Field notes on findings of threatened amphibian species in the central mountain range of western Panama

During field work along a transect in the Cordillera Central of western Panama between 2008 and 2010, we detected several populations of amphibian species which are considered as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN. Some of these species had suffered from serious population declines, probably due to chytridiomycosis, but all are generally threatened by habitat loss. We detected 53% of the Endangered and 56% of the Critically Endangered amphibian species that have previously been reported from within the investigated area. We report on findings of species that have not been found in Panama for many years, and provide locality data of newly discovered populations. There is a need to create a new protected area in the Cerro Colorado area of the Serranía de Tabasará, where we found 15% of the Endangered and Critically Endangered amphibian species known to Panama.Durante trabajo de campo en un transecto a lo largo de la Cordillera Central en el oeste de Panamá entre 2008 y 2010, encontramos varias poblaciones de anfibios que son considerados “En Peligro” o “En Peligro Crítico” por la UICN. Algunas de estas especies habían sufrido serias disminuciones de sus poblaciones, probablemente causadas por la quitridiomicosis, pero todas se encuentran amenazadas por pérdida de hábitat. Detectamos el 53% de las especies En Peligro y el 56% de las especies En Peligro Crítico que se habían reportado previamente en el área de estudio. Reportamos hallazgos de especies que no se habían avistado en Panamá por muchos años, así como localidades de poblaciones descubiertas por primera vez. Se requiere crear una nueva área de protección en los alrededores del Cerro Colorado en la Serranía de Tabasará, donde se han encontrado 15% de los anfibios En Peligro y En Peligro Crítico de todo Panamá

Evidence for the recognition of two species of Anolis formerly referred to as A. tropidogaster (Squamata: Dactyloidae)

Based on differences in hemipenial morphology, male dewlap coloration, pholidosis, and 16S mtDNA, we recognize two species of anoles related to what was formerly referred to as Anolis tropidogaster: Anolis tropidogaster Hallowell 1856 and A. gaigei Ruthven 1916. The hemipenis in A. tropidogaster is large, bulbous, and bilobed whereas it is small, thin, and unilobed in A. gaigei; the male dewlap is almost uniform purplish red, sometimes with a paler orange central area in A. tropidogaster versus orange yellow with a darker orange central area in A. gaigei; and—aside from more subtle differences in several pholidotic characteristics—in male A. gaigei there is a pair of greatly enlarged postcloacal scales which is absent in A. tropidogaster. In the western part of its geographic range, A. gaigei has been confused with another anole species, A. polylepis Peters 1873, from which it can be readily distinguished by its strongly keeled ventral scales (smooth in A. polylepis).Based on differences in hemipenial morphology, male dewlap coloration, pholidosis, and 16S mtDNA, we recognize two species of anoles related to what was formerly referred to as Anolis tropidogaster: Anolis tropidogaster Hallowell 1856 and A. gaigei Ruthven 1916. The hemipenis in A. tropidogaster is large, bulbous, and bilobed whereas it is small, thin, and unilobed in A. gaigei; the male dewlap is almost uniform purplish red, sometimes with a paler orange central area in A. tropidogaster versus orange yellow with a darker orange central area in A. gaigei; and—aside from more subtle differences in several pholidotic characteristics—in male A. gaigei there is a pair of greatly enlarged postcloacal scales which is absent in A. tropidogaster. In the western part of its geographic range, A. gaigei has been confused with another anole species, A. polylepis Peters 1873, from which it can be readily distinguished by its strongly keeled ventral scales (smooth in A. polylepis)

Riqueza y abundancia de la herpetofauna de la cuenca alta del río Santa María, Santa Fé, Veraguas.

Field trips to the Cuenca Alta deI Rio Santa Maria, located in Santa Fe, province of Veraguas, with the aim of collecting reptiles and amphibians were conducted. Four survey transects were established: one each at Cerro Tute (CT ), Primer Brazo del Mulaba ( IBM ). Cerro Negro (CNEG), and Cerro Narices (CEN),respectively. A total of 57 herpetofaunal species was recorded, 27 species of amphibians and 30 of reptiles. The environmental variables are similar at the different study sites, although significant differences in species diversity, composition and abundance were documented. The herpetofaunal inventory at the four study sites was very similar to inventories at the same sites from studies about 20 years earlierl however, a decrease in the abundance of some species was observed. I revised earlier species lists from my study sites and found several obvious errors caused by misidentification of specimens. This was particularly evident with taxa that have a known distribution restricted to South America. I provide an updated species list for the herpetofauna of the Cuenca Alta deIRio Santa Maria and compare its diversity with three localities with similar climatic characteristics in Lower CentraIAmerica (i.e., Las Cruces in southern Costa Rica; Cerro La Campana and Parque Nacional Chagres in centraleastern Panama). The species diversity is similar between the four sites. For the herpetofauna the Coefficient of Biogeography Similarity between the Cuenca Alta deI Rio Santa Maria and the three other sites varies between 0.45 (Las Cruces) and 0.53 (Parque NacionalChagres).Las constantes pérdidas de bosques tropicales hacen potencialmente importante a los árboles aislados en potreros para el mantenimiento de otros componentes de biodiversidad tales como las epífitas vasculares. La germinación y el establecimiento de las epífitas también son consideradas etapas cruciales para la prevalencia en ambientes modificados a través del tiempo. Se estudiaron las comunidades epifitas en árboles aislados de potreros en diez potreros a lo largo de un gradiente de elevación de 140-1240 m s.n.m. en el suroeste de Panamá Se determinaron variables como la riqueza, similaridad, composición de especies clima local y características de los hospederos de potencial influencia en la frecuencia de epifitas. También se reconocieron las diferencias en la germinación y establecimiento de epífitas en potreros en cuatro especies de bromelias epífitas Catopsis nutans, Tillandsia caput-medusae, T. fasciculata y Vriesea sanguinolenta donde se colocaron 2000 semillas en la corteza de árboles, en cada potrero. Se registró la germinación (expresada en porcentaje) y el establecimiento (= sobrevivencia) posterior a un año. Se encontraron 5777 individuos epifitos pertenecientes a 147 especies en los 99 hospederos estudiados. Las Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae y Polypodiaceae presentaron mayor riqueza y abundancia a lo largo de todo el gradiente. Como se esperaba, tanto la diversidad de especies coma la abundancia aumentó con la elevación. La alta riqueza a 1240 m s.n.m. fue comúnmente debido a la frecuencia de numerosas especies raras Por otra parte las comunidades fueron bien homogéneas a lo largo del gradiente. Los altos valores de similaridad indican una beta-diversidad relativamente baja Condiciones abióticas (temperatura durante la estación seca). densidad de árboles y especies de los hospederos explicaron un 65 % de la variación en las comunidades epífitas en el gradiente. Las características físicas de los hospederos no condujeron a diferencias detectables en las comunidades epifitas. De forma general, T. fascicualta presentó significativamente mayor proporción de semillas germinadas en comparación con T. capuf-medusae, C. nutans mientras que v. sanguinolenta fue similar a las demás. El establecimiento de las plántulas germinadas fue similar entre las especies de 25-35 %. Se observó mayor germinación y establecimiento entre los 500-900 m s.n.m. mientras que a 1240 m s.n.m. el establecimiento de todas las especies fue baja a nula. Como se esperaba, los porcentajes de sobrevivencia de las plántulas estuvieron correlacionados positivamente con la proporción de semillas germinadas constituyendo en una esencial estrategia de las epífitas. La prevalencia de las plántulas de bromelias se correlaciones con la composición y la abundancia de sus poblaciones en el gradiente de elevación, lo que puede explicar su distribución y estabilidad en paisajes modificados. A parte de la documentación de patrones de elevación actuales, nuestro estudio proporciona una línea base para el estudio de la persistencia a largo plazo de las epífitas en paisajes modificados por el humano

Anolis tropidogaster Hallowell 1856

<i>Anolis tropidogaster</i> Hallowell, 1856 <p>Figures 1 a; 3a, b; 4b, d, f, h; 6a, b, c, g, h; 7a, b; 8</p> <p> <i>Anolis tropidogaster</i> Hallowell 1856:224; holotype (ANSP 7618) from “New Grenada ”. Dunn (1930), Barbour (1934; in part.), Barbour and Loveridge (1946), Breder (1946), Evans (1947), Etheridge (1959), Donoso-Barros (1968), Peters and Donoso-Barros (1970; in part.), Williams (1976), Ayala (1986), Pefaur (1992), Auth (1994; in part.), Williams <i>et al.</i> (1995; in part.), Young <i>et al.</i> (1999; in part.), Ibáñez <i>et al.</i> (2001; in part.), Moreno-Bejarano & Álvarez-León (2003), Poe (2004; in part.), Carvajal-Cogollo and Urbina-Cardona (2008), Moreno-Arias <i>et al.</i> (2008), Medina-Rangel (2011).</p> <p> <i>Anolis albi</i> Barbour 1932:101; holotype (MCZ 32301) from “Andagoya, Choco, western Colombia.”</p> <p> <i>Anolis stigmosus</i> Bocourt 1869:43; syntypes (MNHN 2427 and 2427A) from “la Colombie et ont été recueillis près de la rivière de la Magdeleine.” Boulenger (1885).</p> <p> <i>Norops tropidogaster</i>. Köhler (2003, 2008; in part.)</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> A medium-sized species (SVL in largest specimen examined 55 mm) of the genus <i>Anolis</i> (sensu Poe 2004) that differs from all other Lower Central American beta anoles (sensu Etheridge 1967) in that it is longlegged (longest toe of adpressed hind leg reaches to at least center of eye, usually to a point between anterior border of eye and nostril); has strongly keeled ventral scales, a large almost uniformly purplish red (in life) colored dewlap in males; postcloacal scales not enlarged in the majority of males, some male with slightly enlarged postcloacal scales; a large bilobed hemipenis in males, and no tube-like axillary pocket. Anole species from Lower Central America that are somewhat similar in appearance to <i>A. tropidogaster</i> are <i>A. cupreus</i>, <i>A. gaigei</i>, <i>A. osa,</i> and <i>A. polylepis</i>.</p> <p> <i>Anolis gaigei</i> has a small, thin, unilobed hemipenis in males (large, bulbous and bilobed in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>); a male dewlap that is orange yellow with a darker orange central area (uniform purplish red, sometimes with a paler orange central area in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>); a pair of greatly enlarged postcloacal scales in males (these scales usually not differentiated in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>); the dorsal head scales, especially in the parietal region large and flat (smaller and bearing minute tubercles in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>); middorsal caudal scales distinctly enlarged and forming a regular series (only slightly enlarged and somewhat irregularly arranged in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>); outer postmental scales greatly enlarged relative to medial ones (only slightly enlarged relative to medial ones in <i>A. tropidogaster</i>). <i>Anolis polylepis</i> and <i>A. osa</i> have smooth ventral scales at midbody and a larger, mostly uniform orange male dewlap (in some parts of its range in Costa Rica, considerable variation was observed in male dewlap coloration of <i>A. polylepis</i>, see Köhler <i>et al.</i> 2010). The male dewlap of <i>A. cupreus</i> is brown to pink with an orange margin. For variation in selected morphometric and scalation characters of <i>A. tropidogaster</i> see Table 1.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> <i>Anolis tropidogaster</i> is a medium-sized anole (maximum recorded SVL 54.0 mm in males, 55.0 mm in females); dorsal head scales (Fig. 8) in internasal region keeled, in prefrontal, parietal, and frontal areas rugose to tuberculate; deep frontal depression present, parietal depression absent; 5–8 (6.75 ± 0.69) postrostrals; anterior nasal usually single, occasionally divided, usually in contact with rostral and first supralabial (Fig. 9, Tab. 2); 6–11 (8.97 ± 0.94) internasals; canthal ridge sharply defined; scales comprising supraorbital semicircles weakly keeled, largest scale in semicircles about same size as largest supraocular scale; supraorbital semicircles well defined; 2–4 (3.06 ± 0.58) scales separating supraorbital semicircles at narrowest point; 2–5 (2.95 ± 0.73) scales separating supraorbital semicircles and interparietal at narrowest point; interparietal well defined, greatly enlarged relative to adjacent scales, surrounded by scales of moderate size, longer than wide, usually larger than ear opening; enlarged supraoculars not in contact with supraorbital semicircles; 2 elongate superciliaries, posterior one much shorter than anterior one; 2–3 enlarged canthals; 10–17 (13.44 ± 1.71) scales between second canthals; 12–20 (15.11 ± 1.86) scales present between posterior canthals; loreal region slightly concave, 33–64 (44.77 ± 8.80) mostly keeled (some smooth or rugose) loreal scales in a maximum of 5–8 (6.22 ± 0.83) horizontal rows; 6–9 (7.00 ± 0.93) supralabials to level below center of eye; suboculars keeled, separated from supralabials by one scale row; ear opening vertically oval; scales anterior to ear opening granular, similar in size to those posterior to ear opening; 6–10 (7.75 ± 0.97) postmentals, outer pair usually largest; keeled granular scales present on chin and throat; male dewlap large, extending onto chest; 6–8 horizontal gorgetal-sternal rows with 26–38 scales per row, rows somewhat irregular, some of them with pairs or triplets of scales, apical portion of dewlap between marginal pairs and last gorgetal-sternal row free of scales; modal number of marginal pairs 4–5; female dewlap small or absent; no nuchal crest or dorsal ridge; 2 middorsal scale rows slightly enlarged, weakly keeled, dorsal scales lateral to middorsal series gradually larger than granular lateral scales; no enlarged scales scattered among granular laterals; 42–73 (57.0 ± 7.53) dorsal scales along vertebral midline between levels of axilla and groin in males, 53–78 (61.8 ± 10.35) in females; 29–46 (37.6 ± 4.39) dorsal scales along vertebral midline contained in one head length in males, 30–42 (35.3 ± 4.12) in females; ventral scales on midsection about the same size as largest dorsal scales; ventral body scales moderately to strongly keeled, subimbricate to imbricate; 40–65 (51.9 ± 5.50) ventral scales along midventral line between levels of axilla and groin in males, 40–64 (49.0 ± 8.60) in females; 28–46 (36.0 ± 4.52) ventral scales contained in one head length in males, 27–36 (31.6 ± 2.92) in females; 112–144 (124.7 ± 7.90) scales around midbody in males, 122–162 (133.3 ± 12.6) in females; tubelike axillary pocket absent; preanal scales not keeled; postcloacal scales usually not enlarged, or, if differentiated, then only slightly enlarged; tail laterally compressed in cross section, tail height/tail width 1.07–1.53 (1.29 ± 0.11); basal subcaudal scales smooth; lateral caudal scales keeled, homogeneous; dorsal medial caudal scale row slightly enlarged, keeled, not forming a crest; most scales on lateral surface of antebrachium weakly keeled, unicarinate; 23–29 (25.78 ± 1.46) subdigital lamellae on Phalanges II–IV of Toe IV of hind limbs; SVL 42.0–54.0 (48.9 ± 2.96) mm in males, 40.0–55.0 (47.0 ± 5.20) mm in females; HL 11.3–14.6 (12.9 ± 0.72) mm in males, 11.1–14.1 (12.5 ± 1.00) mm in females; tail length 65.0–97.0 (83.9 ± 10.70) mm in males, 69.0–87.0 (80.0 ± 6.54) mm in females; shank length 12.2–15.9 (14.0 ± 1.06) mm in males, 11.2–16.0 (13.1 ± 1.65) mm in females; tail length/SVL 1.35–1.94 (1.75 ± 0.20) in males, 1.28–1.88 (1.68 ± 0.24) in females; HL/SVL 11.3–14.6 (12.9 ± 0.72) in males, 11.1–14.1 (12.5 ± 1.00) in females; shank length/SVL 0.25–0.33 (0.29 ± 0.02) in males, 0.25–0.30 (0.28 ± 0.01) in females; shank length/HL 0.94–1.22 (1.09 ± 0.07) in males, 0.90–1.16 (1.05 ± 0.08) in females. Of 45 specimens examined, the longest toe of the adpressed hind leg reaches to mid-eye in 3 individuals (6.7%), to anterior margin of eye in 29 individuals (64.4%), and to a point between eye and snout in 13 individuals (28.9%).</p> <p>Coloration in life of an adult male (MHCH 2375) was recorded as follows: Dorsal ground color Drab (27) with Olive Brown (28) vertebral band, postorbital band Dark Drab (119B) extending to level of midbody; a longitudinal level Buff (124) stripe from tympanum to insertion of hind legs; dorsal surface of head Dark Drab (119B), with a medially interrupted Dark Brownish Olive (129) interorbital bar; forelegs and hind legs Drab (27) suffused with Olive Brown (28); dorsal surface of tail Drab (27) with indistinct Olive Brown (28) bands; ventral surfaces of head, body, and limbs Straw Yellow (57); dewlap Chrome Orange (16), grading into Spectrum Orange (17) at center; gorgetals dirty white; iris Sepia (119).</p> <p> <b>Natural history notes.</b> At the evergreen forest sites (Fig. 10) in the Darién Province, Panama, visited by AB, <i>Anolis tropidogaster</i> was an uncommon species. AB and MP encountered it within the forest on low vegetation between 0.5 and 2.0 m above the ground. Occasionally, individuals were observed on the ground. At night, these animals sleep in the usual anole-like fashion on twigs or the upper surface of leaves. One adult male was collected at a forest edge at Matusagaratí Lake, a thin forest belt between the lake and pasture areas. Another individual was captured at the base of a mangrove tree (MHCH 1636) at a riverside at Caserete, Chepigana, Darién, Panama; in the same region three individuals were seen in a cativo (<i>Prioria copaifera</i>) forest on low vegetation. Another individual (MHCH 1701) was captured during night sampling in a semideciduous forest on a bush at 1.5 m above ground at Sol Poniente, Chepigana, Darién, Panama. Some ecological observations on <i>A. tropidogaster</i> were published by Sexton <i>et al.</i> (1964).</p> <p> <b>Geographic Distribution.</b> <i>Anolis tropidogaster</i> is distributed widely in Colombia and in eastern Panama (Figs. 2, 13). The claim that this species occurs in Ecuador seems to go back to Donoso-Barros (1968), who based this view on the holotype of <i>A. lemniscatus</i> (from “Puente del Chimbo”, see Boulenger 1898), a taxon then placed in the synonymy of <i>A</i>. <i>tropidogaster</i>. We were unable to find additional evidence for the occurrence of <i>A</i>. <i>tropidogaster</i> in Ecuador and therefore remove this species from the list of known reptiles from this country. The documented vertical range of the species is from near sea level to about 1100 m.</p> <p>Nasal region Type A 3 (8.6%) 7 (20.6%)</p> <p>Nasal region Type B 32 (91.4%) 27 (79.4%)</p>Published as part of <i>Köhler, Gunther, Batista, Abel, Vesely, Milan, Ponce, Marcos, Carrizo, Arcadio & Lotzkat, Sebastian, 2012, Evidence for the recognition of two species of Anolis formerly referred to as A. tropidogaster (Squamata: Dactyloidae), pp. 1-23 in Zootaxa 3348</i> on pages 7-14, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/281518">10.5281/zenodo.281518</a&gt

Revision of the genus Lepidoblepharis (Reptilia: Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Central America, with the description of three new species

Batista, Abel, Ponce, Marcos, Vesely, Milan, Mebert, Konrad, Hertz, Andreas, Köhler, Gunther, Carrizo, Arcadio, Lotzkat, Sebastian (2015): Revision of the genus Lepidoblepharis (Reptilia: Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Central America, with the description of three new species. Zootaxa 3994 (2): 187-221, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3994.2.

Lepidoblepharis rufigularis Batista, Ponce, Vesely, Mebert, Hertz, Köhler, Carrizo & Lotzkat, 2015, sp. nov.

<i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> sp. nov. <p>Figs. 3–5, 11.</p> <p> <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma:</i> all in part. (referring to populations in extreme southeastern Panama): Auth (1994); Young <i>et al.</i> (1999); Ibáñez <i>et al.</i> (2001); Köhler (2008); Jaramillo <i>et al.</i> (2010).</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> Adult male SMF 50659, original field number AB 527 (Figs. 3–5, 11), collected on a hill 1 km north of Río Púcuro (8.057501°N, 77.370217°W, 1043 m elev.), Pinogana, Darién, Panama, on 0 8 July 2012 at 22:40 hrs by Abel Batista.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> (our <b>sp. nov.</b> 2) is characterized by the following combination of characters: <i>(1)</i> dorsal scales small, granular, and juxtaposed, ventral scales large, cycloid, flat, and imbricate; <i>(2)</i> scales on head small and granular; <i>(3)</i> four postrostral scales; <i>(4)</i> two short, barely discernible paramedian clefts in the more or less U-shaped posterior mental border; <i>(5)</i> five postmentals, the two median ones larger than the posteriorly adjacent chin scales; <i>(6)</i> 13 lamellae under fourth toe, 11 lamellae under fourth finger; <i>(7)</i> median subcaudals conspicuously wider than long, almost twice as wide as the laterally adjacent scales, with straight posterior margins arranged in a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; <i>(8)</i> ventral escutcheon consisting of 62 scales, almost twice as wide (13 scales) as long (7 scales); <i>(9)</i> subfemoral escutcheon consisting of 3–4 scales per thigh; <i>(10)</i> 17 longitudinal rows of ventral scales at midbody; <i>(11)</i> bilobate hemipenis; <i>(12)</i> SVL 25 mm.</p> <p> <b>Comparison with other species of the genus.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> can be differentiated from all species in the genus by its small size, number of lamellae under the fourth toe and finger, the reddish throat in males (Fig. 11), and the configuration of the ventral escutcheon. In the following, we present comparisons to all other species within the genus, with the characteristics for <i>L. rufigularis</i> in parentheses. <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> can be distinguished from the Panamanian species <i>L. xanthostigma</i>, <i>L. sanctaemartae, L. emberawoundule,</i> and <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 3 (described below) by a genetic p-distance of 14–23% between individuals in 16S mtDNA. <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma</i> is the most similar species, but has a different chin and throat coloration with dark reticulations on a pale background (orange background), and greatly enlarged median subcaudal scales which are more than two times as wide as the laterally adjacent subcaudal scales (enlarged but less than two times the width of laterally adjacent subcaudals, Fig. 3), usually 21 or more, very rarely 18, scales across snout (19), usually 18 or more, rarely 16 or 17, ventral scales a midbody (17), and an escutcheon long/wide ratio of 67–120% (54%). <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule, L. sanctaemartae,</i> and <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 3 (described below) have fewer than 10 lamellae under the fourth toe (13) and under the fourth finger (11). Additionally, <i>L. sanctaemartae</i> has large, flat, imbricate dorsal body scales (small, granular, and juxtaposed). To date, seven species of the genus <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> have been reported to possess ten or fewer lamellae under the fourth toe, <i>i.e.,</i> to be short-toed (<i>L. miyatai</i>, <i>L. sanctaemartae, L. buchwaldi, L. montecanoensis, L. williamsi, L. peraccae,</i> and <i>L. microlepis</i>), and are therefore readily differentiable from the long-toed <i>L. rufigularis</i> (13 lamellae under the fourth toe). Of the remaining members of the genus, <i>L. colombianus, L. conolepis, L. duolepis, L. festae, L. grandis, L. heyerorum, L. hoogmoedi, L. intermedius,</i> and <i>L. ruthveni</i> are relatively to very large lizards for this genus with adult SVLs between 33 and 56 mm (25 mm). Additionally, <i>L. conolepis</i> and <i>L. grandis</i> have 14–20 lamellae under the fourth toe (13). The dorsal ground color in males of <i>L. heyerorum</i> is black with yellow dorsal markings (no yellow dorsal markings). The two long-toed specimens with granular dorsals reported as <i>L. xanthostigma</i> from Colombia by Ayala & Castro (1983) are similar to <i>L. rufigularis</i> in the number of ventral scales, but they have 22–25 scales across snout (19), an escutcheon with only 25 scales (62), the gular region with blotches (gular region with longitudinal bars), and an occipital pale W-shaped mark (no occipital mark at all).</p> <p> <b>Description of the holotype.</b> Adult male as judged by everted hemipenes; SVL 25 mm, TL 33.0 mm (measured while the now broken tail was still intact), HL 5.6 mm, HW 4.1 mm, forelimbs 5.0 mm, hind limbs 9.3, shank 3.6 mm; rostral large, clearly visible from above, with a shallow, horseshoe-shaped posterior depression and a long median cleft; postrostrals four, including supranasals, one median postrostral slightly larger than posteriorly adjacent scales on snout and indenting the rostral; postnasals two, both about the same size as posteriorly adjacent loreal scales; scales on snout rounded and pointed backward; loreal scales subimbricate, elevated toward posterior and dorsal directions, six loreal scales on a longitudinal line between postnasals and orbit; 19 scales across snout between anterior sutures of second SPLs; scales on top of head small, granular, juxtaposed, generally pointing upward, about half the size of those on the middle area of snout; superciliary flap with two enlarged scales on anterior border, of which the first is slightly longer than the second, followed by 2–5 small and globular scales; supralabials three, posteriormost one below center of eye; ear-opening small, oval, in oblique orientation; mental large, posterior margin somewhat U-shaped, with two barely discernible, very short paramedian clefts; five enlarged postmentals, slightly larger than the posteriorly adjacent chin scales (Fig. 3 B); scales on chin small, flat, rounded, and juxtaposed, on posterior region flat to flat-granular, slightly inclined backward; scales near posterior infralabials flat, subimbricate, and larger than scales in median area of chin; infralabials four, first largest and almost reaching anterior level of orbit, fourth below center of eye; throat with small granular scales, pointed and directed upward; dorsal scales on neck and body small, granular, and juxtaposed, at midbody and on posterior trunk pointed, granular, or, in frontal view, triangular, mostly directed posteriorly, some scales on flanks and in lumbar region pointed; dorsal skin on body too damaged to conduct longitudinal counts of middorsal scales; ventral scales flat, smooth, imbricate, with an ovoid posterior margin, increasing moderately in size from gular region to belly, posterior ventral scales longer than wide; 13 midventral scales in one HL, 23 between levels of axilla and groin, 28 to border of cloaca; ventral escutcheon patch with 62 scales, 7 long and 13 wide, escutcheon long/wide ratio 54%; subfemoral escutcheon with 3 scales in a single row under each thigh, and a barely discernible fourth scale in a second row under the right thigh; transition between ventrals and lateral scales abrupt; 17 longitudinal rows of ventrals at midbody; scales on precloacal plate similar to ventrals, except for those on border of cloaca, which are smaller; tail dorsally and laterally with flattened, smooth, and imbricate scales that are less elongate than ventrals (with a transitional zone at base of tail); underside of tail with a median row of moderately enlarged scales (usually no more than two times wider than the laterally adjacent subcaudal scales; Fig. 3 B), mostly with a repeated series of one median scale bordered laterodistally by one scale, followed by a slightly larger median scale in contact laterodistally with two scales, constituting a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; dorsal scales on forelimbs granular to conical; scales on hind limbs flat, smooth, and imbricate on anteroventral femoral and shank surfaces, granular elsewhere; fingers, from longest to shortest, IV-III-II-V-I; toes IV-III-II-V-I, fourth and third toes about the same length; 11 lamellae under fourth finger, 13 under fourth toe; claws enclosed by an ungual sheath composed of six scales, as typical for the genus.</p> <p> <b>Hemipenis morphology.</b> The partially everted hemipenis of SMF 50659 (Fig. 5 B) is a small organ; sulcus spermaticus bordered by well-developed and smooth sulcal lips; asulcate area of the truncus covered by papillate calyces; proximal portion of apex covered by small spinulate calyces. Due to its incomplete eversion, it is not possible to determinate whether the hemipenis is as bilobate as those of other species of the genus described and/or pictured herein (Fig. 6). Nevertheless, it is apparent that the hemipenis of <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> does not bear a conspicuous basal third lobule, in contrast to the other two species described herein.</p> <p> <b>Coloration in preservative</b> (alcohol 70%). Dorsal ground color Hair Brown (277); posterior margin of orbit with a pale Beige (254) line; dorsum of head suffused with Beige (254); infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and white bars; chin and throat with Sepia (286) reticulations on a dirty white background; venter pigmented with Vandyke Brown (281); escutcheon scales unpigmented in the center, with Olive Brown (278) borders.</p> <p> <b>Coloration in life</b> (Fig. 11). Dorsal ground color Grayish Horn Color (268), with patches of Lavender Blue (195) and Vandyke Brown (281) scales, same pattern on neck and head; a straight Light Sky Blue (191) postorbital line, running up to level of ear; infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and Burnt Orange (10) bars; chin and throat with Sepia (279) reticulations on a Burnt Orange (10) background; ventral parts suffused with Dusky Brown (285) and Light Sky Blue (191); escutcheon scales Smoke Gray (267), with Dusky Brown (285) scale tips; tail with a dorsolateral Salmon Color (59) line; toes and fingers suffused with Brick Red (36).</p> <p> <b>Distribution and habitat.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> is known only from the type locality in southeastern Darién province. Given the close proximity of the type locality to Colombia, it likely occurs there as well. The habitat at the type locality of <i>L. rufigularis</i> is part of the eastern Panamanian montane forests (Fund 2011), in the Darién mountain range, around 1000 m elev. Most probably, <i>L. rufigularis</i> lives in the leaf-litter and feeds on small invertebrates like other <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> spp. (Vitt <i>et al</i>. 2005). The specimen probably resided between the leaf-litter on a large fallen log, and was uncovered and collected after one of the local supporters in the group stepped over the log.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The name <i>rufigularis</i> is a compound word that comes from the Latin <i>rufus</i> (red) and <i>gula</i> (throat) referring to the bright orange throat color in this species in life.</p>Published as part of <i>Batista, Abel, Ponce, Marcos, Vesely, Milan, Mebert, Konrad, Hertz, Andreas, Köhler, Gunther, Carrizo, Arcadio & Lotzkat, Sebastian, 2015, Revision of the genus Lepidoblepharis (Reptilia: Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Central America, with the description of three new species, pp. 187-221 in Zootaxa 3994 (2)</i> on pages 197-201, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3994.2.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/243281">http://zenodo.org/record/243281</a&gt

Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule Batista, Ponce, Vesely, Mebert, Hertz, Köhler, Carrizo & Lotzkat, 2015, sp. nov.

<i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> sp. nov. <p>Figs. 3–7, 10.</p> <p> <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma:</i> all in part. (referring to certain populations in eastern Panama): Auth (1994); Young <i>et al.</i> (1999); Ibáñez <i>et al.</i> (2001); Köhler (2001: Fig. 172; 2008: Fig. 136); Jaramillo <i>et al.</i> (2010).</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> Adult male SMF 50968, original field number AB 963 (Fig. 10), collected from leaf-litter at La Cascada trail, Burbayar private reserve (9.31837°N, 79.00266°W, 360 m elev.), Cartí, Narganá, Comarca Guna Yala, Panama, on 26 November 2013 at 23:40 hrs, by Abel Batista and Konrad Mebert.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes.</b> Three adult males, two adult females, and one juvenile, all from Panama. Three males (SMF 81950–52) from Nusagandí field station and two females (SMF 81953–54) from the nearby Sendero Nusagandí, Comarca Guna Yala, collected 14–17 April 2000; one juvenile (MHCH 2952) from Río Terable, El Llano, Chepo, Panama, collected on 27 November 2012; see Appendix I for locality details.</p> <p> <b>Referred specimens.</b> MHCH 2951, 2957; SMF 50969–70; FMNH 170029, 170042–45; see Appendix I for locality details.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> (our <b>sp. nov.</b> 1) is characterized by the following combination of characters: <i>(1)</i> dorsal body scales small, granular, and juxtaposed, ventral scales large, cycloid, flat, and imbricate; <i>(2)</i> scales on head small and granular; <i>(3)</i> 3–4 (3.1 ± 0.3) postrostral scales; <i>(4)</i> a vaguely M-shaped posterior mental border with two paramedian clefts; <i>(5)</i> 3–7 (5.1 ± 1.04) postmentals, larger than the posteriorly adjacent scales on chin; <i>(6)</i> lamellae under fourth toe 6–9 (7.9 ± 0.85), lamellae under fourth finger 5–8 (6.7 ± 1.01); <i>(7)</i> median subcaudals conspicuously wider than long, but their width less than twice the width of the laterally adjacent scales or their own length, with straight or rounded posterior margins, arranged in a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; <i>(8)</i> ventral escutcheon consisting of 38–61 (48.4 ± 8.85) scales, 6–7 (6.8 ± 0.45) scales long and 10–13 (11.6 ± 1.14) wide; <i>(9)</i> subfemoral escutcheon consisting of 4–5 (4.4 ± 0.52) well-discernible scales per thigh arranged in a single row (Fig. 5 A); <i>(10)</i> 16–20 (18.2 ± 1.17) longitudinal rows of ventral scales at midbody; <i>(11)</i> 52–74 (61.8 ± 7.61) longitudinal rows of dorsal scales at midbody; <i>(12)</i> bilobate hemipenis, with a third lobule rising from the pedicel (Fig. 6 A–B); <i>(13)</i> SVL 21–30 (25 ± 2.07) mm.</p> <p> <b>Comparison with other species of the genus.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> can be differentiated from many species in the genus by its small size and its low number of lamellae under the fourth toe and finger (Figs. 3– 4). In the following, we provide comparisons to all other species within the genus, with the characteristics for <i>L. emberawoundule</i> in parentheses. <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> can be distinguished from the Panamanian species <i>L. xanthostigma</i>, <i>L. sanctaemartae, Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 2 (described below), and <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 3 (described below) by uncorrected genetic p-distance (10–26% in 16S mtDNA between individuals).</p> <p> <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma</i> has greatly enlarged median subcaudal scales (slightly enlarged), and 12–16 lamellae under its fourth toe (6–9). <i>Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae</i> has large, flat, imbricate dorsal body scales (small granular scales). <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 2 (described below) has 13 lamellae under its fourth toe (6–9) and 11 under its fourth finger (5–8). <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> 3 (described below) has 4–5 lamellae under its fourth finger (5–8) and a unique lamellar configuration with 1–3 proximal lamellae per digit greatly enlarged, <i>i.e.,</i> about 3–4 times longer than any of the remaining lamellae, the ventral escutcheon consisting of 61–68 scales (38–61), and no discernible subfemoral escutcheon (4–5 discernible subfemoral escutcheon scales per thigh). To date, seven species of the genus <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> have been reported to possess ten or fewer lamellae under the fourth toe, <i>i.e.,</i> to be short-toed. Two of these, <i>L. miyatai</i> Lamar 1985 and <i>L. sanctaemartae,</i> possess large, flat, and imbricate dorsal scales (small, granular, and juxtaposed dorsals). Three others, <i>Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi</i> Werner 1910, <i>L. montecanoensis</i> Markezich & Taphorn 1994, and <i>L. williamsi</i> Ayala & Serna 1986, can be readily distinguished from <i>L. emberawoundule</i> because the inspection of the illustrations and photographs available for the respective holotypes showed clear differences between the species: In <i>L. buchwaldi</i>, the enlarged subcaudals are much wider than long and at least twice as wide as the laterally adjacent subcaudals (less than twice as wide as they are long or as the neighboring subcaudals are wide), the dorsal tail scales are small, <i>i.e.,</i> less than twice the size of the dorsal body scales (twice or more the size of the dorsal body scales), and the posterior border of the mental has a single median cleft (two paramedian clefts). <i>Lepidoblepharis montecanoensis</i> is a very small species with a SVL of 18–21 mm (21–30), and lacks defined occipital marks in males (two well defined occipital marks in males) as well as distinctly enlarged median subcaudals (median subcaudals distinctly enlarged). <i>Lepidoblepharis williamsi</i> also lacks enlarged median subcaudal scales (median subcaudals distinctly enlarged), and has only 25–40 ventral escutcheon scales (38–61). The holotype of <i>L. peraccae</i> Boulenger 1908 has eight lamellae under the fourth finger (5–8) and ten under the fourth toe (6–9), its plantar and palmar scales have ovoid and strongly imbricate posterior borders (those scales small, rounded, and juxtaposed; Fig. 7). The holotype of <i>L. microlepis</i> (Noble 1923) is very similar to <i>L. emberawoundule</i>, but differs in the scalation of the chin region and the ventral tail surface (Fig. 7). The posterior margin of its mental is V-shaped and lacks conspicuous clefts (posterior margin M-shaped, <i>i.e.,</i> slightly convex in the middle, with two conspicuous paramedian clefts), there are six postmentals, with one medial postmental greatly enlarged and two neighboring scales slightly enlarged (3–7 postmentals, median scales slightly larger than the others), and the posteriorly adjacent chin scales are small and conical (small and flat, some slightly pointed, and juxtaposed, Figs. 3, 7). Most decisively, each of the slightly enlarged subcaudal scales of the holotype of <i>L. microlepis</i> is bordered laterodistally by only one scale, leading to a regular tail sequence of 1'1' (the larger of the enlarged subcaudals bordered laterodistally by two scales, the smaller ones by one, forming a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; see Fig. 7 E–F). The remaining species of the genus, <i>i.e.,</i> <i>L colombianus</i> Mechler 1968, <i>L conolepis</i> Avila-Pires 2001, <i>L. duolepis</i> Ayala & Castro 1983, <i>L. festae</i> Peracca 1897, <i>L. grandis</i> Miyata 1985, <i>L. heyerorum</i> Vanzolini 1978, <i>L. hoogmoedi</i> Avila-Pires 1995, <i>L. intermedius</i> Boulenger 1914, and <i>L. ruthveni</i> Parker 1926 are long-toed with eleven or more lamellae under the fourth toe (6–9 in <i>L. emberawoundule</i>).</p> <p> <b>Description of the holotype.</b> Variation among the entire type series is given in parentheses for selected characters (see Table 1 for details and variation among all examined specimens). Adult male as judged by everted hemipenes; SVL 26 mm (21–27 mm), TL 27 mm (measured while the now broken tail was still intact) (18–27 mm), HL 5.6 mm (5.0– 5.6 mm), HW 3.8 mm (3.2–4.4 mm), forelimbs 5.2 mm, hind limbs 8.6 mm, shank 3.7 mm; rostral large, clearly visible from above, with a shallow, horseshoe-shaped posterior depression and a long median cleft; postrostrals including supranasals three (3–4), the median ones smaller than supranasals, and indenting the rostral, the median postrostral about the same size as the posterior scales on snout; postnasals two (1–2), both about the same size as posteriorly adjacent loreal scales; scales on snout small and smooth, 20 (18–21) scales across snout between anterior sutures of second SPLs; loreal scales juxtaposed, elevated, and rounded, 7 (6–7) on a longitudinal line between postnasals and orbit; scales on top of head small, granular, juxtaposed, generally pointing upward, about as half as large as those on the middle area of snout; superciliary flap with two enlarged scales on anterior border, of which the first is slightly longer than the second, followed by four small scales; supralabials three (3–4), posteriormost one below center of eye; ear-opening small, oval, in oblique orientation; mental large, posterior margin slightly convex in the middle, with two small clefts bordering this convexity, resulting M-shaped; postmentals 7 (4–7), median scales slightly larger than the others, postmentals larger than the posteriorly adjacent chin scales (Figs. 3, 7); scales on chin small and juxtaposed, most of them flat but some slightly pointed, on posterior region granular, approximately vertical in position, with a slight reduction in size towards posterior portion of chin; scales near posterior infralabials flat, subimbricate, and larger than scales in median area of chin; infralabials four, first largest, fourth below center of eye; throat with small granular scales, the posterior region with larger, granular, and pointed scales directed upward (some directed posteriorly); dorsal scales on neck and body small, granular, and juxtaposed; dorsals around midbody and on posterior portion of trunk pointed, granular, or, in frontal view, triangular, mostly directed posteriorly, some scales on flanks and in lumbar region slightly flattened; 40 (36–50) middorsal scales in one HL, 89 between levels of axilla and groin; ventrals flat, smooth, imbricate, with an ovoid posterior margin, increasing moderately in size from gular region to belly, posterior ventral scales longer than wide; 12 (11–15) midventral scales in one HL, 27 between levels of axilla and groin, 32 to border of cloaca; ventral escutcheon patch with 53 (38–46) scales, some of which have slightly pointed posterior margins, 7 (6–7) scales long and 13 (10–13) wide, escutcheon long/wide ratio 54% (50–70%); subfemoral escutcheon scales five (4–5) per thigh, arranged in a single row; transition between ventrals and scales on flanks abrupt; scales around midbody 92 (69–92), of which 18 are ventrals (16–19); scales on precloacal plate similar to ventrals, except for those on border of cloaca, which are smaller; tail dorsally and laterally with flattened, smooth, and imbricate scales, less elongated than ventrals (with a transitional zone at base of tail); underside of tail with a median row of moderately enlarged scales, mostly with a repeated series of one median scale bordered laterodistally by one scale, followed by a slightly larger median scale that is in contact laterodistally with two scales (Figs. 3, 7), constituting a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; dorsal scales on forelimbs granular; scales on hind limbs flat, smooth, imbricate on anteroventral thigh and shank surfaces, granular elsewhere; fingers, from longest to shortest, IV-III-II-V-I; toes IV- III-II-V-I, fourth and third toes about the same length; lamellae under fourth finger six (5–8), under fourth toe eight (8–9), proximal lamellae slightly larger than distal ones; claws enclosed by an ungual sheath composed of six scales, as typical for the genus.</p> <p> <b>Hemipenis morphology.</b> The everted hemipenis of SMF 50968 (Fig. 6 A–B) is a small, bilobate organ, divided for around one third of its length, with a naked base; sulcus spermaticus bordered by well-developed, smooth sulcal lips; ornamentation of papillate calyces present on each lobe, asulcate area of the truncus covered by small spines; a third lobule-like rising from the pedicel, not connected to the sulcus spermaticus, and covered with papillate calyces.</p> <p> <b>Coloration in preservative</b> (alcohol 70%; variation among the paratypes in parentheses). Dorsal ground color Hair Brown (277); occipital marks Beige (254) (Gray Horn Color (268) in females), posterior margin of orbit bordered with Sepia (279); dorsum of head with small Beige (254) blotches; infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and white bars; chin and throat with Sepia (286) marks on a dirty white background; venter slightly pigmented with Vandyke Brown (281); escutcheon scales unpigmented in the center, with Olive Brown (278) borders.</p> <p> <b>Coloration in life</b> (Fig. 10; variation among the paratypes in parentheses). Dorsal ground color Glaucous (272), with small scattered Lavender Blue (195) and Sepia (286) dots; neck region Olive Brown (278); an indistinct Sepia (286) line from tip of snout to anterior border of eye; two diffuse postorbital Sepia (286) lines, one directed towards the occipital region and the other towards the ear; infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and white bars; a vaguely M-shaped dirty white (Smoke Gray (267) in females) occipital mark bordered with Burnt Sienna (38); top of head suffused with Fawn Color (258) and Lavender Blue (195); chin and throat with Sepia (286) reticulations on a Chamois (84) background; venter Lavender Blue (195) suffused with Cinnamon-Rufous (31); an indistinct dorsolateral pale line from behind the ear to mid tail; tail Cinnamon-Rufous (31); a Sepia (286) line from above groin to mid tail.</p> <p> <b>Distribution and habitat.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> is currently known from a few sites in eastern Panamanian montane forests and Chocó-Darién moist forests (Fund 2011), from 227 to 773 m elevation in Darién and Panamá provinces as well as in the Comarcas Emberá and Guna Yala. Most probably, <i>L. emberawoundule</i> lives in the leaf-litter and feeds on small invertebrates like other <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> (Vitt <i>et al</i>. 2005).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The name <i>emberawoundule</i> is a compound word in honor to “the forest guardians”, the three indigenous peoples inhabiting eastern Panama; <i>embera</i>: Emberá Indians from the foothills of Jingurudó, Bagre, Sapo, Darién, and Pirre mountain ranges; <i>woun</i>: Wounaan Indians, mainly from the Tuira basin and Majé mountain range; <i>dule</i>: meaning people in the language of the Guna Indians from the Caribbean and Pacific versants of the San Blas and Darién mountain ranges.</p>Published as part of <i>Batista, Abel, Ponce, Marcos, Vesely, Milan, Mebert, Konrad, Hertz, Andreas, Köhler, Gunther, Carrizo, Arcadio & Lotzkat, Sebastian, 2015, Revision of the genus Lepidoblepharis (Reptilia: Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Central America, with the description of three new species, pp. 187-221 in Zootaxa 3994 (2)</i> on pages 194-196, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3994.2.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/243281">http://zenodo.org/record/243281</a&gt

Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi Batista, Ponce, Vesely, Mebert, Hertz, Köhler, Carrizo & Lotzkat, 2015, sp. nov.

<i>Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi</i> sp. nov. <p>Figs. 3–6, 12</p> <p> <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> sp.: Martínez & Rodriguez (1994: possibly); Martínez <i>et al.</i> (1995: possibly).</p> <p> <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma:</i> all in part. (referring to certain populations in Colón and Veraguas): Auth (1994); Young <i>et al.</i> (1999); Ibáñez <i>et al.</i> (2001); Köhler (2008); Carrizo (2010: referring to SMF 89963); Jaramillo <i>et al.</i> (2010); Lotzkat <i>et al.</i> (2010: referring to SMF 89963).</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> Adult female SMF 50951, original field number AB 1241 (Fig. 12) collected in leaf-litter 500 m east of the village Chicheme (8.865278°N, 80.643829°W, 100 m elev.), San José del General, Donoso district, Colón province, Panama, collected on 25 January 2013 at 11:40 hrs by Abel Batista, Lester Vásquez, and Leysi Díaz.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes.</b> Four adult males, all from Panama: SMF 89963 from Cerro Negro, Veraguas, on 28 July 2008; SMF 50950 (collected on 20 July 2011), 50952, and MHCH 2954 from Petaquilla, Coclé del Norte, Donoso, Colón; see Appendix I for locality details.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi</i> (our <b>sp. nov.</b> 3) is characterized by the following combination of characters: <i>(1)</i> dorsal scales small, granular, and juxtaposed, ventral scales large, cycloid, flat, and imbricate; <i>(2)</i> scales on head small and granular; <i>(3)</i> 3–5 (4.4 ± 0.89) postrostrals; <i>(4)</i> two paramedian clefts demarcate the slightly convex median portion of the posterior mental border, rendering the latter vaguely M-shaped in its totality; <i>(5)</i> 5–7 (6.0 ± 0.71) postmentals; <i>(6)</i> lamellae under fourth toe 6–8 (6.6 ± 0.89), lamellae under fourth finger 4–5 (4.8 ± 0.45), the subdigital lamellae under each digit showing a peculiar morphology that is unique within the genus, with 1–3 proximal one(s) longitudinally greatly enlarged, each about 3–4 times longer than any of the remaining lamellae; <i>(7)</i> median subcaudals only slightly larger than the neighboring scales, about as long as wide, with rounded posterior margins, arranged in a regular tail sequence of 1'1'' (Fig. 3 D); <i>(8)</i> ventral escutcheon consisting of 61–68 (63.3 ± 3.30) scales, 6–8 (6.8 ± 0.96) scales long and 12–15 (13.8 ± 1.26) wide; <i>(9)</i> lack of a discernible subfemoral escutcheon; <i>(10)</i> ventral scales at midbody 15–19 (17.4 ± 1.52); <i>(11)</i> dorsal scales at midbody 53–67 (59.8 ± 5.36); <i>(12)</i> bilobate hemipenis, with a third lobule rising from the pedicel; <i>(13)</i> SVL 25–27 (25.6 ± 0.89) mm.</p> <p> <b>Comparison with other species of the genus.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi</i> can be differentiated from many species in the genus by its small size and its low number of lamellae under the fourth toe and finger (Figs. 3 D; 4). Moreover, the conspicuous morphology of its subdigital lamellae is unique within the genus and immediately distinguishes it from any described congener. In the following, we provide further comparisons to all other species within the genus, with the characteristics for <i>L. victormartinezi</i> in parentheses. <i>Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi</i> can be distinguished from the Panamanian species <i>L. xanthostigma</i>, <i>L. sanctaemartae, L. rufigularis,</i> and <i>L. emberawoundule</i> by a genetic p-distance of 10–21% in 16S mtDNA between individuals. <i>Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma</i> has greatly enlarged median subcaudal scales (slightly enlarged) and 12–16 lamellae under its fourth toe (6–8). <i>Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae</i> has large, flat, imbricate dorsal body scales (small, granular, juxtaposed). <i>Lepidoblepharis emberawoundule</i> has 5–8 lamellae under its fourth finger (4–5), a ventral escutcheon consisting of 38–61 scales (57–68), and a well-discernible subfemoral escutcheon consisting of 4–5 scales in a single row under each thigh (no discernible subfemoral escutcheon). <i>Lepidoblepharis rufigularis</i> has 13 lamellae under its fourth toe (6–8) and 11 under its fourth finger (4–5). To date, seven species of the genus <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> have been reported to possess ten or fewer lamellae under the fourth toe, <i>i.e.,</i> to be short-toed. Two of these, <i>L. miyatai</i> and <i>L. sanctaemartae,</i> possess large, flat, and imbricate dorsal scales (dorsal scales small, granular, and juxtaposed). <i>Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi, L. microlepis, L. montecanoensis, L. peraccae,</i> and <i>L. williamsi</i> can confidently be ruled out as conspecifics since the inspection of the illustrations and photographs available for the holotypes showed no subdigital lamellae to be as conspicuously enlarged as in <i>L. victormartinezi.</i> Moreover, in the holotype of <i>L. peraccae</i> the plantar and palmar scales have the posterior border ovoid and imbricated (plantar and palmar scales small rounded and juxtaposed), and in the holotype of <i>L. microlepis</i> all of the slightly enlarged median subcaudal scales are bordered laterodistally by one scale, forming a regular tail sequence of 1'1' (the slightly more enlarged median subcaudals bordered laterodistally by two scales, the slightly smaller ones by one, forming a regular tail sequence of 1'1''). The remaining species of the genus, <i>i.e., L colombianus, L conolepis, L. duolepis, L. festae, L. grandis, L. heyerorum, L. hogmoedi, L. intermedius,</i> and <i>L. ruthveni</i> are longtoed with eleven or more lamellae under the fourth toe (6–8 in <i>L. victormartinezi</i>).</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> Variation among the entire type series is given in parentheses (see Table 1 for details). Adult female as indicated by absence of hemipenes and escutcheon scales; SVL 25 mm (25–27 mm), TL 27.2 mm (27–31), HL 5.4 mm (4.9–6.1 mm), HW 3.7 mm (3.7–4.2 mm), forelimbs 5.7 mm (6.8–5.7), hind limbs 8.3 mm (9.8–7.4), shank 3.5 mm (3.5–4.3); rostral large, clearly visible from above, with a shallow, horseshoeshaped posterior depression and a long median cleft; postrostrals four (3–5) including supranasals, median ones smaller than supranasals, and indenting the rostral, at least one median postrostral slightly larger than posteriorly adjacent scales on snout; postnasals two (1–2), both about same size as posteriorly adjacent loreal scales; scales on snout small and smooth, 17 (16–22) scales across snout between anterior sutures of second SPLs; loreal scales subimbricate, elevated towards posterior and dorsal directions, 6 (5–9) loreal scales on a longitudinal line between postnasals and orbit; scales on top of head small, granular, and juxtaposed, generally pointing upward, about half as large as those on the central snout; superciliary flap with two enlarged scales on anterior border, of which the first is slightly longer than the second; followed by 2–5 small and globular scales; supralabials three (3–4), posteriormost one below center of eye; ear-opening small, oval, in oblique orientation; mental large, posterior margin vaguely M-shaped and slightly convex in the middle, with two short paramedian clefts; postmentals five (5–7), flat and slightly larger than the posteriorly adjacent chin scales, the two median ones slightly larger than the others (1–2 slightly larger than the others); scales on chin small, rounded, and juxtaposed; on posterior chin region granular to flat-granular, approximately vertical in position or slightly inclined, pointing posteriorly, becoming smaller posteriorly; scales near posterior infralabials flat, subimbricate, and larger than in median area of chin; infralabials four, first largest and almost reaching anterior level of orbit, fourth below center of eye; throat with a short transition between the anterior region with small granular scales and the posterior region with larger, granular, and posteriorly pointing scales; dorsal scales on neck and body small, granular, and juxtaposed, at midbody and posterior portion of trunk pointed-granular or, in frontal view, triangular, mostly directed posteriorly, some flatgranular on flanks and in lumbar region; 38 (36–42) middorsal scales in one HL, 78 (78–96) between levels of axilla and groin; ventrals flat, smooth, imbricate, with an ovoid posterior margin, increasing moderately in size from gular region to belly, posterior ventral scales longer than wide; 13 (10–15) midventral scales in one HL, 27 (24–27) between levels of axilla and groin, 33 (29–33) to border of cloaca; transition between ventrals and scales on flanks abrupt; scales around midbody 77 (71–84), of which 19 are ventrals (15–19); scales on precloacal plate similar to ventrals, except for those on border of cloaca, which are smaller; tail dorsally and laterally with flattened, smooth, and imbricate scales, less elongated than ventrals (with a transitional zone at base of tail); underside of tail with a median row of slightly enlarged scales, mostly with a repeated series of one median scale bordered laterodistally by one scale, followed by a slightly larger median scale in contact laterodistally with two scales, constituting a regular tail sequence of 1'1''; dorsal scales on forelimbs granular to flat-granular; scales on hind limbs flat, smooth, and imbricate on anteroventral femoral and shank surfaces, granular elsewhere; fingers, from longest to shortest, IV-III-II-V-I; toes IV-III-II-V-I, fourth and third toes about the same length; lamellae under fourth finger five (4–5), with 2 (2–3) proximal ones greatly enlarged, each about 3 (3–4) times as long as the remaining distal ones; lamellae under fourth toe six (6–8), with 2 (2–3) proximal ones greatly enlarged; claws enclosed by an ungual sheath composed of six scales, as typical for the genus.</p> <p> <b>Hemipenis morphology.</b> The everted hemipenis of SMF 50950 (Fig. 6 E–F) is a small, bilobate organ, divided for around one third of its length, with a naked base; sulcus spermaticus bordered by well-developed, smooth sulcal lips; lips opening into two broad concave areas, one on each lobe; ornamentation of papillate calyces present on each lobe; asulcate area of the truncus covered by papillate calyces and some barely visible spinulate calyces; a third lobule like rising from the pedicel, not connected to the sulcus spermaticus, and covered by spinulate calyces.</p> <p> <b>Coloration in preservative</b> (alcohol 70%; variation among the paratypes in parentheses). Dorsal ground color Hair Brown (277); occipital marks Grayish Horn Color (268) (Drab-Gray (256) in males), posteriorly bordered with Sepia (279); dorsum of head Army Brown (46); infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and white transverse bars; chin and throat with Sepia (286) reticulations on a dirty white background; venter strongly suffused with Vandyke Brown (281) (escutcheon of males unpigmented in the center, with Olive Brown (278) borders).</p> <p> <b>Coloration in life.</b> Dorsal ground color Mahogany Red (34), with small scattered Lavender Blue (195) and Sepia (286) dots; neck region Glaucous (272); a Sepia (286) line from the tip of the snout to the anterior border of the eye; two postorbital Sepia (286) lines, one directed to the occipital region and the other towards the ear; infra- and supralabials with alternating Sepia (279) and dirty white transverse bars; two occipital M-shaped Smoke Gray (267) marks (Chamois (84) in males), posteriorly bordered with Sepia (279); chin and throat with Sepia (286) reticulations on a dirty white background; ventral ground color Lavender Blue (195), strongly suffused with Vandyke Brown (281); a pale dorsolateral line from above the hind limbs to mid tail, a Sepia (286) line from above groin to mid tail; toes and fingers Vandyke Brown (282).</p> <p> <b>Distribution and habitat.</b> <i>Lepidoblepharis victormartinezi</i> is an endemic species of the Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests in west-central Panama (Fund 2011), known from around 100 m elev. in the province of Colón and 700 m elev. in Veraguas province. Most probably, <i>L. victormartinezi</i> lives in the leaf-litter and feeds on small invertebrates like other <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> (Vitt <i>et al</i>. 2005). Most specimens have been found on top of small hills, giving the impression that this species prefers drier environments on the hills rather than the more wet flat areas around the same locality. However, the specimen SMF 89963 was found in a wet flat area.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet <i>victormartinezi</i> is a patronym for Victor Martínez Cortés, who has pioneered Panamanian herpetology among native researchers, and was the first Panamanian herpetologist ever to publish his results in scientific journals. Since the 1980s, he has conducted herpetological inventory work at biogeographically significant localities throughout western Panama. The now unfortunately lost (V. Martínez, personal communication) specimens of " <i>Lepidoblepharis</i> sp." mentioned in his species lists of the region around Santa Fé de Veraguas (Martínez et al. 1995, Martínez & Rodriguez 1994), which includes Cerro Negro as the provenance of one of our paratypes, might have been the first specimens of this new species that were ever collected. We dedicate this species to our friend and colleague Victor Martínez in due recognition of his passionate dedication to, and great achievements for, Panamanian herpetology.</p>Published as part of <i>Batista, Abel, Ponce, Marcos, Vesely, Milan, Mebert, Konrad, Hertz, Andreas, Köhler, Gunther, Carrizo, Arcadio & Lotzkat, Sebastian, 2015, Revision of the genus Lepidoblepharis (Reptilia: Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae) in Central America, with the description of three new species, pp. 187-221 in Zootaxa 3994 (2)</i> on pages 201-204, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3994.2.2, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/243281">http://zenodo.org/record/243281</a&gt