Tytthoscincus panchorensis Grismer, Muin, Wood, Anuar & Linkem, 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Grismer, L. Lee
name: Muin, Mohd Abdul
name: Wood, Perry L.
name: Anuar, Shahrul
name: Linkem, Charles W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Scincidae
Tytthoscincus
Tytthoscincus panchorensis

description: Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov.
Bukit Panchor Forest Skink Fig. 3
Holotype. Adult male (LSUHC 12511) collected from Bukit Panchor, State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia (N 05°09'13.6", E 100°32'46.6"; 79 m elev.) collected by M. A. Muin on 6 January 2013 from a pitfall trap.
Diagnosis. Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Tytthoscincus by having 29 midbody scale rows; 68 paravertebrals; 57 ventrals; four supraoculars; parietals and supraoculars in contact; one medially projecting superciliary scale; two loreals; six supralabials; five infralabials; bicarinate subdigital lamellae; eight lamellae beneath Toe IV; a dark, diffuse, dorsolateral stripe extending from the eye to the shoulder; and no light-colored dorsolateral stripe (Table 2).
Description of holotype. SVL 35.5 mm; TailL 30.0 mm; AxGnL 20.4 mm; HeadL 7.2 mm; HeadW 4.5 mm; SnForeL 12.7 mm; rostral wider than long, in broad contact with frontonasal; frontonasal wider than long; prefrontals large, not in contact; frontal elongate, diamond-shaped, in contact with first three supraoculars; five supraoculars; frontoparietals in contact posterior to frontal, contacting third, fourth, and fifth supraoculars anterolaterally and parietals and interparietal posteriorly; left frontoparietals non-overlapping; interparietal diamond-shaped, large, slightly projecting posteriorly; parietal eyespot in posterior projection of parietal; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal, contacting fifth supraocular anteriorly; enlarged nuchal scales absent; nasals small, widely separated, trapezoidal, contacting rostral anteriorly, frontonasal dorsally, first loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in center of nasal; supranasals absent; single loreal taller than wide; single similarly sized preocular in contact with posterior margin of loreal; eight supraciliaries, posterior supraciliary elongate and projecting dorsomedially; two pretemporals, dorsalmost largest; 12 suboculars; six supralabials, third, fourth, and fifth below eye; three postsupralabials; two primary temporals; two secondary temporals, uppermost not contacting parietals; lower eyelid transparent, scaly, no enlarged central window; mental twice as wide as long; single, large postmental, contacting first infralabials on each side; two enlarged pairs of chinshields posterior to postmental, anterior pair contacting medially, posterior pair widely separated posteriorly by a single scale; chinshields contacting first, second and third infralabials; five infralabials; external ear opening equal to diameter of eye, subcircular, lacking anterior lobules; tympanum recessed.
Body scales smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventral scales same size as dorsal scales; 29 longitudinal scale rows around midbody; 68 paravertebral scale rows; 57 ventral scale rows; enlarged, medial, precloacal scale; tail robust, cylindrical; subcaudals slightly larger than dorsal caudals; limbs widely separated when adpressed; left forelimb missing (likely due to predation); scales of dorsal surface slightly larger than those of ventral surface; palmar and plantar scales slightly raised; scales of dorsal surfaces of digits in a single row; subdigital lamellae bicarinate, eight on Toe IV; first digit of manus not vestigial but fully formed.
Coloration (Fig. 3). Overall dorsal ground color of head, body, limbs, and tail dark grey-brown; scales of all dorsal surfaces edged posteriorly with darker coloration; darker, faint, diffuse dorsolateral postorbital stripe extending just beyond and above forelimb insertion; anterior portion of flanks, sides of neck, and lateral portions of lower jaw orangish; all ventral surfaces beige, generally immaculate.
Distribution. Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality at the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia (Fig. 1).
Natural history. Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. is a forest floor species inhabiting the swampy area and adjacent hillsides of the Bukit Panchor State Park (Fig. 4).
Etymology. The specific epithet panchorensis is in reference to the type locality of the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia. The suffix - ensis is from the Latin word for “from, of” or “from a place” and renders the specific epithet an adjective.
Comparisons (Table 2). Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Tytthoscincus or suspected Tytthoscincus by lacking (vs. having) the prefrontals in contact medially, having a single (vs two) loreal scales, and having fewer subdigital lamellae on Toe IV (eight vs 9–15, collectively; Table 2). Additionally, T. panchorensis sp. nov. has fewer midbody scale rows (29 vs 30–44 collectively) than all other species except for T. sibuensis and it has more supraoculars (five vs four) than all other species except T. textum. Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. is most similar to its closest relative T. sibuensis but can be further distinguished from it by having fewer (one vs. two) posteriorly projecting supraciliaries, a greater number of paravertebral scales (68 vs. 58), a greater number of ventral scales (57 vs. 52), fewer Toe IV subdigital lamellae (eight vs. 9–11), by the presence (vs. absence) of a dark, dorsolateral stripe, and the absence (vs. presence) of a light, dorsolateral stripe and light and dark lineate mottling on the throat and neck.
description: Published as part of Grismer, L. Lee, Muin, Mohd Abdul, Wood, Perry L., Anuar, Shahrul & Linkem, Charles W., 2016, The transfer of two clades of Malaysian Sphenomorphus Fitzinger (Squamata: Scincidae) into the genus Tytthoscincus Linkem, Diesmos, & Brown and the description of a new Malaysian swamp-dwelling species, pp. 231-242 in Zootaxa 4092 (2) on pages 234-239, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4092.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/257315