On the systematics and the phylogenetic position of the poorly known, montane dragon-lizard species Pseudocalotes austeniana (Annandale, 1908) (Squamata, Agamidae, Draconinae)

Abstract

The montane agamid species Pseudocalotes austeniana has had a complicated taxonomic history, as the species was initially described as a member of the genus Salea Gray, 1845. Later, the species was placed in a monotypic genus Mictopholis Smith, 1935, which was erected only to include this species; however, the species was later on transferred to the genus Pseudocalotes Fitzinger, 1843, owing to the morphological similarities, and lack of strong characters to diagnose the genus Mictopholis. Nonetheless, its precise phylogenetic and systematic position has remained unresolved due to the lack of molecular sequence data. During a herpetological expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, specimens of P. austeniana were collected from the hills near the type locality. The mitochondrial 16S rRNA, ND2 and ND4, and the nuclear RAG1 regions were subjected to molecular phylogenetics. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference gene trees revealed that P. austeniana is a member of the subfamily Draconinae. The analyses showed that the genus Pseudocalotes is polyphyletic, and P. austeniana was embedded within the genus Japalura Gray, 1853 sensu stricto. We here, thus, propose to transfer the species P. austeniana to the genus Japlaura, as Japalura austenianacomb. nov. Biogeographic and evolutionary significance of the findings are discussed.

Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos

“…Our phylogeny generally agrees with the evolutionary relationships of earlier studies that examined lizards in Draconinae ( Grismer et al, 2016 ; Karunarathna et al, 2020 ; Macey et al, 2000 ; Wang et al, 2019a ). With increasing international collaborations and wider adoptions of integrative taxonomic approaches, the generic level taxonomy of the subfamily Draconinae has experienced major revisions in recent years, including the resurrection of a previously synonymized genus ( Diploderma ), reclassifications of several species, and even the description of a new genus Cristidorsa ( Gowande et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2019a ). Our discovery of another new genus of Draconinae further highlights the need of more through phylogenetic and taxonomic studies on this radiation of agamid lizards in Asia.…”

A new species of bent-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 from western Arunachal Pradesh, India

“…As part of an ongoing project to document the herpetofauna of Arunachal Pradesh (Bhosale et al 2019(Bhosale et al , 2020Mirza et al 2020Mirza et al , 2021Gowande et al 2021), we surveyed several localities across this Indian State. During the expedition, we collected specimens of Cyrtodactylus from Shergaon in West Kameng District in western Arunachal Pradesh.…”