Claves para lepidophyma

NUMBER 493 5 AUGUST 2002

CONTRIBUTIONS IN SCIENCE
SYSTEMATICS
OF

XANTUSIID LIZARDS

OF THE

GENUS LEPIDOPHYMA
ROBERT L. BEZY
´ AND JOSE

L. CAMARILLO R.

SERIAL PUBLICATIONS
OF THE

The scientific publications of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County have been issued at irregular intervals in three major series; the issues in each series are numbered individually,and numbers run consecutively, regardless of the subject matter. Contributions in Science, a miscellaneous series of technical papers describing original research in the life and earth sciences. Science Bulletin, a miscellaneous series of monographs describing original research in the life and earth sciences. This series was discontinued in 1978 with the issue of Numbers 29 and 30; monographs arenow published by the Museum in Contributions in Science. Science Series, long articles and collections of papers on natural history topics. Copies of the publications in these series are sold through the Museum Book Shop. A catalog is available on request. The Museum also publishes Technical Reports, a miscellaneous series containing information relative to scholarly inquiry and collections butnot reporting the results of original research. Issue is authorized by the Museum’s Scientific Publications Committee; however, manuscripts do not receive anonymous peer review. Individual Technical Reports may be obtained from the relevant Section of the Museum.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
John Heyning, Deputy Director for Research andCollections John M. Harris, Committee Chairman Brian V. Brown Gordon Hendler Ines Horovitz ´ Joel W. Martin K. Victoria Brown, Managing Editor
OF

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM LOS ANGELES COUNTY
900 EXPOSITION BOULEVARD LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90007

Printed at Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas ISSN 0459-8113

SYSTEMATICS OF XANTUSIID LIZARDS GENUS LEPIDOPHYMA
ROBERT L. BEZY1
´ AND JOSE

OF THEL. CAMARILLO R.2

ABSTRACT. Multivariate analyses of variation in 30 scale characters among 129 locality samples of members of the genus Lepidophyma (A. Dumeril in Dumeril and Dumeril, 1851) identify the presence of ´ ´ ´ 6 morphological groups in Mexico below the latitude of 19 N. Univariate comparisons among the samples ´ diagnose a total of 17 morphological species in the genus, 10 ofwhich occur in southern Mexico. Three ´ species of Lepidophyma have broad (but discontinuous) geographic distributions: L. flavimaculatum A. Dumeril in Dumeril and Dumeril, 1851 (Veracruz to Panama), L. smithii Bocourt, 1876 (Guerrero to El ´ ´ ´ ´ Salvador), and L. sylvaticum Taylor, 1939 (Nuevo Leon to Veracruz). The other 14 members of the genus ´ seem to have relatively small ranges, and 7 ofthese are known from only one or two localities. The greatest species diversity occurs in Oaxaca and Chiapas (10 species) and the northern Sierra Madre Oriental of Queretaro and San Luis Potosı (4 species). ´ ´ RESUMEN. Un analisis multivariado de variacion en 30 caracteres de escamas de 129 localidades con ´ ´ muestras de miembros del genero de Lepidophyma (A. Dumeril in Dumeril y Dumeril, 1851)identifica la ´ ´ ´ ´ presencia de 6 grupos morfologicos en Mexico por debajo de la latitud de 19 N. Comparaciones univar´ ´ iadas entre todas las muestras diagnostican un total de 17 especies morfologicas en el genero, 10 de las ´ ´ cuales se encuentran en el sureste de Mexico. Tres especies de Lepidophyma tienen una amplia (pero ´ discontinua) distribucion geografica: L. flavimaculatum A. Dumeril inDumeril y Dumeril, 1851 (Veracruz ´ ´ ´ ´ ´ a Panama), L. smithii Bocourt, 1876 (Guerrero a El Salvador) y L. sylvaticum Taylor, 1939 (Nuevo Leon ´ ´ a Veracruz). Los otros 14 miembros del genero paracen tener areas de distribucion relativamente pequenas ´ ´ ´ ˜ y 7 de estas se conocen unicamente de una o dos localidades. Las regiones con maxima diversidad de ´ ´ especies estan en Oaxaca y Chiapas...