New species of Coleodactylus PARKER, 1926 of the dunes of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, with notes on its relationships and sexual dichromatism in the genus (Squamata, Gekkonidae)
Xavier-Freire, Eliza-Maria
Boletim do Museu Nacional, Zoologia 399: 1-14
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0080-312X Accession: 011056587
Coleodactylus natalensis n.sp. is described from forest patches among the coastal dunes of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It differs strongly from C. meridionalis, the only other species known from Northeastern Brazil, mainly in color pattern. Coleodactylus natalensis n.sp. is the smallest species in the genus, and it is characterized by the presence of 2-3 dark bordered light spots on each side of the back, color pattern similar to that presented by C. septentrionalis. However, C. natalensis n.sp differs from the latter in body size, scale counts, and by presenting sexual dichromatism. The new species seems to be endemic of the patchy forests along the dunes, once in collections made to the north and to the south of Natal, the obtained species was C. meridionalis.