Sphenomorphus apalpebratus Datta-Roy, Das, Bauer, Tron & Karanth, 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Datta-Roy, Aniruddha
name: Das, Indraneil
name: Bauer, Aaron M.
name: Lyngdoh Tron, Ronald K.
name: Karanth, Praveen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Scincidae
Sphenomorphus
Sphenomorphus apalpebratus

description: Sphenomorphus apalpebratus sp. nov.
(Figures 1–4)
Holotype. CES 10/830 (adult, female), from Mawphlang (25.44563329°N, 91.7428503°E, alt. 1,815 m asl; datum WGS 84), East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya State, north-east India (Fig. 6). 17 October 2010 (Aniruddha Datta- Roy, Ishan Agarwal, Ronald K. Lyngdoh Tron, N. P. I. Das and Tarun Khichi, collectors).
Paratypes. CES 10/ 831–CES 10/833 (unsexed juveniles). Collection data as for holotype.
Diagnosis. We allocate the lizard specimens collected from Mawphlang to the genus Sphenomorphus for showing the following characters: parietals meet behind interparietals; median preanals overlap outer preanals; and iris as dark as pupil, considered apomorphies of the Sphenomorphus group (Greer 1979), in addition to the absence of supranasals; five digits on fore- and hindlimbs, limbs well developed, and body elongated, but non-vermiform. Further, the new species can be differentiated from congeners from India and mainland south-east Asia in showing the following characters: inner preanals overlapping the outer ones, small body size (SVL to 42.0 mm); midbody scale rows 27–28; longitudinal scale rows between parietals and base of tail 62–64; subdigital lamellae of toe IV 8– 9; supraoculars five; supralabials 5–6; infralabials 4–5; subcaudals 92; and dorsum golden brown, except at dorsal margin of lateral line, which is lighter, with four faintly spotted lines, two along each side of vertebral row of scales, extending to tail base.
Etymology. Latin for lacking eyelids, a distinctive morphological character in the new species.
Nomenclatural Notes. The name of the genus Sphenomorphus Fitzinger 1843 (type species: Gongylus [Lygosoma] melanopogon Duméril & Bibron 1839) was derived from Greek (meaning wedge-shaped, an allusion to the shape of the head) and originally coined as masculine. However, a number of species, some of which were transferred from the catchall lygosomatine genus Lygosoma (of neuter gender), have name terminations not matching the gender of their current generic allocation, in recent lists (e.g., Uetz 2012). These include S. crassa Inger et al. 2001, S. mimikanum (Boulenger 1914) and S. nigrolineata (Boulenger 1897). Following Article 30.1.3 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature 1999), the termination of these species nomina requires emendation.
Description of holotype. Based on an adult female, SVL 42.0 mm, TL 65.0 mm; snout blunt (IN:IO ratio 0.35), not projecting beyond lower jaws; nostril laterally oriented; oval, situated closer to snout-tip than to orbit; eye-nostril distance 1.44 mm, eye-snout distance 2.32 mm (E-N:E-S ratio 0.62); head long, much longer than wide (HL 6 mm, HW 4.68 mm (HL:HW ratio 1.29); head shape slightly flattened, HD 4 mm (HL:HD ratio 1.5); rostral width (1.28 mm), broad, not projecting onto snout; posterior border of rostral curved; frontonasal trapezoidal, wider than long; frontal elongated, arrow-shaped, wider anteriorly; frontoparietals separate; prefrontals small, widely separated; interparietal single, smaller than frontonasal; parietals contact posterior to interparietal, half length of interparietal; parietal eye spot absent; five supraoculars; four supraciliaries; nostrils located in midnasal; postnasal absent; supranasals absent; loreals two, trapezoidal; anterior loreal higher than posterior; two presuboculars, separating supralabial III from orbit; six supralabials (supralabial IV contacting orbit); three postsuboculars; three postoculars; two pretemporals; three temporals, the upper secondary temporal largest; upper secondary temporals overlapped by lower; temporals larger than lateral body scales; one pair of nuchals; five infralabials; one scale separates second pair of enlarged chin shields; three scales separate third pair of chin shields; enlarged chin shields contact infralabials; auricular opening scaleless, its location indicated by a shallow depression; eyes relatively small; pupil not discernable in preserved specimen; no moveable eyelids (Fig. 2); upper palpebrals 11; lower palpebrals 12; tongue short; undivided anteriorly, tip obtuse, not pointed; teeth relatively small and somewhat blunt.
Body slender, BW 6.36 mm (BW:SVL ratio 0.15); head slightly distinct from neck and body; 64 longitudinal scale rows from parietal to above level of anterior margin of hind limb; 64 scales dorsally; 60 ventrals, counted from first postgular to last scale before preanals; body scales smooth, subcycloid; median rows not enlarged, as wide as adjacent scales; 28 transverse scale rows at midbody; 92 subcaudals; abdominal scales larger than throat scales and marginally larger than pectoral scales; median ventral scales enlarged relative to scales on flanks; median and lateral preanals enlarged, larger than adjacent ventrals (Fig. 4); median pair of preanals overlap lateral preanals and are smaller than lateral ones; tail rounded, relatively long, longer than snout-vent length (TL:SVL ratio 65.42); tail tip acute; tail base wider than rest of tail; tail gradually tapering to a point; median row of subcaudals enlarged. Visceral fat bodies present in abdomen.
Limbs short and pentadactyle, digits short and clawed; lamellae smooth, enlarged; adpressed limbs fail to meet; lamellae under finger I-2; II-3; III-5; IV-5; V-4; lamellae under toes I-3; II-6; III-8; IV-9; V-5.
Coloration (in preservative). Lateral side of head with brown-black flecks; radiating broken lines from tympanic region to axilla; broken line, in the form of spots, extending from nostril to preocular region, continuing after orbit to almost two-thirds along the length of tail. On flanks, dark stripe fuses with its partner, dorsum olive brown (Medium Spring bud, colour no. C9DC87), with four faint lines, two on each side of the vertebral row of scales. Lines start at row of scales just below single pair of nuchals, and continue to tail base, where they become diffused. Dorsal surface of tail marginally darker than rest of dorsum; tail tip (regenerated) slightly lighter than rest of tail; flanks speckled with brown-black below lateral line; venter anterior to preanal scales lacking dark pigment, gulars cream coloured; pectoral to preanal region bright yellow; venter of tail grey, spotted with brown-black speckles to tip, darker apically. Tail venter with lighter pigments than dorsal side. Both fore- and hind limbs heavily spotted on dorsal side and lightly spotted ventrally. Lamellae chocolate brown in colour.
Coloration (in life). Lateral side of head freckled with patches of brown-black spots. A few radiating spotted lines extend from tympanic region to insertion of forelimb. A spotted line on lateral side of head from nostril to preocular, continuing beyond orbit to nearly two-thirds along the length of tail. Upper and lower palpebral series lemon yellow in colour, except at anterior and posterior corners of eye. Iris and pupil not clearly discernible. Head scales edged with black spots. Dorsum golden brown (Gamboge colour no. E49B0F), except at dorsal margin of lateral line, which is lighter. Four faintly spotted lines on dorsum, two along each side of vertebral row of scales, that continue to tail base; dorsum of tail darker than that of trunk at midbody; sides of head from snout to auricular depression, to below orbit cream coloured, gradually becoming pink around midbody between posterior margin of forelimb to anterior margin of hindlimb; yellowish near tail base. Flanks freckled with brownish-black longitudinal spots that are denser towards hindlimb than immediately behind forelimb. Dorsal surface of forelimb and hindlimb heavily spotted and appear dark. Gulars to 17th ventral scale cream-coloured and devoid of dark spots. Starting from 18th ventral row of scales, colour abruptly becomes bright lemon yellow until preanal scales or ventral margin of tail base. Yellow spots more dense in midregion of ventral scales, gradually becoming non-pigmented at scale boundary. Ventral side of forelimbs less spotted and pale pink in colour, ventral side of hindlimbs lemon yellow, with marginally more brownish-black spots. Toe lamellae of both limbs dark, unspotted. Preanal region, a light shade of pink, gradually fading to white and turning cobalt blue towards tail tip; venter of tail with brownish-black flecks, becoming denser apically.
Measurements (in millimeters; holotype with variation shown in paratype series, all juveniles, in parentheses). SVL 42.00 (range 26.76–27.50, mean 26.90); HL 10.00 (range 4.32–5.10 range, mean 4.73); HW 5.50 (range 4.10–4.94, mean 4.65); HD 4.00 (range 2.98–2.98, mean 2.98); BW 6.36 (range 4.10–4.60, mean 4.37); TBL 3.38 (range 2.24–2.46, mean 2.35); ED 1.46 (range 1.00–1.16, mean 1.05); IN 1.24 (range 1.00–1.00, mean 1.00); E– S 2.32 (range 1.42–1.80, mean 1.59); E– N 1.44 (range 1.00–1.20, mean 1.11); N– S 0.70 (range 0.40–0.48, mean 0.44); A–G 25.82 (range 14.50–15.58, mean 15.03); and TL 65.00 (tail tips of paratypes clipped for DNA extractions).
Squamation (holotype with variation shown in paratype series, all juveniles, in parentheses). Transverse scale rows at midbody 28 (range 27–28, mean 27.33); longitudinal scale rows 64 (range 62–64, mean 63); ventral scale rows 60 (range 56–58, mean 57); supralabials 6 (range 5–5, mean 5); infralabials 5 (range 4–4, mean 4); subcaudals 92 (tail of paratypes clipped for DNA extraction); and lamellae under toe IV 9 (range 8–9, mean 8.33).
description: Published as part of Datta-Roy, Aniruddha, Das, Indraneil, Bauer, Aaron M., Lyngdoh Tron, Ronald K. & Karanth, Praveen, 2013, Lizard Wears Shades. A Spectacled Sphenomorphus (Squamata: Scincidae), from the Sacred Forests of Mawphlang, Meghalaya, North-east India, pp. 257-276 in Zootaxa 3701 (2) on pages 259-264, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3701.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/218482