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| Ptyctolaemus tongbiguanensis Liu, Zhu, Hou, Duan, Zuo, Yin & Rao, 2026 |
Abstract
A new species of the genus Ptyctolaemus Peters, 1864 is described from Yunnan Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, China. The new species phylogenetically formed a clade sister to P. namdaphaensis, but it can be easily distinguished from P. namdaphaensis by the difference in the color of the dewlap. The new species is superficially most similar to P. chindwinensis; however, it can be distinguished from P. chindwinensis by the difference in the color of the oral cavity and tongue. This discovery increases the number of named Ptyctolaemus species to six.
Keywords: morphology; ND2; phylogeny; systematics; taxonomy; Tongbiguan
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| The holotype (KIZ 20140059) of Ptyctolaemus tongbiguanensis sp. nov. in life. (A) General view; (B) close-up view of the head. |
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| Comparison of the tongue and the oral cavity between Ptyctolaemus tongbiguanensis sp. nov. (A, C) and P. chindwinensis (B, D). |
Ptyctolaemus tongbiguanensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis: The new species is assigned to the genus Ptyctolaemus based upon the following set of morphological characteristics: body size medium, body and limbs slender, tail and limbs long, tympanum concealed, nuchal crest undeveloped, dorsal scales small and heterogeneous in size, gular region with foldable colored dewlap in males. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: SVL 68–79 mm, ratio of tail length to snout–vent length 2.45–2.60, ratio of forelimb length to snout–vent length 0.46–0.48, ratio of hindlimb length to snout–vent length 0.91–0.93, nuchal crest low and flat, nuchal crest spines 12–21, scales around midbody 86–88, subdigital lamellae under fourth toe 36–37, dewlap light yellow with black stripes in males and no colorful dewlap in females, oral cavity light blue, tongue bluish gray.
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to Yunnan Tongbiguan Provincial Natural Reserve, the locality in which the new species was found. We suggested “Tongbiguan fan-throated lizard” for the common English name and “铜壁关喉褶蜥” for the common Chinese name.
Shuo Liu, Xiaoyu Zhu, Mian Hou, Zhengpan Duan, Changsheng Zuo, Fawang Yin and Dingqi Rao. 2026. A New Species of the Genus Ptyctolaemus Peters, 1864 (Squamata, Agamidae) from Yunnan, China. Taxonomy. 2026, 6(1), 4; DOI: doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy6010004 [2 January 2026]
