as a synonym of the gekkonid species Stenodactylus sthenodactylus and Stenodactylus petrii by Anderson (1898). Also Wagner & Crochet (2009) recognized the problem of the two very similar names and the mixed usage of the names by the different authors. Therefore, and because of other reasons outlined in their publication the name was fixed by a neotype by Wagner & Crochet (2009).

Figures

Figure 12. Neotype (ZFMK 77470) of Trapelus savignii Duméril & Bibron, 1837.