Description of a new species of Homonota (Reptilia, Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) from the central region of northern Paraguay

Homonota is a gecko distributed in central and southern South America with 12 species allocated in three groups. In this work, we performed molecular and morphological analyses of samples of Homonota from the central region of northern Paraguay, comparing the data with those of related species of th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Cacciali Sosa, Pier, Morando, Mariana, Avila, Luciano Javier, Köhler, Gunther
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/88218
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/88218
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Dry Chaco
Gekkota
Phylogeny
South America
Taxonomy
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:Homonota is a gecko distributed in central and southern South America with 12 species allocated in three groups. In this work, we performed molecular and morphological analyses of samples of Homonota from the central region of northern Paraguay, comparing the data with those of related species of the group: H. horrida and H. septentrionalis. We found strong molecular evidence (based on 16S, Cyt-b, and PRLR gene sequences) to distinguish this lineage as a new species. Morphological statistical analysis showed that females of the three species are different in metric characters (SVL and TL as the most contributing variables), whereas males are less differentiated. No robust differences were found in meristic characters. The most remarkable trait for the diagnosis of the new species is the presence of well-developed keeled tubercles on the sides of the neck, and lack of a white band (crescent-shaped) in the occipital area, which is present in H. horrida and H. septentrionalis. Nevertheless, in our sample, we found three specimens (one juvenile and two young adults) that exhibit the white occipital band. Thus, this character seems only reliable in adults of the new species. The new species is parapatric to H. septentrionalis, both inhabiting the Dry Chaco of Paraguay.