Abstract
Based on morphological and genetic evidence we evaluated the taxonomic status of a newly discovered forest-dwelling population of skink (genus Scincella) from the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. From phylogenetic analysis of a 668-bp fragment of the mtDNA COI and diagnostic morphological characters we allocate the newly discovered population to the Scincella reevesii–S. rufocaudata species complex and describe it as Scincella nigrofasciata sp. nov. The new skink species can be distinguished from all other Southeast Asian congeners by the following combination of morphological characters: snout-vent length (SVL) 40.0–52.6 mm; relative tail length (TaL/SVL ratio) 1.25–1.94; prefrontals in broad contact; infralabials 6; primary temporals 2; relative forelimb length (FIL/SVL ratio) 0.20–0.22; relative hindlimb length (HIL/SVL ratio) 0.30–0.33; relative forearm length (FoL/SVL ratio) 0.14–0.16; adpressed forelimbs and hind limbs either overlapping (0.4–2.2 mm) or separated (1.9–2.3 mm); midbody scale rows 32–33, paravertebral scales 69–74, vertebral scales 65–69; dorsal scales between dorsolateral stripes 8; comparatively slender fingers and toes, subdigital lamellae under fourth toe 15–17; dark discontinuous regular dorsal stripes 5–7; distinct black dorsolateral stripes, narrowing to lateral sides and extending to 52%–86% of total tail length. We provide additional information on the holotype of Scincella rufocaudata (Darevsky & Nguyen, 1983), and provide evidence for the species status of Scincella rupicola. Our discovery brings the number of Scincella species in Cambodia to five and emphasizes the incompleteness of knowledge on the herpetofaunal diversity of this country.
Highlights
The family Scincidae is one of the most globally diverse groups of lizards with 146 genera and about 1 650 species currently recognized worldwide (Uetz et al, 2018)
Genealogical relationships and species identification inferred from cytochrome oxidase I (COI) dataset The Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses showed essentially similar topologies (Figure 2), differing only slightly from each other in associations at several poorly supported basal nodes
Our work clearly demonstrated the new species from Mondulkiri Province to be distinct from other Scincella species known from Cambodia, including S. melanosticta, S. reevesii, S. cf. rufocaudata, and S. rupicola
Summary
The family Scincidae is one of the most globally diverse groups of lizards with 146 genera and about 1 650 species currently recognized worldwide (Uetz et al, 2018). 220 Science Press lamellae (most species), median preanals overlapping lateral ones, four or more scales bordering the parietals between the upper secondary temporals, and lower secondary temporal overlapping the upper one (diagnosis follows Greer & Shea, 2003; Lim, 1998; Nguyen et al, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c). The genus Scincella is differentiated from closely related Sphenomorphus Fitzinger by the presence of a transparent window in the lower eyelid as opposed to lower eyelid covered with polygonal scales in Sphenomorphus (Greer, 1974; Nguyen et al, 2010a)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
