Cyrtodactylus shwetaungorum, Grismer & Wood & Jr. & Thura & Zin & Quah & Murdoch & Grismer & Lin & Kyaw & Lwin, 2018

Grismer, L. Lee, Wood, Perry L., Jr., Thura, Myint Kyaw, Zin, Thaw, Quah, Evan S. H., Murdoch, Matthew L., Grismer, Marta S., Lin, Aung, Kyaw, Htet & Lwin, Ngwe, 2018, Twelve new species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from isolated limestone habitats in east-central and southern Myanmar demonstrate high localized diversity and unprecedented microendemism, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 182, pp. 862-959 : 899-905

CYRTODACTYLUS SHWETAUNGORUM SP. NOV.

SHWETAUNG BENT-TOED GECKO

( FIG. 17; TABLE 11)

Holotype: Adult male LSUHC 12937 collected on 12 October 2016 at 1930 h by Thaw Zin, Evan S. H. Quah, L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., Myint Kyaw Thura, Matthew L. Murdoch and Htet Kyaw from 5.0 km north of Pyinyaung Village at the Apache Cement factory mining site, Mandalay Region (N20°52.191, E96°24.296; 624 m in elevation).

Paratypes: Adult males LSUHC 12935 and BYU 52226 and subadult female BYU 52227 bear the same collection data as the holotype. Adult females LSUHC 12897 and BYU 52225 and juvenile female LSUHC 12896 were collected on 11 October 2016 between 1800 and 2200 h by L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., Myint Kyaw Thura, Evan S. H. Quah, Thaw Zin, Matthew L. Murdoch and Htet Kyaw from 5.3 km north of Pyinyaung Village at the Apache Cement factory mining site, Mandalay Region (N20°52.273, E96°24.319; 731 m in elevation) .

Bolded percentages along the diagonal are intraspecific divergences.

Additional specimens observed: Hatchlings ( LSUHC 13043–45 ) collected on 19 March 2017 from the type locality and adult female ( LSUHC 13097 ) collected on 23 March 2017 from Pyinyuang River , 5 km south of the type locality .

Diagnosis: Cyrtodactylus shwetaungorum sp. nov. differs from all congeners by having the unique combination of 7–9 supralabials; 6–8 infralabials; 31–35 paravertebral tubercles; 18–21 longitudinal rows of body tubercles; 33–40 ventral scales; relatively long digits with eight or nine expanded subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe proximal to the digital inflection, 11–14 unmodified distal subdigital lamellae and 20–22 total subdigital lamellae; low, weakly keeled, dorsal body tubercles; tubercles not extending beyond base of tail; enlarged femoral and precloacal scales continuous; 24–32 enlarged femoral scales; enlarged femoral scales nearly equal in size; 15–17 femoral pores in males; 8–10 enlarged precloacal scales; 8–10 precloacal pores in males; three rows of enlarged post-precloacal scales; transverse subcaudal scales twice as wide as long midway down the tail not extending onto the lateral subcaudal region; top of head blotched, bearing a yellow reticulum; nuchal loop not divided medially, not bearing an anterior,

Abbreviations are listed in the Material and Methods. R, right; L, left; /, data unobtainable or not applicable; r, regenerated; b, broken.

azygous notch, and having a straight posterior border; no band on nape; four dark, regularly shaped, dorsal bands with no paravertebral elements, much wider than interspaces, centres lightened, edged with light tubercles; no azygous notch in first dorsal band; dark markings in dorsal interspaces; anterodorsal margins of thighs, brachia and ventrolateral fold not whitish; eight or nine light caudal bands encircling tail, lacking dark markings; 7–9 dark caudal bands wider than light caudal bands; and fully regenerated tail not spotted.

Description of holotype: Adult male SVL 94.9 mm; head moderate in length (HL/SVL 0.29), wide (HW/ HL 0.72), flat (HD/HL 0.41), distinct from neck, triangular in dorsal profile; lores inflated, prefrontal region concave, canthus rostralis rounded; snout elongate (ES/HL 0.42), rounded in dorsal profile, broad in lateral profile; eye large (ED/HL 0.21); ear opening oval (EL/HL 0.11); eye to ear distance greater than diameter of eye; rostral rectangular, partially divided dorsally, bordered posteriorly by left and right supranasals and one azygous scale, laterally by first supralabials; external nares bordered anteriorly by rostral, dorsally by supranasal, posteriorly by two postnasals and ventrally by first supralabial; 7(R)8(L) rectangular supralabials extending to below midpoint of eye; 6(R,L) infralabials tapering posteriorly to below orbit; scales of rostrum and lores slightly raised, much larger than granular scales on top of head and occiput; scales on top of head and occiput intermixed with small tubercles; dorsal superciliaries weakly pointed and directed posteriorly; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabials and posteriorly by large, left and right, trapezoidal postmentals contacting medially for 50% of their length posterior to mental; two rows of variably enlarged chinshields bordering all infralabials; and gular and throat scales granular, grading posteriorly into larger, subimbricate pectoral and ventral scales.

Body relatively short (AG/SVL 0.42) with well-defined, ventrolateral folds; dorsal scales small, raised and interspersed with large, low, semi-regularly arranged, weakly keeled tubercles; tubercles extend from nape to base of tail but no farther; tubercles on nape smaller but sharper than those on posterior portion of body and less strongly keeled; 33 paravertebral body tubercles; approximately 21 longitudinal rows of body tubercles; 40 flat, subimbricate, ventral scales larger than dorsal scales; enlarged femoral and precloacal scales continuous; 15 femoral pores; eight enlarged precloacal scales; eight precloacal pores; three rows of large, post-precloacal scales; and no deep precloacal groove or depression.

Forelimbs moderate in stature, relatively short (FL/ SVL 0.17); raised, juxtaposed scales of forearm larger than those on body, intermixed with tubercles; palmar scales flat; digits well-developed, relatively long, inflected at basal, interphalangeal joints; digits much more narrow distal to inflections; widened, proximal subdigital lamellae do not extend onto palm; claws well-developed, sheathed by a dorsal and ventral scale at base; hindlimbs more robust than forelimbs, moderate in length (TBL/SVL 0.20), covered dorsally by small, raised, juxtaposed scales intermixed with large tubercles and bearing flat, slightly larger scales anteriorly; ventral scales of thigh flat, imbricate, larger than dorsals, one row of 15(R,L) enlarged femoral scales in contact with enlarged precloacal scales; 8(R)7(L) femoral pores; small, postfemoral scales form an abrupt union with larger, flat, ventral scales of posteroventral margin of thigh; subtibial scales flat, imbricate; plantar scales flat; digits relatively long, well-developed, inflected at basal, interphalangeal joints; 8(R,L) transversely expanded subdigital lamellae on fourth toe proximal to joint inflection that do not extend onto sole, 12(R,L) unmodified lamellae distal to inflection; and claws well-developed, sheathed by a dorsal and ventral scale at base.

Tail original, moderate in proportions, 114.0 mm in length, 10.5 mm in width at base, tapering to a point; dorsal scales of tail flat; median row of transversely expanded subcaudal scales twice as wide as long, not extending to lateral caudal region; two enlarged, postcloacal tubercles at base of tail on hemipenal swellings; and postcloacal scales flat.

Coloration in life ( Fig.17): Dorsal ground colour of head body, limbs and tail brown; top of head and rostrum bearing, irregularly shaped, dark blotches outlined by a yellow reticulum; dark, occipital, hourglass marking; superciliary scales yellowish; dark nuchal loop outlined in yellow bearing a straight posterior margin and no azygous notch; four wide, regularly shaped, dark, body bands much wider than interspaces, bearing lightened centres, lacking paravertebral elements, edged with yellowish tubercles; first dorsal band lacking azygous notch; third body band divided on right side; no band on nape; one postsacral band; interspaces thin, bearing large, dark, diffuse markings; limbs mottled with yellowish markings and diffuse, dark spots and bands; dark caudal bands, wider than light caudal bands; anterior two bands bearing slightly lightened centres; anterior light caudal bands bearing dark markings, encircling tail; all ventral surfaces dusky, weakly pigmented; and subcaudal region darker.

Va r i a t i o n (Fi g. S 3): T h e p a r a t y p e s g e n e r a l l y approximate the holotype in aspects of colour pattern, the difference being that they have no body bands that are completely divided laterally and they are all darker and more uniform in colour. In BYU 52225 , the third body band bifurcates on the left flank. LSUHC 12935 lacks a tail and LSUHC 12897–99 and BYU 52226 have regenerated tails. Hatchlings LSUHC 13043–45 have solid dark-brown dorsal ground colour and five regularly shaped, yellow dorsal bands. The top of the head id dull-orange and overlain with a yellow reticulum. The tail is black with seven or eight thin white bands ( Fig. 17). LSUHC 12896 and BYU 52227 are a juvenile and subadult, respectively, and show no difference in colour pattern, suggesting that the ontogenetic changes occur coloration and pattern happen early on in life. Meristic and mensural differences are presented in Table 11.

Distribution: Cyrtodactylus shwetaungorum sp. nov. is known from the type locality 5.0 km north of Pyinyaung Village at the Apache Cement factory mining site, Mandalay Region, Myanmar and along the Pyinyaung River 5 km south of the type locality ( Figs 2, 9). It likely occurs further to the north and south of these localities along the karstic Sai Taung Range.

Etymology: The specific epithet, shwetaungorum (pronounced shway-tong-orum), is a patronym honouring the Shwe Taung Cement Company Limited for their genuine, proactive efforts to protect the biodiversity encompassed in their mining operations in Myanmar by setting aside areas to be reserved and not quarried. The company is particularly interested in setting aside specific areas to protect C. pyinyaungensis sp. nov. and C. shwetaungorum sp. nov.

Natural history: The upper and lower (735 and 642 m in elevation, respectively) collection sites are contiguous along the same valley. These sites occur in disturbed, secondary, bamboo forest with varying sizes of limestone outcroppings along a drainage with several smaller ravines leading into the main drainage area. Each ravine is lined with limestone outcroppings and limestone boulders are scattered throughout the ravine bottom. The boulders themselves are perforated with several cracks and holes that provide ideal microhabitat structure for gekkonids ( Fig. 18). These structures provided retreat sites during the day in which geckos remain inactive but are used as escape sites into which they would flee at night upon our approach. Eight specimens of C. shwetaungorum sp. nov. were seen over the course of two nights during October of 2016 of which seven were captured. All were on the base of large limestone rocks, fallen logs or on the ground and would flee towards rocks when illuminated with light. Three hatchlings were observed during additional observations on 19 and 23 March but no gravid females were observed. Other gekkonids observed in the area were C. pyinyaungensis sp. nov., Gekko gecko and Hemidactylus sp. nov.