Tropidurus jaguaribanus Passos, Lima & Borges-Nojosa, 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Passos, Daniel Cunha
name: Lima, Daniel Cassiano
name: Borges-Nojosa, Diva Maria
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Tropiduridae
Tropidurus
Tropidurus jaguaribanus

description: Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov.
Holotype. Adult male (CHUFC L 3860) collected in São João do Jaguaribe Municipality (5º19’21’’ S and 38º11´58’’ W), Ceará State, northeastern Brazil, 21 February 2009, by D. C. Lima and D. M. Borges-Nojosa (Figure 2).
Paratypes. All from the type-locality, collected from March 2008 through February 2009 by the same collectors. Adult males (CHUFC L 3650, CHUFC L 3858), adult females (CHUFC L 3857, CHUFC L 3859, CHUFC L 3918), and unsexed juveniles (CHUFC L 3658, MPEG 28900, MZUSP 100739, ZUFSM L 0728).
Diagnosis. The color pattern of T. jaguaribanus sp. nov. allows it to be easily distinguished from the other species of the semitaeniatus group (Figures 3 e 4). Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov. differs from T. helenae and T. pinima in having only one middorsal, longitudinal light stripe rather than three. This single stripe, which extends dorsally from the snout to the scapular region, also allows it to be distinguished from T. semitaeniatus, because in this latter, the single stripe always extends from the snout to the base of the tail. The stripe of T. jaguaribanus sp. nov. may sometimes be absent or not evident in adult individuals, which also distinguishes it from the other species of the group. Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov. also has 5–6 supralabials, rather than 7–8 as in T. pinima and T. semitaeniatus. Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov. has a single subocular, in contact with the first canthal, distinguishing it from T. pinima, which has one scale between the subocular and the first canthal. Finally, the new species differs from all the others by the prominently spined and keeled lateral scales on the trunk (Figure 5), which are visible to the naked eye in adult individuals and are inconspicuous in the other species and by the tarsal scales with higher keels than in the other species of the group.
Description of the holotype. Measurements. Snout-vent length (SVL) 103.41 mm; tail length 138.18 mm; body height at midline 12.37 mm; distance from snout to anterior margin of tympanum 24.12 mm; head height 10.14 mm; head width 21.47 mm; distance between limbs, from axillar region to inguinal region 43.73 mm; tail base width 16.54 mm; femur length 25.10 mm; fourth finger length 10.57 mm; fourth toe length 16.38 mm.
Cephalic scales (Figure 2). Rostral scale smooth and broad. Nostril rounded, exposed laterally and inserted into single nasal scale. Eight supraciliars elongated, narrow, oblique, and imbricate, forming small longitudinal ridge. Supraocular scales smooth, flat, asymmetrical, with different dimensions, forming five rows on each side, bounded by supraorbital semicircle. Two rows of small irregular supraoculars near eye, another two intermediate rows of median scales, and one row of seven large supraocular scales, wider than long, transversely elongated. Temporal scales small, irregular, decreasing in size posteriorly. Ear scales reduced, deep ear canal, and preauricular fringe with seven pyramidal scales. Occipital scale conspicuous, as wide as long, with irregular margins. Single subocular, broad and long, in close contact with supralabials in posterior region. Six long supralabials, counting to posterior margin of subocular. Seven long infralabials, counting to corresponding position of last supralabial. Mental smooth, broad, and triangular, with posterior apex. A row of sublabial shields present between post-mentals and infralabials, increasing in size posteriorly in relation to these. Small gulars, irregular, laterally imbricate, decreasing in size posteriorly.
Trunk scales. Dorsal scales small, smooth, irregular, juxtaposed, almost indistinct, extending from temporal scales to dorsal tail. Dorsal scales 139 in number, counting on dorsal midline from occipital scale to posterior margin of insertion of thigh. Lateral scales acicular, arranged in transverse rows, taller than wide, acutely keeled, perpendicular to trunk, revealing spiny aspect of flanks. Scales around middle of body (strap) 139 in number, counting around middle of body between axilla and groin. Ventral scales smooth, juxtaposed, square and rectangular, extending from gulars to vent. Ventral scales 68 in number, counting on ventral midline from level of anterior root of arm to anterior insertion of thigh.
Limb scales. Arm scales large, imbricate and keeled, with scales in anterior region more strongly keeled than in posterior region. Forearm scales large, imbricate and keeled, but with scales in posterior region more strongly keeled than in anterior region. Carpus scales imbricate and slightly keeled in comparison to other parts of body.
Femoral scales imbricate anteriorly, and imbricate and keeled posteriorly. Tibial scales large and imbricate, with higher keels than femoral scales. Tarsum scales imbricate and strongly keeled. Infradigital lamellae keeled, 22 lamellae on fourth finger and 28 lamellae on fourth toe.
Tail scales. Dorsal scales of tail imbricate, slightly keeled. Lateral scales imbricate, strongly keeled. Ventral scales smooth and imbricate.
Body folds. Three lateral neck folds, irregular and conspicuous, but without forming mite-pockets. One wellmarked ante-humeral fold. Two small axillary folds and four evident inguinal folds, lined with granular scales, smaller than adjacent scales.
Sensory organs. Sensory organs present in cephalic scales, one or more from rostral to temporal scales, including dorsal and lateral scales of head. Fingers, toes, and carpus also with sensory organs in their scales.
Color pattern in life (Figure 3). Trunk dark gray with small scattered light dots. One light stripe, longitudinal, rostro-scapular, indistinct. Transverse trunk stripes, asymmetrical, extending from middorsal region to flanks, 9 on each side. These transverse stripes have dark regions, immediately succeeded by irregular series of light spots. Limbs with coloration similar to trunk. Ventral surface light-colored. Ventral surface of thighs and periphery of vent with well-defined black pigmentation. Cloacal margin intense yellow.
Variation. The paratypes (N=9) show meristic characteristics similar to the holotype, with few variations (see Table 1).
After the specimens have been placed in preservative fluid, the longitudinal stripes become lighter and the tracks across the trunk acquire a staining pattern similar to the trunk.
Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the region of the state of Ceará where the species occurs, the Jaguaribe Valley.
Distribution and natural history. Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov. also occurs in other municipalities in the Jaguaribe Valley in the state of Ceará. Another population was found on the Fazenda Amendoim (5º18’09’’ S and 38º54’05’’ W), Banabuiu Municipality, about 78 km east of the type locality in an area with many rocky outcrops and climate conditions similar to the type locality.
Tropidurus jaguaribanus sp. nov. is diurnal, and is apparently most abundant on rocky outcrops in these localities. The new species shares this environment, and even the rock crevices with the similarly diurnal T. hispidus (Spix, 1825) and with the phyllodactylids Phyllopezus periosus Rodrigues, 1986, P. pollicaris (Spix, 1825), and Gymnodactylus geckoides Spix, 1825.
description: Published as part of Passos, Daniel Cunha, Lima, Daniel Cassiano & Borges-Nojosa, Diva Maria, 2011, A new species of Tropidurus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) of the semitaeniatus group from a semiarid area in Northeastern Brazil, pp. 60-68 in Zootaxa 2930 on pages 61-66, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278029