Systematics of Neotropical microteiid lizards (Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae), with the description of a new genus and species from the Andean montane forests

Abstract

Cercosaurine lizards (subfamily Cercosaurinae of the family Gymnophthalmidae) represent a substantial component of the reptile fauna in the Neotropics. Several attempts have been made to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships within this group, but most studies focused on particular genera or regions and did not cover the subfamily as a whole. In this study, material from the montane forests of Peru was newly sequenced. In combination with all cercosaurine sequences available on GenBank, an updated phylogeny of Cercosaurinae is provided. Monophyly was not supported for three of the currently recognised genera (Echinosaura, Oreosaurus, and Proctoporus). The genus Proctoporus is formed by five monophyletic groups, which should be used in future taxonomic revisions as feasible entities. Recognition of two previously identified undescribed clades (Unnamed clades 2 and 3) was supported and yet another undescribed clade (termed here Unnamed clade 4), which deserves recognition as an independent genus, was identified herein. Selvasaura brava, a new genus and new species of arboreal gymnophthalmid lizard is described from the montane forests of the Pui Pui Protected Forest, Provincia de Chanchamayo, Región Junín, Peru. The new species is characterised by its small size (SVL 42.1–45.9 mm), slender body, smooth head shields, presence of paired prefrontal shields, fused anteriormost supraocular and anteriormost superciliary shields, transparent not divided lower palpebral disc, slightly rugose subimbricate rectangular dorsal scales in adults (slightly keeled in juveniles), distinctly smaller but non-granular lateral scales, smooth squared to rectangular ventral scales, and hemipenial lobes large, distinct from the hemipenial body. Phylogenetic affinities of the new genus to the other cercosaurine genera, as well as basal phylogenetic relationships between the other cercosaurine genera remain unresolved.

A New Species of Andean Gymnophthalmid Lizard (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Peruvian Andes, and Resolution of Some Taxonomic Problems

“…We inferred a phylogenetic tree using IQTREE 2 [40] and branch supports was estimated from 1000 pseudoreplicates using the ultrafast Bootstrap approach [41]. We uses Alopoglossus viridiceps, Bachia flavescens, Ecpleopus gaudichaudii, Gymnophthalmus leucomystax, Rhachisaurus brachylepis as outgroup taxa [6].…”

“…During the last few years, many species of plants and animals from the Peruvian Andes have been discovered (e.g., [2,3]). In particular, researchers have discovered many species of lizards of the family Gymnophthalmidae in poorly explored regions [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Recent phylogenetic inferences using molecular sequences have uncovered the phylogenetic relationships of many gymnophthalmid taxa [10][11][12][13].…”

“…Additionally, we obtained 476 sequences of GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) of 124 terminals: 12S (124 sequences), 16S (123 sequences), ND4 (101 sequences), Cytb (19 sequences), and c-mos (109 sequences) (Table S1). We choose outgroups according to Moravec et al [6].…”

Una nueva localidad y reexaminación de la serie tipo de la lagartija Andina de Machu Picchu Proctoporus machupicchu Mamani, Goicoechea y Chaparro, 2015 (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

“…3 (Torres-Carvajal et al 2016) y Proctoporus sp. 4 (Moravec et al 2018), cuya taxonomía está siendo trabajada por nuestro equipo. Esperamos que la diversidad de especies se incremente sustancialmente en los próximos años como resultado de estudios en taxonomía integrativa y expediciones a lugares inexplorados en Perú.…”

Geographic variation in the morphology of the sand-dwelling lizard Nothobachia ablephara (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

“…Most microteiids are terrestrial to semi-fossorial and occupy a wide range of habitats, from open areas in the Andes to lowland rain forests (Pianka and Vitt 2003). Many species are microhabitat specialists-e.g., semi-aquatic (Gelanesaurus, Neusticurus, and Potamites), scansorial (Anadia, Placosoma, and Selvasaura) or fossorial taxa (Bachia, Calyptommatus, Nothobachia, and Scriptosaura) (Rodrigues 1984, 1991a, Ávila-Pires 1995, Rodrigues and Santos 2008, Moravec et al 2018; thus, there is convergence of body forms in distantly related groups (Pellegrino et al 2001, Wiens et al 2006, Marques-Souza et al 2018.…”