Discovery of a New Species of Luperosaurus (Squamata; Gekkonidae) from Sulawesi, with a Phylogenetic Analysis of the Genus, and Comments on the Status of Luperosaurus serraticaudus

We describe a new species of Luperosaurus from first growth, low-elevation, closed canopy rain forest on Mt. Tompotika at the tip of the eastern peninsula of the island of Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia. The new species is the first record of the genus Luperosaurus from this island and differs from all known species of Luperosaurus by numerous morphological characters and a unique color pattern. The new species also shares some presumably derived character states with members of the genus Ptychozoon. A phylogenetic analysis of 24 morphological characters is consistent with the previously hypothesized presence of two species groups (putative lineages) within the genus Luperosaurus. The analysis suggests that the new species from Sulawesi may either belong to a clade also including L. brooksi and L. browni or may fall basal to the remaining Luperosaurus. The monophyly of the species currently referred to Luperosaurus is questionable. We consider Luperosaurus serraticaudus a junior synonym of L. browni.

Fig. 1.

Summary of the geographical distribution of the genus Luperosaurus. Species include (1) L. brooksi (Sumatra Isl., Indonesia); (2) L. browni [(A) peninsular Malaysia and (B) Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo]; (3) L. yasumai (Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo); (4) L. joloensis [(A) Jolo and (B) Mindanao Isls. Philippines]; (5) L. palawanensis (Palawan Isl., Philippines); (6) L. cumingi [(A) Negros Isl. and (B), southern Luzon Isls., Philippines]; (7) L. macgregori [Calayan and Barit (near Fuga) Isls., Philippines], and L. iskandari, new species (inset, type locality: Mt. Tompotika, near Siuna Desa, Propinsi Sulawesi Tengah). Hatchling specimens (CAS 62453-54) of uncertain taxonomic status from Polillo Island are indicated with a question mark. Wallace's Line (corresponding to the eastern edge of the Sunda Shelf) runs between Borneo and Sulawesi and (as modified by Huxley) extends north to divide Palawan from the remaining (oceanic) portions of the Philippines

Fig. 5.

Scalation in female holotype of Luperosaurus iskandari: (A) flat to convex flank tubercles intermixed with undifferentiated ventrolateral body scales; (B) flat, round to hexagonal dorsals, each surrounded by six triangular interstitial granules. Scale bars = 1 mm

Fig. 2.

The female holotype of Luperosaurus iskandari in life (MZB Lace. 2114; field no. RMB 1653; female, SVL 69.4 mm; photo: RMB)

Fig. 3.

(A) Lateral and (B) dorsal view of head, and (C) ventral chin scales of the holotype of Luperosaurus iskandari. Scale bars equal 5 mm

Fig. 4.

Dorsal and ventral view of the female holotype of Luperosaurus iskandari (MZB Lace. 2114; SVL 69.4 mm)

Fig. 6.

Female holotype of Luperosaurus iskandari: (A) subdigital scansors of right manus (scale bar equals 5 mm); (B) enlarged scales of the preanal pore-bearing series (scale bar = 2 mm)

Fig. 7.

Typical appearance of climax forest habitat of Luperosaurus iskandari at the type locality, 80–200 m elevation, Mt. Tompotika, Siuna, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia (Photo: RMB)

Fig. 8.

(A) Fifty percent majority-rule bootstrap consensus tree (length = 43; CI = 0.651; RI = 0.634) for the five equally parsimonious trees when selected members of the genus Ptychozoon are included as outgroups. This topology is identical to one of the five equally parsimonious trees. Of the five shortest trees, three placed L. iskandari in a clade with L. browni + L. brooksi and two others placed L. iskandari as the sister lineage to the remaining Luperosaurus. (B) Fifty percent majority-rule consensus topology for two equally parsimonious unrooted trees (length = 30; CI = 0.733; RI = 0.680) generated by the bootstrap analysis when Ptychozoon species are excluded. In both of these reconstructions, L. iskandari clustered with L. browni. In both figures, numbers below internodes indicate bootstrap support (based on a branch-and-bound search and 1000 bootstrap replicates) and decay indices; bold branches collapsed in strict consensus. Apomorphy lists for each stem (between nodes identified by letters A through N) are presented in Appendices 2 and 3