Abstract
We describe a new species of diurnal gecko, Gonatodes rozei sp. nov., from tropical and premontane humid forests ofnorth central Venezuela. The new species can be distinguished from other congeners by a combination of large size, sub-caudal pattern B (1’1’1’’), three or four lateral scale rows on the digits, males with blue iris, scalation of the gular area,and aspects of color pattern in males and females. The new species is strongly sexually dichromatic and up to four different color morphs are observed in males.References
Avila-Pires, T.C.S. (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen, 299, 1–706.
Barrio-Amorós, C.L. & Brewer-Carías, C. (2008) Herpetological results of the 2002 expedition to Sarisariñama, a tepui in Venezuelan Guayana, with the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 1942, 1–68.
Calsbeek, R., Alonzo, S.H., Zamudio, K., & Sinervo, B. (2002) Sexual selection and alternative mating behaviours generate demographic stochasticity in small populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 269, 157–164.
Cole, C.J. & Kok, P.J.R. (2006) A new species of gekkonid lizard (Sphaerodactylinae: Gonatodes) from Guyana, South American. American Museum Novitates, 3524, 1–13.
Demeter, B.J. & Marcellini, D.L. (1981) Courtship and aggressive behavior of the streak lizard (Gonatodes vittatus) in captivity. Herpetologica, 37, 250–256.
Esqueda, L.F. (2004) Una nueva especie de Gonatodes (Squamata: Gekkonidae) proveniente del piedemonte cisandino de Venezuela. Herpetotropicos, 1, 32–39.
Ewel, J.J. & Madriz, A. (1968). Zonas de vida de Venezuela. Ministerio de Agricultura y Cría, Carcas, Venezuela.
Gamble, T., Simmons, A.M, Colli, G.R. & Vitt, L.J. (2008) Tertiary climate change and the diversification of the Amazonian gecko genus Gonatodes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 46, 269–277.
Kok, P.J.R. (2011) A new species of the genus Gonatodes Fitzinger, 1843 (Reptilia: Sphaerodactylidae) from central Guyana, northern South America. Zootaxa, 3018, 1–12.
Mijares-Urrutia, A. & Arends R., A. (1995) Aportes al conocimiento de Gonatodes falconensis Shreve, 1947 (Lacertilia, Gekkonidae) del noroeste de Venezuela. Amphibia-Reptilia, 16, 203–210.
Rivas, G.A. & Schargel, W.E. (2008) Gecko on the rocks: an enigmatic new species of Gonatodes (Sphaerodactylidae) from Inselbergs of the Venezuelan Guayana. Zootaxa, 1925, 39–50.
Rivas, G.A., Molina, C.R., Ugueto, G.N., Barros, T.R, Barrio-Amorós, C.L. & Kok, P.J.R. 2012. Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist. Zootaxa, 3211, 1–64.
Rivero-Blanco, C. (1968) Un género y dos especies de tuqueques (Sauria: Sphaerodactylinae) citados por primera vez para Venezuela, con notas sobre la distribución de otras especies poco conocidas. Memoria de la Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales La Salle, 27, 104–119.
Rivero-Blanco, C. (1979) The neotropical lizard genus Gonatodes Fitzinger (Sauria: Sphaerodactylinae). Ph.D. Dissertation. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M., Infante-Rivero, E.E., Cabello, P. & Velozo, P. (2010) A new non-sexually dichromatic species of the genus Gonatodes (Sauria: Sphaerodactylidae) from Sierra de Perijá, Venezuela. Zootaxa, 2671, 1–16
Schargel, W.E. (2008) Species limits and phylogenetic systematics of the diurnal geckos of the genus Gonatodes (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae). Ph.D. Dissertation. The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas.
Schargel, W.E., Rivas, G.A., Makowsky, R., Señaris, J.C, Natera, M.A, Barros, T.R., Molina, C.R., & Barrio-Amorós, C.L. (2010) Phylogenetic systematics of the genus Gonatodes (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in the Guayana region, with description of a new species from Venezuela. Systematics and Biodiversity, 8, 321–339.
Sinervo, B., Bleay, C. & Adamopoulou, C. (2001) Social causes of correlational selection and the resolution of a heritable throat color polymorphism in a lizard. Evolution, 55, 2040–2052.
Sinervo, B., & Clobert, J. (2003) Morphs, dispersal behavior, genetic similarity, and the evolution of cooperation. Science, 300, 1949–1951.
Sinervo, B., Heulin, B., Surget-Groba, Y., Clobert, J., Miles, D.B., Corl, A., Chaine, A., & Davis, A. (2007) Models of density-dependent genic selection and a new rock-paper-scissors social system. The American Naturalist, 170, 663–680.
Sinervo, B. & Lively, C.M. (1996) The rock-paper-scissors game and the evolution of alternative male strategies. Nature, 380, 240–243.
Stephens, P.R. & Wiens, J.J. (2003) Explaining species richness from continents to communities: the time-for-speciation effect in emydid turtles. The American Naturalist, 161, 112–128.
Sturaro, M.J. & Avila-Pires, T.C.S. (2011) Taxonomic revision of the geckos of the Gonatodes concinnatus complex (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae), with description of two new species. Zootaxa, 2869, 1–36.
Vercken, E. & Clobert, J. (2008) Ventral colour polymorphism correlates with alternative behavioural patterns in common lizards (Lacerta vivipara). Ecoscience, 15, 320–326.