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HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 30 HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 30 COLOUR-PATTERN POLYMORPHISM IN LIZARDS OF THE GENUS PRASINOHAEMA (SQUAMATA: SCINCIDAE) Fred Kraus Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817, USA The scincid genus Prasinohaema contains five mens of both sexes. The polymorphisms of named species and is restricted to New both species (originally described under the Guinea, adjacent islands along its southeast- genus Lygosoma) initially went unnoticed ern peninsula, and the Solomon Islands because type series for both were small, con- (Greer, 1974; Mys, 1988). The most notable sisting of only two male P. prehensicauda feature of this genus is that its members have (Loveridge, 1945) and a single female P. green blood plasma, a feature caused by flavipes (Parker, 1936). high concentrations of biliverdin (Austin & Despite the suggestive brief remarks made by Jessing, 1994) and not found in other Greer and Raizes (1969) and Woodruff amniotes. This imparts a greenish or bluish (1972), neither detailed descriptions nor cast to some internal tissues (Greer & Raizes, colour photographs of these colour-pattern 1969). Also noteworthy are that members of variants have been provided. This is unfortu- the genus have prehensile tails with modified nate because colour-pattern polymorphisms scales at the tip and that they are ovovivipa- of the magnitude seen in these two species rous (Greer, 1974). Relationships of Prasino- are not common among scleroglossan haema to other scincids remain uncertain lizards. I recently obtained series of both (Allison & Greer, 1986), and no attempt has species from the vicinity of Kunida, Muller yet been made to resolve relationships within Range of Southern Highlands Province, the genus. Biological information on these Papua New Guinea, that allow for a more species is sparse, barely extending beyond detailed assessment of colour-pattern varia- original diagnoses and geographic range tion in both species. These specimens are data; however, a survey of blood parasites in deposited at the Bernice P. Bishop Museum four of the species from five localities showed (BPBM) in Honolulu, Hawaii. I take this infection rates to be very low (Austin & opportunity to provide colour illustrations and Perkins, 2006). more detailed descriptions of each so as to In addition to their unique blood colour, some stimulate greater awareness of the interesting species of Prasinohaema demonstrate inter- biology of these lizards. esting polymorphisms in their colour patterns. Greer and Raizes (1969) mentioned that COLORATION male P. prehensicauda (treated under the name Scincella prehensicauda) were predom- Prasinohaema flavipes inantly green whereas females were brown Unicolour morph. The dorsum and sides with darker crossbands. Further, they noted are brown with each scale posteriorly mar- that P. flavipes (treated under the name Sphe- gined in darker brown; in life, the sides may nomorphus flavipes) occurred in three pattern have a greenish-yellow cast (Figure 1A) or not morphs: unicolour brown, brown with darker (Figure 1B). Animals frequently have a few crossbands, and striped. Woodruff (1972) scattered dark-brown dashes (Figure 1B), also mentioned the colour-pattern polymor- most commonly on the sides, which can vary phism in P. prehensicauda, noted that the from sparsely to heavily streaked. When dark green colouration of males faded to golden dashes are present they are sparse mid-dor- brown in preservative, and provided a black- sally. The venter may be lemon yellow or and-white photograph of preserved speci- greenish-yellow in life (Figure 1C) and is dirty Page 30 Herpetofauna 40 (1) 2010 HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 31 white in preservative; it may be flecked with less continuous with the dark lateral field, but dark brown laterally, but only in those speci- these blotches remain distinct in a few mens that are streaked laterally. A short dark- animals. In life, the venter is greenish-yellow brown dash is present before and after the with scattered brown dashes, but these are eye (Figure 1B). Ground colour of the limbs is sparser than in the banded morph; the venter like the dorsum, and the limbs lack dark is white in preservative. The limbs are spotted dashes but have some vague, paler brown with both lighter and darker brown scales, as spotting (Figure 1A, B). in the banded morph. Banded morph. Generally similar to the The palms and soles of animals of all three unicolour morph but with many dark-brown colour morphs are yellow, which can vary dashes that are denser, larger, and more-or- from bright to dark. The mouth lining has a less arrayed in a pattern to comprise irregu- pale-blue cast, and the tongue is blue-black. lar crossbands (Figure 1D). These bands are The peritoneum of all specimens is dark black typically broken and irregular and vary from dorsally and laterally; ventrally it is also black 1 - 3 scales in depth. The dark postocular but not uniformly distributed, which makes stripe is larger and better developed than in the ventral peritoneum appear unevenly the unicolour morph and is followed by two blotched. There is no white colour in the peri- or three large dark-brown blotches to the toneum. point above the forearm insertion (Figure In the sample of 38 specimens obtained by 1D). These postocular blotches are least me, 21 are of the unicolour morph, 12 of the developed in the two specimens with the most banded morph, and five of the striped weakly developed dorsal banding. Dark- morph. The total sample of animals, collect- brown flecks are also present on the limbs, ed from 23 March to 4 April, 2009, consisted which impart to the limbs a more spotted of seven immature females, 11 mature appearance than seen in the unicolour females, three immature males, and 16 morph. The venter is greenish-yellow in life, mature males. Hence, the sex ratio did not usually with dark-brown dashes, at least lat- differ meaningfully from 1:1. Nor did it do so erally (Figure 1E); it is dirty white in preserva- within colour morphs: there are 11 males vs. tive. Three of 12 individuals are heavily 10 females of the unicolour morph, five covered with these dashes, but most have males vs. seven females of the banded them confined to the lateral margins of the morph, and three males vs. two females of venter. the striped morph. Only two of the mature Striped morph: The central 7–8 scale rows females contained developing embryos; the of the dorsum comprise a field of dark brown remainder contained yolking follicles and with a peppering of small tan dashes that expanded, convoluted oviducts. The two vary from moderate to heavy in concentration gravid females (both of the unicolour morph) (Figure 1F). This dark field is subtended by a each contained four embryos. In the first tan dorsolateral stripe 2 - 3 scale rows in female, two embryos were unicolour and two width. Below this, the ground colour is the were banded. In the second, one embryo was same tan or light-brown colour (with a yel- unicolour, two were banded, and one was lower cast ventrally) but is heavily streaked striped. Hence, all colour morphs can be pro- with dark-brown or black dashes of varying duced in the same litter. length, which impart to the sides a generally Prasinohaema prehensicauda darker-brown appearance. White spots are scattered within this lateral field (Figure 1F). Females: The dorsum is medium brown, The dark postocular bar and blotches seen in flecked with tan, and with narrow dark-brown the banded morph are usually merged into a crossbands on body and tail; these cross- single wide, irregular stripe that is more-or- bands can vary in number from approximate- Herpetofauna 40 (1) 2010 Page 31 HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 32 Figure 1. Colour-pattern variation in Prasinohaema flavipes. Dorsal views of unicolour morph, BPBM 34219 (A) and BPBM 34235 (B); banded morph, BPBM 34234 (D); and striped morph, BPBM 34238 (F); and ventral views of unicolour morph, BPBM 34216 (C) and banded morph, BPBM 34234 (E). Page 32 Herpetofauna 40 (1) 2010 HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 33 Figure 2. Sexual dimorphism in Prasinohaema prehensicauda. Females BPBM 34249 (A) and BPBM 34255 (B), and male BPBM 34621 (C), showing blue colouration of mouth and tongue of latter (D). Herpetofauna 40 (1) 2010 Page 33 HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 6/4/11 8:23 PM Page 34 ly 6 - 9 on the body and vary slightly in the (presumably green in life) but darker brown degree to which they contrast with the ground after midbody. There are mid-dorsal cross- colour (Figure 2A, B). In one specimen (BPBM wise blotches anteriorly, which become cross- 34256), the dark crossbands are not well dif- bands extending down the sides posterior to ferentiated from the ground colour. Greenish- midbody. The sides and dorsum are heavily yellow flecks and blotches are densely blotched with white (presumably green-yellow scattered throughout the dorsum, sides, face, in life). The head is darker golden brown, and and tail (Figure 2A) or may be limited to the the face has some dark-brown blotches. The more anterior regions (Figure 2B). The scales venter is white, the sides of the chin and encircling the eye are white. The dark cross- throat have dark-brown blotches, and the bands turn to black on the lower flanks. The lower sides of the body and tail also have brown ground colour changes to golden black blotches. The lips are dusted with dark brown in preservative, and the green-yellow gray. flecks become white. The central 7 - 8 scale The palms and soles of both sexes are bright rows of the venter are white, and these scales yellow or orange.
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