New insights on the morphology and taxonomy of the gecko Mediodactylus ilamensis (Reptilia: Gekkonidae)

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani ¹

Nasrin Haidari ²

Eskandar Rastegar Pouyani ³

Behzad Fathinia ⁴

¹ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

² Razi University

³ Hakim Sabzevari University

⁴ Yasouj University

10.22067/ijab.v14i1.71209

Abstract

As a recently described species, Mediodactylus ilamensis is one of the least studied species of endemic reptiles of Iran. In this study a total number of 11 specimens of Mediodactylus ilamensis were collected from type locality (Zarin-Abad) as well as a new locality in Dinar-Kooh Preserved area, Abdanan Township approximately 27 km on an aerial line in the east of type locality. To investigate morphological variation and reveal sexual dimorphism we employed 32 metric and meristic characters. The most important morphological characteristics of this species are as follow: all scales of the body, with the exception of intermaxillaries, nasals, chin shields, and upper and lower labials, strongly keeled; postmentals absent, dorsal crossbars broad and equal to, or wider than, interspaces; scales of frontal and supraocular regions toward snout are multi-keeled (in some scales up to six keels) and polyhedral. Of the studied morphological characters only two are different significantly between males and females: number of active precloacal pores and ear diameter (vertical). Based on the new material, the validity of M. ilamensis as a full species, well distinguishable from other species of Mediodactylus, is confirmed. Observations on taxonomy, ecology and behavior are given.

Keywords

Carinatogecko

Gekkonidae

Iran

Mediodactylus

ilamensis

---

References

1. Anderson, R.A., Vitt, L.J., 1990. Sexual selection versus alternative causes of sexual dimorphism in teiid lizards. Oecologia 84,145–157.
2. Andersson, M., 1994. Sexual Selection, Princeton, New Jersey. Princeton University Press.
3. Anderson, S.C., 1999. The Lizards of Iran. Saint Louis, Missouri, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
4. Bauer, A. M., Masroor, R., Titus-Mcquillan, J., Heinicke, M.P., Daza, J.D., Jackman, T.R., 2013. A preliminary phylogeny of the Palearctic naked-toed geckos (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) with taxonomic implications. Zootaxa 3599, 301–324.
5. Carranza, S., Arnold, E.N., 2012. A review of the geckos of the genus Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Oman based on morphology, mitochondrial and nuclear data, with descriptions of eight new species. Zootaxa 3378, 1–95.
6. Červenka, J., Kratochvil, L., Frynta, D., 2010. Phylogenetic relationships of the gecko genus Carinatogecko (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Zootaxa 2636, 59–64.
7. Clemann, N., Chapple, D.G., Wainer, J., 2004. Sexual Dimorphism, Diet, and Reproduction in the Swamp Skink, Egernia coventryi. Journal of Herpetology38, 461–467.
8. Cox, R.M., Skelly, S.L., John-Alder, H.B., 2003. A comparative test of adaptive hypotheses for sexual size dimorphism in lizards. Evolution 57, 1653-1669.
9. Fathinia, B., Karamiani, R., Darvishnia, H., Heidari, N., & Rastegar-Pouyani, N., 2011. A new species of Carinatogecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Ilam Province, western Iran. Amphib Reptile Conserv 5, 61-74.
10. Golubev, M.L., Szczerbak, N.N., 1981. Carinatogecko gen. n. (Reptilia, Gekkonidae): A new genus from south-west Asia. Vestnik Zoologii (Kiev) 5, 34-41. (In Russian).
11. Kratochvil, L., Fokt, M., Rehak, I., Frynta, D., 2003. Misinterpretation of character scaling: a tale of sexual dimorphism in body shape of common lizards. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81, 1112–1117.
12. Kuo, C., Lin, Y., Lin, Y., 2009. Sexual size and shape dimorphism in an Agamid lizard, Japalura swinhonis (Squamata: Lacertilia: Agamidae). Zoological Studies 48, 351-361.
13. Mozaffarian V., 2008. Flora of Ilam. Tehran, Iran, General Office of Natural Resources of Ilam Province.
14. Olsson, M., Shine, R., Wapstra, E., Ujvari, B., Msdsen, T., 2002. Sexual dimorphism in lizard body shape: the roles of sexual selection and fecundity selection. Evolution 56, 1538-1542.
15. Perry, G., 1996. The evolution of sexual dimorphism in the lizard Anolis polylepis (Iguania): evidence from intraspecific variation in foraging behavior and diet. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74, 1238-1245.
16. Safaei, B., Ghaffari, H., Shahrdari, A., Fahimi, H., Naderi, A., Bromand, S., 2012. New geographic distribution records of zarudny’s bent–toed gecko, Mediodactylus russowii zarudnyi Nikolsky, (1899) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Iran. Russian Journal of Herpetology 201, 73 – 78.
17. Safaei, B., Ghaffari, H., Fahimi, H., Bromand, S., Yazdanian, M., Najafi, E., Hosseinian, S.,
18. Rezazadeh, E., Hosseinzadeh, M., Nasrabadi, R., Rajabizadeh, M., Mashayekhi, M., Motesharei, A., Naderi, A., Kazemi, M., 2015. The herpetofauna of Iran: Checklist of taxonomy, distribution and conservation status. Asian Herpetological Research 6, 257–290.
19. Šmid, J., Moravec, J., Kratochvil, L., Gvoždik, V., Nasher, A.K., Busais, S.M., Wilms, T., Shobrak, M.Y., Carranza, S., 2013. Two newly recognized species of Hemidactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the Arabian Peninsula and Sinai, Egypt. ZooKeys 355, 79–107.
20. Šmid, J., Moravec, J., Kratochvil, L., Nasher, A.K., Mazuch, Gvoždik, V., Carranza, S., 2015. Multilocus phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the Hemidactylus robustus species group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) with descriptions of three new species from Yemen and Ethiopia. Systematics and Biodiversity 13, 346-368.
21. Stamps, J.A., 1993. Sexual size dimorphism in species with asymptotic growth after maturity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 50, 123-145.
22. Szczerbak, N.N., Golubev, M.L., 1996. Gecko Fauna of the USSR and Contiguous Regions. English Edition. Editors, Leviton AE, Zug GR. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Ithaca, New York USA 8, 232.
23. Torki, F., 2007a. Sexual dimorphism in the banded dwarf gecko, Tropiocolotes helenae (Sauria, Gekkonidae) on the western Iranian plateau. Zoology in the Middle East 40, 33-38.
24. Torki, F., 2007b. Biosystematics of lizards in southwestern Iran. Iran, Department of Environment, Khorramabad, Lorestan, Iran.
25. Torki, F., Sharifi, M., 2007. Einige biologische Aspekte von Asaccus kurdistanensis Rastegar-Pouyani, Nilson & Faizi 2006 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Sauria 29, 19-25.
26. Torki, F., 2009. Sexual dimorphism in scale rugosity in Asaccus kurdistanensis Rastegar-Pouyani, Nilson & Faizi. (2006). Herpetozoa 22, 79-82.
27. Torki, F., 2010. Sexual size dimorphism in the Iranian short-fingered gecko Stenodactylus affinis (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Herpetological Bulletin 113, 30-33.
28. Torki, F., 2011. Description of a new species of Carinatogecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Iran. Salamandra 47, 103–111.