Tytthoscincus sp.

Tytthoscincus sp. Grismer et al. 2016a: 236.

Holotype: Adult male ( LSUHC 11680 ) collected at Robinson’s Falls , Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia (N 04°27.959′, E 101°23.129′; 1411 m in elevation) by Evan S. H. Quah and L. Lee Grismer on 26 April 2014. GoogleMaps

Paratypes: LSUHC 11679, 11681 and 11987 all bear the same collection data as the holotype except the latter was collected on 4 September 2014.

Diagnosis: Tytthoscincus jaripendek sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Tytthoscincus in the montane clade by having the combination of 8`1 superciliaries; a shallow, pigmented tympanic depression; no enlarged pectoral scales; 28–30 midbody scales ( MB); 63–65 paravertebral scales; 60–62 ventral scales; keeled, subdigital lamellae; five or six subdigital lamellae on the third finger; nine or ten subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe; TD / HL = 0.11–0.13; HDL / SVL = 0.18–0.19; AXG / SVL = 0.55–0.57; FL / SVL = 0.18–0.21; HDL / SVL = 0.31–0.33 and a maximum SVL of 33.9 mm ( Table 6). All non-ratiometric characters are presented in all other Tytthoscincus and species of Sphenomorphus suspected of being Tytthoscincus in Grismer et al. (2016a: 237) and Karin et al. (2016: 416).

AXG, axilla–groin length; FL, forelimb length; HL, head length; HDL, hind limb length; MB, midbody scale rows; PV, paravertebral scale rows; TD, tympanum diameter; TL, toe subdigital lamellae; VS, ventral scale rows.

Description of holotype: Adult male, SVL 32.2 mm; tail length 38.0 mm; AXG 18.4 mm; HL 6.1 mm; head width 3.7 mm; snout to anterior margin of foreleg 11.2 mm; rostral wider than long, in broad contact with frontonasal; frontonasal wider than long; prefrontals large, broadly contacting on midline; frontal elongate, diamond-shaped, in contact with first two supraoculars; four supraoculars; frontoparietals in contact posterior to frontal, contacting second, third and fourth supraoculars anterolaterally and parietals and interparietal posteriorly; interparietal diamond-shaped, large, slightly projecting posteriorly, eyespot in posterior projection; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal, contacting fourth supraocular anteriorly; enlarged nuchal scales absent; nasals small, widely separated, trapezoidal, contacting rostral anteriorly, frontonasal dorsally, first loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in centre of nasal; supranasals absent; two loreals, posterior loreal taller than wide; upper and lower preocular present; lower preocular followed by a series of suboculars; eight superciliaries, posterior superciliary elongate and projecting dorsomedially; six supralabials, third, fourth and fifth below eye; two postsupralabials; two primary temporals; three secondary temporals, uppermost not contacting parietals; lower eyelid transparent, scaly, no enlarged central window; mental twice as wide as long; single, large postmental, contacting first infralabial on each side; two enlarged pairs of chinshields posterior to postmental, anterior pair contacting medially, posterior pair widely separated posteriorly by a single scale; anterior and posterior chinshield pairs contacting first, second and third infralabials; five infralabials; external ear opening 0.8 mm wide, approximately one-half diameter of eyeball, subcircular, lacking anterior lobules; and tympanum very shallow, pigmented.

Body scales smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventral scales slightly larger than dorsal scales; 28 longitudinal scale rows around midbody; 65 paravertebral scales ( PV); 60 ventral scales ( VS); slightly enlarged median precloacal scales overlapping outer precloacal scales; tail slightly compressed laterally; subcaudals slightly larger than dorsal caudals; limbs very thin, short ( FL / SVL = 0.21; HDL / SVL = 0.33), widely separated when adpressed; scales of dorsal surface slightly larger than those of ventral surface; palmar and plantar scales slightly raised; and digits short, scales of dorsal surfaces in a single row, subdigital lamellae bicarinate, five on third finger, ten on fourth toe.

cophias 0.58 0.58 0.0 ± 1 0.17 0.17 0.0 ± 1 0.28 0.28 ± 0.0 1 35.9 non- and; length TD,

developed vent – martae sp nov.. – 0.47 0.55 0.51 ± 0.03 7 0.21 – 0.26 0.24 ± 0.02 7 – 0.38 0.33 0.35 ± 0.02 7 44.0 well set,, snout SVL

deeply pigmented; kakikecil . nov sp. 0.52 0.65 – 0.57 ± 0.05 6 0.23 0.18 – 0.21 0.02 ± 6 0.34 – 0.30 0.32 ± 0.02 6 36.2 tympanum and

0.54 0.24 0.35, DWD absent ishaki – 0.49 0.52 ± 0.03 3 0.23 – 0.23 ± 0.01 3 0.34 – 0.35 ± 0.01 3 41.0 length; nearly to perhentianensis 0.54 – 0.55 0.55 0.1 ± 2 0.21 0.20 – 0.21 0.1 ± 2 0.30 0.29 – 0.30 ± 0.1 2 30.0 groin. AXG –, axilla poorly developed, temengorensis – 0.50 0.57 0.54 ±0.5 2 – 0.21 0.22 0.22 ± 0.01 2 – 0.32 0.38 0.35 0.0 ± 2 35.5, left sides respectively shallow SPD tympanum,

and jaripendek . nov. sp 0.55 0.57 – 0.56 0.01 ± 4 0.18 – 0.21 0.20 0.02 ± 4 0.31 – 0.33 0.32 ± 0.01 4 33.9 on n, the right sample size;

taken length;

counts head bukitensis 0.48 0.63 – 0.53 ± 0.05 8 –0.27 0.22 0.25 0.02 ± 8 – 0.34 0.40 0.37 ±0.02 8 42.6 length indicate; HL,

values limb

paired hind 0.57 0.28 0.40; HDL, butleri – 0.50 0.54 0.02 ± 16 – 0.22 0.24 ±0.02 18 – 0.33 0.36 0.02 ± 18 40.9 millimetres; length Continued SVL in are forelimb, FL diameter. Table.

6

AXG / SVL Mean SD n FL SVL / Mean SD n SVL / HDL Mean SD n Maximum All measurements pigmented; tympanum

Coloration: Overall dorsal ground colour of head, body, limbs and tail dark brown; head speckled with light-coloured markings; labials distinctly banded; anterior of flanks to posterior margin of jaws dull-orange bearing irregularly shaped, dark speckles and elongate markings; dorsum, posterior portion of flanks and tail bearing small, light-coloured spots; limbs faintly mottled; ventral surfaces dull-yellow, immaculate; lateral margin of gular region stippled with dark brown; and palmar and plantar surfaces, subtibial, subforearm and subcaudal regions heavily stippled with dark brown.

Variation: The paratypes closely approach the holotype in all aspects of coloration except for LSUHC 11987 which has considerably more gular stippling and is darker dorsally overall. Meristic variation is presented in Table 8.

Distribution: Tytthoscincus jaripendek sp. nov. is known only from the type locality at Robinson’s Falls, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia ( Fig. 9) but is likely to range more widely across the Cameron Highlands plateau.

Natural history: Tytthoscincus jaripendek sp. nov. inhabits leaf-litter in hill dipterocarp forests at 1411 m in elevation ( Fig. 10). All specimens were collected by raking leaves that had accumulated at the foot of an earthen bank. Specimens were collected both day and night and during periods of heavy rain.

Etymology: The specific epithet jaripendek is derived from the Malay words jari meaning finger and pendek meaning short and refers to this species’ short digits as indicated by its low numbers of subdigital lamellae.

Comparisons: Tytthoscincus jaripendek sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Tytthoscincus of the montane clade ( Table 6), except its sister species T. kakikecil sp. nov., by having a shallow, pigmented tympanic depression vs. a well-developed, deeply recessed, non-pigmented tympanum. From T. kakikecil sp. nov., it differs discretely and statistically by having 63–65 vs. 67–73 paravertebral scales, 60–62 vs. 65–69 ventral scales ( Tables 6, 7), and statistically significant differences in the mean number of paravertebral scales, ventral scales, 3TL and FL/SVL ( Tables 6, 7). From all other species except T. perhentianensis , it differs further in having fewer midbody scales (28–30 vs. 30–38 collectively). Tytthoscincus jaripendek sp. nov. also bears statistically significant mean differences of all ten characters in varying combinations across all other species (Table 7). Meristic and body shape trends of these characters among species in the montane clade are presented in Figures 4 and 5.

based a on temengorensis *

scale,; VS ventral characters perhentianensis *,, TL HL

AXG 3 subdigital lamellae ratiometric martae * TL,, 3 PV TL 4, AXG TD, diameter TL, toe; scaled,

meristic and kakikecil *

TD

TL, 3, TL 4 HL HDL, HL, AXG AXG TL, 3 tympanum TD,; rows of,, FL combinations jaripendek * PV 3 , VS, FL TL, 3 TL VS, MB, PV,,, AXG TL FL 4 HDL, HL, AXG TL 3 , 3 VS TL, AXG, paravertebral scale, varying,, HL; PV rows of HL, values

TL,

, TD

HDL,

HDL

,

AXG

TD

HL

, TD

HL

TD,

scale mean ishaki * 3, PV, FL HL TD, 4 TL, FL, AXG AXG, midbody, MB) 0.05 <

P

(, HL TD,, TL 4 TL HDL FL, HL,,, AXG head; length different,, 3, AXG 4 TL HL, VMB VS, PV HL, TL 4, HDL TL TL, length; significantly butleri * AXG,,

, TL

MB AXG 3

HL

TL,,, FL PV, 4 MB 3 , 3 TL limb, hind having, 4 3 TL FL, HDL, AXG TL, TL HL, length; HDL pairs species bukitensis

*

MB PV, TD, AXG HL,,, MB VS, PV AXG, HL, 3 TL 4,, PV, FL HDL PV, AXG, 3 TL

3

, HDL forelimb,; FL

of length Matrix test

.

Table

7

Tukey

HSD bukitensis butleri ishaki jaripendek kakikecil martae perhentianensis temengorensis – AXG groin axilla, rows.