Australasian Journal of Herpetology 3 Australasian Journal of Herpetology 34:3-35. ISSN 1836-5698 (Print) Published 20 July 2017. ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) A further break-up of the Australian gecko genus Oedura Gray, 1842 sensu lato as currently recognized, from four to seven genera, with two new subgenera defined, description of fourteen new species, four new subspecies and formalising of one tribe and five subtribes. RAYMOND T. HOSER 488 Park Road, Park Orchards, Victoria, 3134, Australia. Phone: +61 3 9812 3322 Fax: 9812 3355 E-mail: snakeman (at) snakeman.com.au Received 15 January 2017, Accepted 20 May 2017, Published 20 July 2017. ABSTRACT The genus Oedura Gray, 1842 sensu lato has been the subject of numerous taxonomic reviews in recent years. These have resulted in division of the genus into deeply divergent, but distantly related groups at the genus level as well as numerous new species being formally named. In light of the preceding and including results of molecular studies indicating significant divergence between species groups within Oedura as recognized in 2012 and 2016, the genus as recognized prior to 2012 is further divided to become seven (from four in 2016). These all have known divergences well in excess of 15 MYA, making genus-level subdivision inevitable. Divergent subgenera with divergences in the order of 13-15 MYA are also formally named for the first time. Within this new generic arrangement, fourteen new species are formally described for the first time in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Ride et al. 1999) on the basis of obvious morphological differences from similar species, which they have been treated as until now and also based on the known genetic divergences ascertained from earlier cited literature, all of which are measured in the millions of years (2.5 MYA or more). Four distinctive and allopatric populations of widespread species are also given formal subspecies-level recognition for the first time. There is no doubt that many more species await formal description, even after the publication of this paper naming fourteen. The genus Oedura, as most commonly defined prior to the publication of Wells and Wellington (1985) is herein placed in a tribe with five defined subtribes, including genera defined here and the species within Strophurus Fitzinger, 1843 as generally defined to date. Keywords: Taxonomy; lizards; Australia; Gecko; Oedura; Hesperoedura; Nebulifera; Amalosia; new tribe; Fiacumminggeckoini; new subtribe; Fiacumminggeckoina; Celertenuina; Hesperoedurina; Nebuliferina; Strophuriina; new genus; Marlenegecko; Fiacumminggecko; Celertenues; new subgenus Fereoedura; Robwatsongecko; new species; bulliardi; rentonorum; fiacummingae; richardwellsi; rosswellingtoni; charlespiersoni; matteoae; dorisioi; julianfordi; shireenhoserae; bobbottomi; evanwhittoni; helengrasswillae; alexanderdudleyi; new subspecies; whartoni; eungellaensis; davidcharitoni; merceicai; Warrumbungle Ranges; NSW; New South Wales; Pilbara; Groote Eylandt; Northern Territory; Western Australia; Kimberley Ranges; Fortescue River, Queensland. Hoser 2017 - Australasian Journal of Herpetology 34:3-35. Available online at www.herp.net Copyright- Kotabi Publishing - All rights reserved 4 Australasian Journal of Herpetology INTRODUCTION However a review of their data and that published in 2016 by The genus Oedura Gray, 1842 as recognized for most of the Oliver and Doughty (2016) shows that the Oliver et al. (2012) past 150 years has long been viewed as containing so-called taxonomy is too conservative and that Oedura as recognized by cryptic species. them contains other species groups worthy of recognition at the In modern herpetology, cryptic species are usually not so much genus level. defined as being hard to find or distinguish, so much as being To that effect, three new genera are named, as well as overlooked or not found due to simple disinterest by zoologists subgenera. rather than any innate difficulty in defining such species. Strophurus Fitzinger, 1843 is not dealt with by this paper, but is In the case of the genus Oedura sensu lato new species have covered in another paper published at the same time as this one been described at an accelerating pace since the mid 1980’s as (Hoser, 2017a). a result of renewed interest in the taxonomy of Australian lizards (Strophurus Fitzinger, 1843 is in that paper divided four ways, combined with better forensic methods (read molecular with three genus names available and a fourth erected for a methods), leading to 20 species being reported on Peter Uetz’s single divergent taxon, which diverged about 20 MYA from its “The Reptile Database” as of 1 May 2017, within four genera (all nearest relative and that paper also defines, diagnoses and formerly Oedura), these being, Oedura Gray, 1842, Amalosia names two new subgenera, nine new species, two new Wells and Wellington, 1984, Hesperoedura Oliver, Bauer, subspecies as well as resurrecting some other previously little Greenbaum, Jackman and Hobbie, 2012, and Nebulifera Oliver, used names for taxon groups). Bauer, Greenbaum, Jackman and Hobbie, 2012. Hoser (2017b) deals with the genus Diplodactylus Gray 1832 That list apparently ignores three apparently valid taxa described sensu lato, with the formal naming of a new subgenus for the by Wells and Wellington, 1984 namely “Amalosia phillipsi” Wells Diplodactylus byrnei Lucas and Frost, 1896 species group and and Wellington, 1984, “Oedura attenboroughi” and “Oedura two new species within this subgenus. derilecta”, while a fourth “Oedura greeri” is in fact a subjective Having worked with large numbers of the subject taxa within senior synonym of Uetz’s “Oedura luritja Oliver and McDonald, Oedura sensu lato over more than three decades, the results as 2016”. published herein are a mere formalisation of what is already Of the 23 validly named species recognized by most competent shown in the evidence of the publications of Oliver et al. (2012), authorities to date (2017), no less than five have been described Oliver and Doughty (2016) and other recent publications on this and named for the first time in the period from 2000 to 2017, genus as cited herein. none were named in the 1990’s and 7 in the 1980’s. Hence it is not necessary for me to separately quantify in detail Having inspected in the field and elsewhere many hundreds of the evidentiary basis for the taxonomy and nomenclature within living, dead and photographs of specimens within Oedura sensu this paper as this has previously been done and is in turn self lato over a period in excess of three decades, I had intended evident in the formal descriptions in any event. publishing descriptions of several species in the period In terms of the nomenclature used, it all follows on from the well- postdating mid 2011. However this project was effectively established rules of the International Code for Zoological scuttled when Glenn Sharp and Emily Gibson of the Victorian Nomenclature Fourth Edition (Ride et al. 1999). Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) conducted The most significant feature of this paper is in fact the a violent illegal armed raid on my facility at Park Orchards, quantification by description of the (in hindsight obvious) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, unlawfully stealing files, disks and differences between species formally named for the first time in the like containing irreplaceable data. this paper as compared to their closest already named Ultimately some material was returned, but degraded and congeners. unusuable. Information relevant to specific taxonomic and nomenclatural While some of the taxa I had intended naming have since been judgements that may not be self-evident, is given after the formally described by other people, some others remain materials and methods, in the results section. unnamed. MATERIALS AND METHODS As failure to describe unnamed taxa may lead to them being The identification of the relevant genus and species groups was potentially threatened with extinction due to benign neglect by easily achieved by simple inspection of relevant specimens, live wildlife agencies, I have made the decision to publish in the field, in museums and via images sent to me by others descriptions of the more obvious unnamed species for which with accurate locality and other data. In terms of species level there is already extensive data and easily verifiable groups, biological barriers were identified by combining known corroborating material in the public domain. locality data with known geographical barriers, most of which As a result, some further species I am aware of are not formally have become well known to myself in my various researches on named in this paper, even though fourteen are formally named in other reptile groups inhabiting the same regions. this paper, as are four subspecies. The formal naming exercises are a direct result of a review of The most important results published herein as formal the relevant literature to identify all previously named groups at descriptions have arisen from an audit of all relevant published both species and genus level, including known synonyms and literature, including molecular data that has come to hand over potentially available names according to the rules of the the last decade via the published literature. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Ride et al. In combination it has shown that the genus level and species 1999). level diversity of Oedura sensu lato has been grossly As mentioned already,