South American Journal of Herpetology, 1(3), 2006, 149-165 © 2006 Brazilian Society of Herpetology THE GENUS STENOCERCUS (SQUAMATA: TROPIDURIDAE) IN EXTRA- AMAZONIAN BRAZIL, WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES CRISTIANO NOGUEIRA1,3,4 AND MIGUEL T. RODRIGUES2 1 Departamento de Ecologia, IBUSP, CP 11461, 05422-970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 2 Departamento de Zoologia, IBUSP, CP 11461, 05422-970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 3 Present adress: Conservação Internacional do Brasil, programa Cerrado. SAUS Qd. 3 Lt. 2 Bl. C, Edifício Business Point, Salas 715-722. 70070-934, Brasília, DF. Brazil. 4 Correspondig author:
[email protected] ABSTRACT: The genus Stenocercus includes over 50 species, distributed mainly in elevated areas in the Andes and adjacent lowlands, with only a few taxa known to occur in Brazil. The easternmost populations of the genus are poorly studied and represented in collections. Herein we describe Stenocercus quinarius sp. n. from northwestern Minas Gerais and western Bahia states, and Stenocercus squarrosus sp. n. from the southern portion of the state of Piauí, two previously poorly sampled areas in central and northeastern Brazil. The two new species seem closely related to Stenocercus dumerilii and Stenocercus tricristatus, but are easily diagnosed from all Stenocercus and from each other based on morphometric and meristic characters. The distribution patterns and possible phylogenetic affinities of the eastermost, pyramidal headed Stenocercus group are discussed, along with an overview of distribution patterns