Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos

Saly Sitthivong; Peter Brakels; Santi Xayyasith; Nathanaël Maury; Sabira Idiiatullina; Parinya Pawangkhanant; Kai Wang; Tan Van Nguyen; Nikolay A. Poyarkov

doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.062

Volume 44 Issue 6

Nov. 2023

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Saly Sitthivong, Peter Brakels, Santi Xayyasith, Nathanaël Maury, Sabira Idiiatullina, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Kai Wang, Tan Van Nguyen, Nikolay A. Poyarkov. Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos. Zoological Research, 2023, 44(6): 1039-1051. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.062

Citation:

Saly Sitthivong, Peter Brakels, Santi Xayyasith, Nathanaël Maury, Sabira Idiiatullina, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Kai Wang, Tan Van Nguyen, Nikolay A. Poyarkov. Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos. Zoological Research, 2023, 44(6): 1039-1051. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.062

Citation:

Saly Sitthivong, Peter Brakels, Santi Xayyasith, Nathanaël Maury, Sabira Idiiatullina, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Kai Wang, Tan Van Nguyen, Nikolay A. Poyarkov. Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos. Zoological Research, 2023, 44(6): 1039-1051. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.062

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Hiding on jagged karst pinnacles: A new microendemic genus and species of a limestone-dwelling agamid lizard (Squamata: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Khammouan Province, Laos

doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.062

1.
Faculty of Forestry, National University of Laos, Vientiane 01170, Lao PDR
2.
IUCN Laos PDR, Vientiane 01160, Lao PDR
3.
Faculty of Environmental Sciences, National University of Laos, Vientiane 01170, Lao PDR
4.
Chelonian Conservation Center Laos, World Encyclopedia of Herpetofauna, Vientiane 01000, Lao PDR
5.
Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119234, Russia
6.
Rabbit in the Moon Foundation (RIM), Suanphueng, Ratchaburi 70180, Thailand
7.
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
8.
Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yezin , Nay Pyi Taw 05282, Myanmar
9.
Institute for Research and Training in Medicine, Biology and Pharmacy, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
10.
College of Medicine & Pharmacy, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
11.
Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi 122000, Vietnam

Fieldwork in Laos was permitted by the letter from the National University of Laos, Lao PDR (permit no. 011 of 23 October 2022); sample exportation was permitted by the decision No. 3820/DoF of 10 August, 2023 by the Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Lao PDR.
Supplementary data to this article can be found online.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
P.B., T.V.N. and N.A.P. designed the study. P.B., S.X. and S.S. collected specimens in the field. N.A.P. and S.I. performed molecular experiments. P.B., T.V.N, S.S.I., N.M, P.P., K.W. and N.A.P. prepared figures and tables and performed data analyses. P.B., K.W., T.V.N. and N.A.P. wrote the manuscript. K.W., T.V.N. and N.A.P. revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funds: This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (22-14-00037) to N.A.P. (phylogenetic analyses), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32130015) to K.W. (data collection), and partially by Rufford Foundation (39897-1) to N.T.V. (data collection)

More Information

Corresponding author: Email: wangkai@mail.kiz.ac.cn; tan.sifasv@gmail.com; n.poyarkov@gmail.com
Received Date: 2023-07-28
Accepted Date: 2023-10-09

Published Online: 2023-10-10

Publish Date: 2023-11-18

Abstract

Abstract

We describe a unique new species and genus of agamid lizard from the karstic massifs of Khammouan Province, central Laos. Laodracon carsticola Gen. et sp. nov. is an elusive medium-sized lizard (maximum snout-vent length 101 mm) specifically adapted to life on limestone rocks and pinnacles. To assess the phylogenetic position of the new genus amongst other agamids, we generated DNA sequences from two mitochondrial gene fragments (16S rRNA and ND2) and three nuclear loci (BDNF, RAG1 and c-mos), with a final alignment comprising 7 418 base pairs for 64 agamid species. Phylogenetic analyses unambiguously place the new genus in the mainland Asia subfamily Draconinae, where it forms a clade sister to the genus Diploderma from East Asia and the northern part of Southeast Asia. Morphologically, the new genus is distinguished from all other genera in Draconinae by possessing a notably swollen tail base with enlarged scales on its dorsal and ventral surfaces. Our work provides further evidence that limestone regions of Indochina represent unique “arks of biodiversity” and harbor numerous relict lineages. To date, Laodracon carsticola Gen. et sp. nov. is known from only two adult male specimens and its distribution seems to be restricted to a narrow limestone massif on the border of Khammouan and Bolikhamxai provinces of Laos. Additional studies are required to understand its life history, distribution, and conservation status.
- Biodiversity,
- Endemism,
- Indochina,
- Karstic landscape,
- Laodracon carsticola,
- Phylogeny,
- Southeast Asia,
- Taxonomy

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References(68)

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