Formal recognition of the species of Oreosaurus (Reptilia, Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

By

Sánchez-Pacheco, Santiago J.
Nunes, Pedro Murilo Sales
Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut Urbano
Murphy, Robert W. (Robert Ward), 1948-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

691

Pages

149-162

Subjects

Microteiid lizard , nomenclatural recognition , nomina nuda , Oreosaurus serranus , Proctoporus serranus , Proctoporus specularis , South America , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.691.13595

 

Abstract

Oreosaurus is one of the two genera extracted from the former Riamasensu lato, which was recently recognized as polyphyletic. Oreosaurus is a small clade (five named and two undescribed species) of montane gymnophthalmid lizards and exhibits an exceptional distributional pattern. Its nominal and undescribed species are discontinuously distributed on the Cordillera de la Costa of Venezuela, the tepuis from the Chimantá massif in Venezuela, the highlands of the island of Trinidad, and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia (SNSM). Herein, we describe the species of Oreosaurus that is endemic to the SNSM. Historically, this species associates with two names that are currently nomina nuda: Proctoporus serranus and P. specularis. Formal nomenclatural recognition of Oreosaurus serranus sp. n. renders specularis a permanently unavailable name for this taxon. Oreosaurus serranus sp. n. is the sister of all remaining congeners, and differs primarily from them in having only one pair of genial scales, as well as a unique pattern of scutellation. We provide an identification key to the species of Oreosaurus.