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| Ablepharus flammeus Bragin, Decemson, Lalremsanga, Mirza & Poyarkov, 2025 |
Abstract
Based on morphological and genetic evidence, we evaluated the taxonomic status of a deeply divergent highland population of Himalayan ablepharine skinks (genus Ablepharus Fitzinger in Lichtenstein, 1823) from Uttarakhand state in northern India. This lineage, here described as a new species, forms a well-supported clade of Ablepharus and differs from the morphologically similar species by a significant divergence in the 16S rRNA and cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA gene sequences. From the phylogenetic analysis of a 2,961 bp concatenated alignment of the ND2, cyt b, 16S, and 12S rRNA mitochondrial DNA genes and diagnostic morphological characters, we allocate the newly discovered population from Duggal Bittha village, Chopta region to the A. tragbulensis-A. ladacensis species complex (Clade 1 according to Bragin et al. 2024) and describe it as Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. Our discovery brings the number of Ablepharus species in India to seven and in the Himalayan region to eleven and emphasizes the incompleteness of knowledge on the herpetofaunal diversity of this highland region. In this study, we also compare known morphological data for ablepharine skinks from the Himalayan region and discuss the hidden cryptic diversity within this group of skinks.
Key words. Sauria, Ablepharus, biodiversity, India, morphology, phylogenetics, taxonomy
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| Head scale nomenclature and their positional relationship and size illustrated in a schematic line drawing of the adult male holotype of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. (ZSI-R-29457) (SVL = 41.57 mm) from the type locality of Chopta, Uttarakhand, India: (A) left lateral view; (B) dorsal view; (C) ventral view. Terminology is modified from Ouboter (1986) and Grismer et al. (2019). AL – Anterior loreal; C – ciliary; Cs – chin shield; F – frontal; FN – frontonasal; FP – frontoparietal; IF – infralabial; IP – interparietal; LST – lower secondary temporal; LTT – lower tertiary temporal; LPT – lower pretemporal; LPSL – lower postsupralabial; M – mental; N – nasal; Nu – nuchal; P – parietal; PF – prefrontal; PL – posterior loreal; PM – postmental; PR – preocular; PRS – presubocular; PT – primary temporal; PSO – postsubocular; PO – postocular; R – rostral; SC – supraciliary scales; SL – supralabial; SO – supraocular; UPT – upper pretemporal; UPSL – lower postsupralabial; UST – upper secondary temporal; and UTT – upper tertiary temporal. Drawing by Andrey M. Bragin. |
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| Holotype of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. (ZSI-R-29457, male) in life. Photograph by Andrey M. Bragin. |
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| . The appearance of type specimens of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. from the type locality of Chopta, Uttarakhand, India in life: (A) lateral view of the head of male (paratype, MZMU3660); (B) lateral view of the head of female (paratype, MZMU3656); (C) dorsolateral view of male (paratype, MZMU3660); (D) dorsolateral view of female (paratype, MZMU3656); (E) dorsolateral view of juvenile (paratype, MZMU3654). Scale bars: A, B = 2 mm; C–E = 15 mm. Photographs by Andrey M. Bragin. |
Ablepharus flammeus sp. n.
Diagnosis: Ablepharus flammeus is a medium-sized, robust ablepharine skink with (1) snout–vent length (SVL) 41.6–50.6 mm; (2) head length (HL2) 7.7–9.1 mm; (3) tail length (TaL) 52.6–68.3 mm; (4) head, body, and caudal scales smooth; (5) supranasals absent; (6) nasal semi-divided; (7) the lower eyelid is movable, covered with small arranged granules and with large transparent window; (8) tympanum rounded, deeply sunk, with one (70%), two (20%) or three (10%) projecting lobules on the anterior border; (9) prefrontals two, separated by frontonasal and frontal or, rarely, prefrontals touch at one point; (10) frontal elongated, in contact with 1st and 2nd supraoculars laterally, ...
Etymology: The specific epithet of the new species “flammeus” is an adjective in nominative singular, in masculine gender, formed from the Latin words “flamma”, meaning “fire”. The name of the new species reflects the fiery coloration of the neck, belly, inner thighs, forearms, and the ventral part of the tail in males and juveniles, as well as the intense yellow coloration of these body parts in females. Notably, these small ectothermic lizards thrive at high altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters above sea level, with some individuals observed basking near the edges of snowfields. The name also symbolizes the ardent disposition of these lizards and their resilient struggle for survival. Furthermore, the species’ habitat lies near the Tungnath Temple – the highest mountain temple dedicated to the god Shiva – which also serves as the type locality for the species. Fire, as one of Shiva’s symbols, represents both destruction and the fight for life, reinforcing the essence of the species’ name. We propose “Fire-bellied Ground Skink” as the English common name, “Ognennobryukhii gologlaz” (“Огненнобрюхий гологлаз”) as the Russian common name, and “Laiteldulsen” as the Mizo common name for this species.
Andrey M. Bragin, Ht. Decemson, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Zeeshan A. Mirza and Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2025. A New Species of Himalayan Skink of the Genus Ablepharus (Squamata: Scincidae). SALAMANDRA. 61(4); 373–394. [2025-10-30]
