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| Gonocephalus pyrius Harvey, Rech, Riyanto, Kurniawan & Smith, 2021 |
Abstract
We describe a new species of the Gonocephalus megalepis group and provide new morphological and distribution data for the three other species of the group. The combination of a wide gap between the nuchal and dorsal crests, distinctly heterogenous scales on the flanks, a gular crest, two large tubercular scales ventral to the tympanum, and 97–125 scales around midbody will distinguish the new species from all congeners. The new species occurs above 1100 m on mountains of Sumatra's southern Bukit Barisan Range below 3°S latitude. Head scales of some specimens were infested by a green, filamentous symbiont, which we tentatively identify as an epizoic plant. Gravid females develop crimson stripes on their gular pouch as an apparent social signal.
KEYWORDS: Epizoic plant, Gonocephalus klossi, Gonocephalus lacunosus, Gonocephalus megalepis, Gonocephalus pyrius sp. nov., Gravid coloration, Indonesia, systematics
Gonocephalus pyrius sp. nov.
Michael B. Harvey, Inna Rech, Awal Riyanto, Nia Kurniawan and Eric N. Smith. 2021. A New Angle-Headed Dragon (Agamidae: Gonocephalus) from Montane Forests of the Southern Bukit Barisan Range of Sumatra. Herpetologica. 77(1); 94-109. DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-20-00044.1
