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Type: Article
Published: 2022-11-23
Page range: 75-85
Abstract views: 716
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A new species of Andean lizard, Proctoporus (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae), from the highland of Parque Nacional Otishi in Peru

Universidad Señor de Sipán, Chiclayo, Perú 2Programa de Doctorado en Sistemática y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción (UdeC), Concepción, Chile 3Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (MHNC), Cusco, Perú
Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (MUSM), Lima, Perú. Centro de Conservación, Investigación y Manejo de Áreas Naturales (CIMA), Lima, Perú
Reptilia biodiversity Andes escalator to extinction mountaintop semifossorial lizard

Abstract

The gymnophthalmid Andean lizards of the genus Proctoporus (Gymnophthalmidae, Cercosaurinae) are semifossorial species that inhabit the montane forests, inter-Andean valley, and humid grasslands across the Cordillera de los Andes from Peru to Argentina. The distribution range of Proctoporus is discontinuous, with many places lacking herpetological surveys. Here, based on morphological data, we describe a new species of Proctoporus from a remote location on a mountaintop north of the Cordillera de Vilcabamba in southeastern Peru. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Proctoporus by the presence of three anterior infralabials, three rows of pregular scales and the absence of enlarged pregular scales. With this new species, the species diversity has increased to 19 since 18 species have previously been identified.

 

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