A New Species of Proctoporus (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Andean Cordillera Oriental of Northeastern Ecuador

Abstract

A new species tentatively assigned to the genus Proctoporus is described from the Amazonian slopes of the Andean Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The new species is distinguished from other species of Proctoporus by features of lepidosis, body proportions, hemipenial morphology, and color pattern. The species is named in honor of Gustavo Orces V., a pioneer in Ecuadorian natural history. Gymnophthalmid lizards of the genus Proctoporus occur in montane habitats between 800 and 4000 m of elevation in the Andean Cordillera, adjacent cordilleras, and on Trinidad. The systematics of the genus is problematic, partly because many species remain undescribed. As part of a revision of the Ecuadorian members of genus, a new species is described herein. I follow Kizirian and Coloma (1991) in allocating this species to Proctoporus because it lacks prefrontal scales (a derived character state) and characters that diagnose other gymnophthalmid genera. There is no evidence, other than the absence of prefrontals, that supports the monophyly of Proctoporus. However, because the absence of prefrontals is convergent within the Gymnophthalmidae, it is not a uniquely derived character state and cannot be used to diagnose Proctoporus prior to a phylogenetic analysis. Given that Proctoporus cannot be diagnosed by derived characters, the new species is allocated to this genus as a matter of convenience. MATERIALS AND METHODS The new taxon was compared with type material of 10 of the currently recognized species, other preserved material (Appendix), and descriptions from the literature. Scale nomenclature follows Oftedal (1974), Peters (1964), and Smith (1946) except as noted below. Transverse dorsal scale rows include rows between the postparietals and the level of the vent. Lateral scales comprise the differentiated scale rows between the dorsal and ventral scale rows and were counted at the level of the tenth ventral. Dorsal and ventral longitudinal scales row counts do not include smaller lateral scales and were counted at the level of the tenth ventral 1 Present Address: Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, New York 10024-5192, USA. s ale row. Transverse ventral scale rows (TVSR) include those scale rows between the gular fold and the cloacal plate. Supralabials and infralabials include all scales bordering the upper and lower opening of the mouth, respectively. Superciliaries are those scales between the supraoculars and the upper ciliaries. Genials are the paired scales posterior to the azygous postmental that contact with each other medially and contact the infralabials laterally. Postgenials are the scales immediately posterior to the genials. Size of scales is described relative to adjacent scales. The cloacal plate comprises the preanal scale row and the scales anterior to it. Scales on Phalanges I and V and Toe IV are counted on the short side of the digit. Scales on Phalanges II, III, and Finger IV are counted on the long side of the digit. Some species have medially positioned femoral pores that are referred to as preanal pores. Sex was determined by visually inspecting the gonads. MINITAB was used to test for sexual dimorphism in some meristic characters. The acronyms LAC (Luis A. Coloma) and QCAZ (Museo de Zoologia de la Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Ecuador) are used in addition to those proposed by Leviton et al. (1985). Typographical errors in locality data were not corrected; they are given as originally written in catalogues or field notes.