Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Articles
Published: 2005-03-10
Page range: 1–11
Abstract views: 31
PDF downloaded: 2

A new species of Mabuya (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Venezuelan Andes

Département d’Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité, FRE 2696 – Adaptation et évolution des systèmes ostéomusculaires, 55 rue Buffon, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 75005 Paris, France
Museo de Historia Natural La Salle, Apartado postal 1930, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela
Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Reptiles Andes herpetofauna Mabuya meridensis new species Scincidae Venezuela

Abstract

Mabuya meridensis sp. nov. is described from the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuelan Andes. This species differs from all other Mabuya species by the combined presence of seven dark and four whitish longitudinal stripes, paired frontoparietals, and forelimbs touching hindlimbs when adpressed against body. Mabuya meridensis is the second species of Mabuya to be described from the Andes. The only other species described from the Andes is M. cochabambae, native to the Inner-Andean dry valley of central Bolivia. With addition of the new species, five species of Mabuya are now known to occur in Venezuela (M. carvalhoi, M. croizati, M. falconensis, M. meridensis, and M. nigropunctata).

References

  1. Avila-Pires, T.C.S. (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden), 599, 1–706.

    Barrio, C. L. & Fuentes. O. (1999) Bolitoglossa spongai una nueva especie de salamandra (Caudata: Plethodontidae) de los Andes Venezolanos, con comentarios sobre el género en Venezuela. Acta Biológica Venezuelica, 19, 9–19.

    Barrio-Amorós, C.L., Orellana, A. & Chacón, A. (2004) A new species of Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) from the Andes of Venezuela. Journal of Herpetology, 38, 105–112.

    Barros, T.R. (2000) Una nueva especie de Atractus (Serpentes: Colubridae) de la Sierra de Perijá, Estado Zulia, Venezuela. Anartia, 11, 1–10.

    Carranza, S. & Arnold, E.N. (2003) Investigating the origin of transoceanic distributions: mtDNA shows Mabuya lizards (Reptilia, Scincidae) crossed the Atlantic twice. Systematics and Biodiversity, 1(2), 275–282.

    Cei, J.M. (1993) Reptiles del noroeste, nordeste y este de la Argentina. Herpetofauna de las selvas subtropicales, Puna y Pampas. Monograpfia XIV. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, 949pp.

    Doan, T.M., & Schargel. W. E. (2003) Bridging the gap in Proctoporus distribution: a new species (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Andes of Venezuela. Herpetologica, 59, 68–75.

    Duellman, W.E. (1979) The herpetofauna of the Andes: patterns of distribution, origin, differentiation, and present communities. In: Duellman, W. E. (Ed) The South American herpetofauna: its origin, evolution, and dispersal, Monograph of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas: 371-459.

    Dunn, E.R. (1936) Notes on American mabuyas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 87, 533–557.

    Dunn, E.R. (1944) Los Generos de Amphibios y Reptiles de Colombia, II. Segunda Parte: Reptiles, Orden de los Saurios. Caldasia, 3, 73–110.

    Greer, A.E. & Broadley, D. (2000) Six characters of systematic importance in the scincid lizard genus Mabuya. Hamadryad, 25, 1–12.

    Greer, A.E. & Nussbaum, R.A. (2000) New character useful in the Systematics of the Scincid Lizard Genus Mabuya. Copeia, 2000, 615–618.

    Hoogmoed, M.S. (1973) Notes on the herpetofauna of Surinam IV. The Lizards and Amphisbaenians of Surinam. Biogeographica, 4, i-ix + 1–419.

    Horton, D.R. (1973) A new species of Mabuya (Lacertilia: Scincidae) from Venezuela. Journal of Herpetology, 7(2), 75-77.

    Huber, O. & Alarcón, C. (1988) Mapa de Vegetacion de Venezuela. 1:2,000,000. Republica de Venezuela, Ministerio del Ambiente y de los Recursos Naturales Renovables, Caracas, Venezuela.

    Lynch, J. D. (1986) Origins of the high Andean herpetogical fauna. In: Vuilleumier F. & Monasterio M. (Ed) High altitude tropical biogeography, Oxford University Press, New York: 478–499.

    Mausfeld, P. & Lötters, S. (2001) Systematics of Mabuya frenata cochabambae Dunn, 1935 (Reptilia, Sauria, Scincidae) from Inner-Andean Dry Valleys of Bolivia. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 36, 49–55.

    Mausfeld, P., Schmitz, A., Böhme, W., Misof, B., Vrcibradic, D. & Rocha, C.F.D. (2002) Phylogenetic affinities of Mabuya atlantica Schmidt, 1945, endemic to the Atlantic Ocean Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (Brazil): Necessity of partitioning the genus Mabuya Fitzinger, 1826 (Scincidae: Lygosominae). Zoologischer Anzeiger, 241, 281–293.

    Mijares-Urrutia, A. & Arends, A. (1997) Un nuevo Mabuya (Squamata: Scincidae) de la costa semiárida del noreste de Venezuela. Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 57, 595–601.

    Miralles, A. (2005) Description of a neotype for Lacertus mabouya Lacepède, 1788 (Squamata: Scincidae), with comment on the validity of this binomen. Herpetologica, 61(1), 46–53.

    Miralles, A., Rivas Fuenmayor, G. & Barrio-Amorós, C. L. (in press) Taxonomy of the genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) in Venezuela. Zoosystema.

    Molina, C.R. (1998) Mabuya carvalhoi (Squamata: Scincidae): nuevo registro para Venezuela. Memoria Sociedad Ciencias Naturales La Salle, 149, 149-150.

    Péfaur, J. & Rivero, J. (2003) Distribution, species-richness, endemism, and conservation of Venezuelan Amphibians and Reptiles. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, 2, 42–70.

    Peters, J. & Donoso-Barros, R. (1970) Catalogue of the Neotropical Squamata. Part II. Lizards and Amphisbaenians. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 297, 1–293.

    Ramirez-Pinilla, M.P., Serrano V.H., & Galeano. J.C. (2002) Annual Reproductive Activity of Mabuya mabouya (Squamata, Scincidae). Journal of Herpetology, 36, 667–677.

    Rebouças-Spieker, R. & Vanzolini, P.E. (1990) Mabuya carvalhoi, espécie do estado de Roraima, Brasil (Sauria, Scincidae). Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 50, 377–386.

    Schargel, W.E. & García-Pérez, J.E. (2002) A new species and a new record of Atractus (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Andes of Venezuela. Journal of Herpetology, 36, 398–402.

    Schargel, W.E., García-Pérez, J.E. & Smith. E.N. (2002) A New species of Bolitoglossa (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela. Proceedings of Biological Society of Washington, 115, 225–233.

    Schwartz, A. & Henderson, R.W. (1991) Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies, Descriptions, Distributions and Natural History. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, 720pp.

    Spix, J.B. (1825) Animalia Nova sive species novae lacertarum, quas in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX jussu et auspiciis Maximiliani Josephi I. Bavariae regis, München, 26 pp.