https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.1976.37.03 30 June 1976 THE ENDEMIC AUSTRALIAN LIZARD GENUS MORETHIA (SCINCIDAE; LYGOSOMINAE) IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA By P. A. Rawlinson Zoology Department, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083 Abstract The taxonomy and status of the five southern Australian species of Morethia are discussed and lectotypes are nominated to stabilize the nomenclature. Details of the species distributions are provided and the ecology, reproduction, generic relationships and phylogeny of the species are briefly mentioned. Introduction he united a group of closely related 'able- pharine' and 'non-ablepharine' skink species Boulcnger (1887) carried out the first in Lerista. Subsequently Fuhn major revision of the family Scincidae in the the genus separated the Australian 'ablepharine' third volume of his Catalogue of Lizards in (1969) skinks into nine groups, one of which was the British Museum (Natural History). In the the genus Morethia Gray, 1845. Fuhn sep- Preface to this volume Dr A. Gunther stated: arated the genus Morethia on the basis of 'I feel confident that it will give a fresh skull morphology and in doing so successfully impluse to the systematic study of lizards, placed natural group of closely related and serve as the standard work for many a 1 species into one genus. Morethia is now re- years to come . Gunther's confidence was gen- cognized to be an endemic Australian genus erally well placed and Boulenger's Catalogues which is not clearly related to any non -Aus- became the standard reference works. How- tralian genus (Storr 1972) and even its ever, in some groups rather than give a fresh Australian relationships are unclear (Rawlin- impulse to systematic studies, Boulenger's son 1974). The genus presently consists of concepts caused a stagnation that lasted more six described species, two described subspec- than half a century. One such group was his ies and an undescribed 'race' (Storr 1972). large and clumsy genus Lygosoma with it's The Morethia species and subspecies (and eleven subgenera, and another was the genus therefore the genus) can be divided into two Ablepharus into which Boulenger placed all geographical and evolutionary groups: a skinks with an immoveable transparent lower 'northern' group centered in the arid and eyelid (the 'ablepharine' eye). These genera semi-arid tropical areas of Australia; and a were long recognized to be polyphyletic, but 'southern' group centered in the arid and it wasn't until Mittleman (1952) erected the semi-arid temperate areas of Australia. The subfamily Lygosominae and revised the in- 'northern' group consists of: M. taeniopleura cluded genera that a new stimulus was pro- taeniopleura (Peters 1874) found in N and vided. Mittleman included the species Boul- E Queensland, which reaches to 27 i° S but enger had placed in Ablepharus in the Lygos- is centered N of the Tropic of Capricorn ominae and broke up the genus. Since that 23i° S; M. taeniopleura ruficauda (Lucas time work on the higher taxa of Lygosomine and Frost 1895) found in N Northern Territ- skinks has made rapid progress and the ory and Western Australia, which reaches species Boulenger included in the genus Ab- N to S but is centered N of the Tropic of lepharus have been reclassified. 25i° ; taeniopleura exquisita Storr The Australian skinks which were included Capricorn M. in Western Australia, which in Boulenger's definition of the genus Able- 1972 found NW 25° pharus have been dealt with in two main reaches to S but is centered N of the Tropic undescribed race of papers. Greer (1967) convincingly demon- of Capricorn; and an strated the artificial nature of the 'ablepharine' M. taeniopleura recorded from the N of the eye taxonomically and phylogenetically when Northern Territory by Storr (1972). These 27 28 P. A. RAWLINSON 'northern' taxa are allopatric and appear to opportunity to correct the conflicts between be mutually exclusive (Storr 1972). Smyth's and Storr's papers is taken. Also, as The 'southern' group consists of the re- the author has examined and identified all maining five described species and it appears Morethia specimens in the Queensland Mus- to have radiated more widely than the 'north- eum (QM) Brisbane, the Australian Museum ern' group. Three of the five 'southern' spec- (AM) Sydney, and the National Museum of ies, M. adelaidensis, M. butleri and M. ob- Victoria (NMV) Melbourne, detailed lists of scura, although reasonably widely distributed these specimens are provided under the ap- are restricted to arid and semi-arid areas S propriate headings below to complement the of 271° S; the fourth species, M. lineoocel- data in Smyth and Storr. As there is no lata, is virtually restricted to the SW coast Morethia material in the Tasmanian Museum, of Western Australia but it extends above the Hobart, or the Queen Victoria Museum, Laun- Tropic of Capricorn to about 20i° S; the ceston, the data in Smyth's and Storr's papers fifth species, M, boulengeri, is widely distii- and the present paper represents a complete buted across S Australia and it extends just listing of the 'southern' Morethia specimens above the Tropic of Capricorn to about 22i° held in the Australian state museums. S in S Queensland. Of the 'southern' taxa, Genus Morethia Gray, 1845 M. boulengeri and M. butleri are allopatric and appear to be mutually exclusive as do Morethia Gray, J. E., 1845, Catalogue of lizards: 65. TYPE SPECIES; Morethia anomalus Gray, 1845, M. lineoocellaia and M. obscura; butleri M. Ibid.: 65 — Ahlepharus lineoocellatus Dumeril, and M. adelaidensis are largely allopatric but and Bibron, 1839, Erpetologie Generate 5: 817. overlap in Western Australia; SE and M. Remarks; Smyth (1972) incorrectly listed adelaidensis, M. boulengeri and M. obscura Ablepharus lineoocellatus Dumeril and Bibron overlap widely across S Australia. Thus it 1839 as the type species of the genus. Storr can be seen that the Tropic of Capricorn (1972) listed Morethia anomalus Gray 1845 forms a boundary between the 'northern' and as the type species by monotypy and in the 'southern' groups of Morethia and it is the same paper designated M . anomalus as a jun- five 'southern' species as defined above which ior subjective synonym of A. lineoocellatus. are dealt with in detail in this paper. Diagnosis: Small skinks (snout-vent length 17- Two recent local revisions of the genus 56 mm); an 'ablepharine' eye i.e. lower eyelid Morethia included the five 'southern' species. an immoveable transparent disc fused to the The first revision, published by Smyth (August eye surface; Frontoparietals and interparietal 31, 1972) was of the South Australian species fused into a single large shield; parietals con- but it also included all specimens of Morethia tact along midline; supranasal and postnasal in the South Australian Museum. Storr pub- scales present but may be fused to each other lished the second revision (November 3, 1972), or to nasal scale; frontonasal in broad contact which was of the Western Australian species with the rostral; frontal much larger than the but it also included all specimens of Morethia prefrontals; prefrontals rarely in contact; four in the Western Australian Museum. Unfor- supraoculars, second the largest, first and sec- tunately Symth's and Storr's papers contain ond contact the frontal, second third and fourth some conflicting interpretations and neither contact the frontoparietal-interparietal shield; author examined the types of Morethia lineo- one pair of nuchal scales; seven (occasionally ocellaia (Dumeril and Bibron 1839) which eight) upper labial scales, the fifth largest was the first of the Morethia species described and completely subocular; eight to ten preanal and hence the most important taxonomically. scales, central four slightly enlarged; limbs The present paper deals with the 'southern' pentadactyl; digits not elongate, 14-27 lamellae Morethia species in Queensland, New South under the fourth toe; body scales smooth, Wales and Victoria, and as the author has moderately large, 24-34 rows at midbody; examined all relevant type specimens, the external ear opening obvious. , THE ENDEMIC AUSTRALIAN LIZARD 29 In the descriptions of Morethia species and — Storr, 1972, /. R. Soc. W. Aust. 55: 73-79. Flgs ls 2 ' specimens below, scalation details consistent " with the generic description above are not Lectotype: Smyth (1972): ZMB 4733, Zoo- repeated, logisches Museum der Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin. Locality: Adelaide. Collector: KEY TO THE SOUTHERN AUSTRALIAN Schomhun* No other data SPECIES OF MORETHIA 2>cnomDurgk. JNo otntr data. scnp lor e< m 1 Subdigital lamellae acutely keeled, uni- /' ,, . D , Lu f + / , u c . °. , . a Remarks: The lectotype, selected by Smyth in cannate to tricannate; five srx '/ i ' or sup- ln71 +u , it / i .. .,- . * 1971, was the largest of three syntypes under 9 " ••'' ' this catalogue the paralectotypes c i. a- u i i 11 xi & number and r Subdigital lamellae smooth or obtuselv , u u 4*kkt* , . r .... „ have now been togiven new numbers, ZMB keeled; six supracihanes 3. ~ , , - , . , ' .^^ n ... .. n t-,. \ A , , r 42872-73, data as for lectotype. supracilianes, , 2. Five the third, fourth c +u nn7^ , c A^nn\ u fu * ' . and Storr both coni- ,J t i j SmythJ (1972) (1972) fifth largest, . and subequal, and pen- A , c +u « mented on Petersn / /107 ^ use of the name~ j i t, J (1874) t t th l ' i j- -x i 1 ii • Ablepharus (Morethia) anomalus adelaidensis subdigital • lamellae unicarmate or a -<.u a a n +~ > a *~~ a~ . " . , , . and neither considered Peters description ade- tncarinate M. adelaidensis . TT c ., . , , „ . , . .,, . .- ~ ^ ., - quate. However, Smyth considered Peters use Six.supracilianes, the first the largest Qf ^ mm& constituted a valid indication of and the remainder forming a deereas- a d ^^ ^ namfi tQ hi aM ^ ing series, junctions of supracilianes , cQrdi sekcted Qne of pet£rs three with supraocular linear or slightly frQm ^ BerM MmQum as k s curved, supracilianes do not pene rate ho did no[ ^.^ pete use Qf flie between supraoculars; subdigital lam- name constituted a vaIid indication of a specie s ellae unicarmate ...