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| Leiolepis glaurung Wanchai, Rujirawan, Murdoch, Aksornneam, Promnun, Kaatz, Gregory, Nguyen, Iderstein, Quah, L. L. Grismer, J. L. Grismer & Aowphol, 2024 Khorat Plateau Butterfly Lizard | ยาบ, แย้ภู || DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1210.127557 |
Abstract
A new species of rock-dwelling Leiolepis is described from the Khorat Plateau in northeastern Thailand. Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other sexual species of Leiolepis by a combination of having a black gular region with a wide medial yellow stripe, a yellow ventrum with black mottling, bright red to orange subcaudal coloration, having reduced to no expandable flanks, and having only one black transverse bar on the flanks. This is the first rocky habitat-adapted Leiolepis. Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. demonstrates numerous ecological adaptations to survive in these rocky habitats. Leiolepis are known for their expandable flanks with bright display colors, however Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. has reduced or no ability to expand its flanks. We hypothesize this is an adaptation to reduce their body diameter to better fit into smaller rocky burrows unlike the larger and deeper burrows constructed in looser soils by other Leiolepis species. This discovery increases the number of Leiolepis species in Thailand to six, and worldwide to 11.
Key words: Conservation, Indochina, Leiolepis, phylogenetics, rock-dwelling
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| Dorsal and ventral views of the holotype and paratypes of Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov A male holotype THNHM 30909 B female paratype THNHM 30908 C male paratype THNHM 30910, and D male paratype THNHM 30911. |
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| A Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. Male paratype THNHM 30911 displaying the dorsal and lateral display colors and its rocky habitat in the background B adult male Leiolepis rubritaeniata from southeastern Cambodia C male paratype THNHM 30911 of Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. |
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Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. A Female paratype THNHM 30908 B male paratype THNHM 30911 |
Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov.
Suggested English name: Khorat Plateau Butterfly Lizard,
ยาบ, แย้ภู
Diagnosis: Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all sexual species of Leiolepis by having a black gular region with a wide medial yellow stripe, a yellow ventrum with black mottling, bright red to orange ventral tail coloration, having reduced to no expandable flanks, and having a maximum of one black transverse bar on the flank (Suppl. material 1). Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. can be further diagnosed from all other sexual species by having the combination of a AG of 61.0–88.0 mm; BL of 11.0–16.8 mm; CW of 22.3–33.1 mm; DN of 4.3–6.7 mm; FA of 14.4–19.0 mm; HE of 5.6–7.1 mm; HH of 14.0–21.3 mm; HL of 28.8–41.9 mm; HW of 19.2–29.7 mm; PW of 10.5–17.0 mm; TIB of 24.34–29.0 mm; TE of 14.0–18.0 mm, RH of 9.7–14.3 mm; three dorsal stripes; 28–29 ventral scales; 21–24 dorsal caudal scales; 19–26 non-pore bearing scales between the pore-bearing femoral scales across the pelvis; maximum number of seven keeled scale rows across the forearm; 17–20 femoral pores per side; 6–8 scales across the frontal bone; maximum of nine subtibial scales; seven scales long the dorsal surface of the first toe; three enlarged subdigital lamellae on the third toe; and 32–34 scales along the dorsal surface of the fourth toe (Figs 7, 8).
Etymology: The specific epithet glaurung is in reference to the large, terrestrial, golden-colored, non-winged dragon, Glaurung in Middle-earth – a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Silmarillion (1977). Glaurung the Golden is the father of all dragons and tunneled into the sides of mountains forming burrows. The reduced expandable lateral flanks, yellow ventral and dorsal colors, with the construction of burrows beneath rocky outcrops is similar to the descriptions of Glaurung mentioned above, from ‘The Silmarillion’ and ‘The Children of Húrin’ (Tolkien 1977, Tolkien and Tolkien 2007). Additionally, in Thailand the word “Yae” is used to refer to Leiolepis belliana, L. ocellata, and L. rubritaeniata. However, on the Khorat Plateau the populations of Leiolepis glaurung sp. nov. are called “Yarb - ยาบ”.
Pratyaporn Wanchai, Attapol Rujirawan, Matthew L. Murdoch, Akrachai Aksornneam, Pattarapon Promnun, Amanda Kaatz, Jeren J. Gregory, Eddie Nguyen, William Van Iderstein, Evan S. H. Quah, L. Lee Grismer, Jesse L. Grismer and Anchalee Aowphol. 2024. The Description of the First Rock-dwelling Species of Butterfly Lizard Leiolepis Cuvier, 1829 (Squamata, Agamidae) from the Khorat Plateau in northeastern Thailand. ZooKeys. 1210: 299-324. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1210.127557
