Aristelliger reyesi Díaz & Hedges, 2009, new species
Creators: name: Díaz, Luis M.
name: Hedges, Blair
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Sphaerodactylidae
Aristelliger
Aristelliger reyesi

description: Aristelliger reyesi, new species
Figure 1
Holotype. MNHNCu 4665, an adult male collected by Luis M. Díaz, Ernesto Reyes, and Ariatna Linares along the trail Los Musulmanes (23°11'37''N, 81°09'26''W), Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos, sea level, Península de Hicacos, Matanzas Province, on 5 June 2007.
Paratypes (N=15). Males (8): MNHNCu 4666−67, from Cueva Ambrosio, Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos (23°11'34''N; 081°09'47''W), Península de Hicacos, Matanzas Province, on 4−5 June 2007, by same collectors; MNHNCu 4668−69, from wooden buildings at Estación Ecológica de Varahicacos (23°11'39''N; 081°09'11''W), collected by Luis M. Díaz on 4 June 2007; MNHNCu 4670−73, same data as the holotype. Females (6): MNHNCu 4674−4676, from wooden buildings at Estación Ecológica de Varahicacos, collected by Luis M. Díaz on 4 June 2007; MNHNCu 4677−79, same data as the holotype. Embryo: MNHNCu 4680, from an egg laid in captivity.
Diagnosis. A small species (maximum SVL: 63.6 mm) of the subgenus Aristelligella (Fig. 1) according to size, and by the arrangement of friction pads and lateral postmentals. Both sexes have a dark stripe (almost black) that extends laterally through the head and over shoulders, fading from there as dorsolateral bifurcated brown zones that reach the tail base. From Aristelliger barbouri it differs in having a conspicuous pattern of longitudinal zones (vs. a more faded coloration in A. barbouri, with lateral stripes only reaching shoulders), and a higher number of total fourth toe lamellae (21–29, vs. 18–19 in A. barbouri). In A. cochranae, dark lateral zones similar to those found in A. reyesi are conspicuous in juveniles and subadults, but less evident or absent in adults, where they are substituted by many pale dots and blotches (Fig. 1); the number of loreal scales is lower in A. reyesi than in A. cochranae (11–15 vs. 15–16, respectively), the snout-to-center of eye distance averages shorter with respect to SVL (13.0–14.4%, x=13.8; vs. 14.2–15.8%, x=15.2%, in A. cochranae) and the ratio of the ear opening longest diameter/ SVL is smaller (1.7–2.9, x=2.3; vs. 2.9–4.2, x=3.4). Aristelliger reyesi requires closer comparison with A. expectatus. The new species is longer than A. expectatus (63.6 mm maximum SVL in A. reyesi, vs. 55 mm in A. expectatus), and has a more robust body. Typically, A. expectatus has a more distinctive dorsal “ladder” pattern than A. reyesi, because the lateral darker zones (if defined) are connected to each other by bridges, “saddles” or bands (only pairs of middorsal dots or small chevrons are present in A. reyesi) (Fig. 2); the hemipenes of A. reyesi have two prominent horn-like asulcal papillae, which are absent in A. expectatus (Fig. 3); the number of total fourth toe lamellae is 22–29 (x=24) in A. reyesi, vs. 16–22 (x=19) in A. expectatus; the dorsal scales of snout are smaller (and higher in number) in A. reyesi (16–19, x=18) than in A. expectatus (14–16, x=15); the ear opening is rounded in A. reyesi and narrow in A. expectatus (horizontal diameter 47.6–112.5%, x= 76.5%, of longest diameter in A. reyesi, vs. 18.7–39.3%, x= 28.8%, in A. expectatus) (Fig. 4).
Description. Males, maximum SVL 63.6 mm; females, 55.1 mm. Head length 23−24% of SVL. Ear opening rounded or oval, with the upper margin slightly folded; the columella is well visible. Fourth toe lamellae modally 10−15; fourth finger lamellae 9−15. Supralabials modally 7; infralabials modally 6. Two enlarged lateral postmentals in median contact behind the mental. Dorsal scales small, granular, and swollen. Ventral scales semicircular, smooth, and partially imbricated. One or two internasal scales (mode 1). Two postnasal scales. Subcaudal scales transversally enlarged. Males are more bulky-headed than females, appearing more robust. Metric and meristic data are shown in Table 1 (by sexes), compared with those of other species of the subgenus Aristelligella.
Color in life: Overall coloration mostly olive-green with yellowish shades; grayish on legs and some dorsal areas. Females somewhat more grayish colored than males. Supralabial scales white colored in both sexes. Usually, lower body flanks more yellow in males than in females. Males and females with a dark brown (almost black) stripe that runs along head sides and neck, from which it becomes a less conspicuous and bifurcate dorsolateral zone that reach the tail base. Another brown stripe is on lower flanks. Middorsum almost plain colored, with either vertebral series of small, chevron like patterns, pairs of brown spots, or small papilionaceus figures. Parietal area of head with a chevron like or an X-shaped brown pattern weakly evident, followed by a pair of dark spots near the occiput. Legs with small brown spots or reticulations. The belly is gray or tan. Tail dorsally unpatterned, or with a pale series of rhombs slightly evident. Adult males tend to have a dark brown tail on the ventral surface, with some pinkish patches. Frequently, males also exhibit regenerated areas of skin on body (probably from territorial encounters), which appear as grey patches (see the head of male in Fig. 1). These geckoes may turn into a dark brown color.
N (males/females): 1 10/10; 2 5/4; 3 3/2.
Color in alcohol: General pattern remains essentially intact, but coloration becomes gradually gray or grayish brown.
Discriminant function analysis (DFA). The analysis of nine variables (SVL, total fourth toe lamellae, number of dorsal scales, number of ventral scales, number of loreal scales, supralabials scales, infralabials scales, snout to eye distance/SVL, and ear longest diameter/SVL) provided a 97.9% of total correct classification (Wilks’ Lambda 0.013, approx. F (27, 105) = 14.23, p<0.00). Only one specimen in the sample of Aristelliger expectatus was not discriminated from A. cochranae, for a 91.7% of classification success (see Table 2). The remaining species were 100% correctly assigned. The model suggests that the combination of those characters has a strong diagnostic value as expressed by the representation of the two first canonical functions (Fig. 5). The four characters with the highest discriminant value were (in the following order): SVL, loreal scales, total fourth toe lamellae, and number of dorsal scales.
Etymology. We are pleased to name this new gecko after Ernesto Reyes, who provided the first evidence of its existence.
A. reyesi sp. n. 100 0 0 0 11 Total 97.91 5 11 21 11
Distribution. Only known from the Península de Hicacos (Fig. 6), Matanzas Province, Western Cuba. The type series was collected between Cueva de Ambrosio and the Estación Ecológica de Varahicacos, which are separated by approximately 800 m; however, a single male was seen (not collected) during the day climbing the rustic roof of a restaurant in a populated village about 20 km SW from the type locality.
Ecological notes. Individuals of Aristelliger reyesi were relatively easy to find in several habitats, both during the day and at night, suggesting the existence of a large population. Lizards were detected on limestone outcrops, cliffs, caves entrances, rocky shelters, sinkholes, rustic wooden houses roofed with “ guano ” (palm fronds), tree cactus (Dendrocereus nudiflorus), and on fig (Ficus sp.) root tangles (Fig. 7). At some places, we collected or observed 4–5 of these geckoes within an area of less than five meters. The limestone rock at the type locality was mostly covered by a microphyll evergreen forest.
Two males were seen fighting during the midday on fig roots at Cueva Ambrosio. One of these males (MNHNCu 4666) easily lost pieces of head skin when handled during the collection. Most of the individuals exposed on limestone surfaces were always very close to small holes that serve as refuge, or were partially hidden within them. When collected, some males produced croaking distress calls. Many females were gravid, with a single egg easily seen trough the ventral skin. Three of them laid white, oval eggs in isolated terraria, all firmly attached to the inner surfaces of bamboo tubes offered as shelters (Fig. 8). Two of those eggs measured 10.6 x 8.4 mm and 10.8 x 9.1 mm, respectively. The absence of juveniles during the field work suggested us that the breeding season was probably starting.
Geckos were detected at heights of one to three meters above the ground. The following ingested items were found in lizard feces: ants (including several winged females of Camponotus sp.), adult neuropterans, beetles, shed skin, and small stones. Other reptiles observed at the surroundings of the type locality were: Sphaerodactylus intermedius, S. e. elegans (Sphaerodactylidae), Tarentola a. americana (Gekkonidae), Anolis allisoni, A. a. angusticeps, A. equestris buidei, A. p. porcatus, A. pumilus, A. s. sagrei, A. h. homolechis, Leiocephalus c. carinatus, L. c. cubensis, L. raviceps klinikowskii (Iguanidae), Ameiva auberi abducta (Teiidae), Tropidophis m. melanurus (Tropidophiidae), Arrhyton dolichurus (new locality record), Antillophis a. andreai, and Alsophis c. cantherigerus (Dipsadidae).
description: Published as part of Díaz, Luis M. & Hedges, Blair, 2009, First record of the genus Aristelliger (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Cuba, with the description of a new species, pp. 31-40 in Zootaxa 2028 on pages 32-37, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.186219