A new species of the genus Ceratophora Gray, 1835 (Reptilia: Agamidae) from a lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka, with insights on rostral appendage evolution in Sri Lankan agamid lizardsстатья
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Статья опубликована в журнале из списка Web of Science и/или Scopus
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 20 апреля 2022 г.
Местоположение издательства:[Modesto, Calif., United States
Первая страница:103
Последняя страница:126
Номер статьи:e259
Аннотация:The genus Ceratophora (horn-lizards) comprises six species, all of which are endemic to Sri Lanka. Herein, a new species of Ceratophora is described based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species is restricted to the Salgala Forest (~300 m asl elevation) in the Kegalle District of Sri Lanka, which is in the northern part of the wet bioclimatic zone. The new species most closely resembles Ceratophora aspera Günther, 1864, but can be distinguished from it by body proportions, number of paravertebral and ventral scales, and ND2 mtDNA data. Complete morphological description of two syntypes of C. aspera are also provided, in addition to a key to the species of genus Ceratophora. The phylogenetic relationships and evolution of rostral appendages in Sri Lankan agamid lizards are discussed in light of new data. According to IUCN Red List criteria, the new species is categorized as Critically Endangered due to its range-restricted habitat. The major threats for this species are habitat loss due to expansion of commercial-scale agriculture and monoculture plantations, as well as illicit forest encroachments.