Record.., o{ the Western A llslralian Aluseum 25: 95-106 (200k). A new species of Lucasium (Squamata: Diplodactylidae) from the southern deserts of Western Australia and South Australia Paul Doughty! and Mark N. Hutchinson2 'Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, \Nestern Australia 6106, Australia. F:-mail: PauJ.[)oughty(UlllUseum.wa.gov.au 'South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia, and School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia. E-mail: hutchinson.mark(usaugov.sa.gov.au Abstract - Discoveries of new species of Australian squamaks continue following explorations of remote regions, examination of large series of taxa that differ subtly and through genetic techniques. Ilere we describe a new species of Lllcasium from the southern deserts of Western Australia and South Australia. Lucasium bungabinna sp. novo differs from congeners by possessing relatively wide apical plates, a simple body pattern consisting of a pale vertebral stripe and lateral spotting, slightlv more robust bodv and tail and nostril in contact with rostral scale. The new taxon occurs on the Bungalbin sandplain in Western Australia and the Yellabinna sand plain in South Australia, extending to the Peninsula. INTRODUCTION Kluge (1967) long ago suggested that there was The Australian arid zone boasts the most diverse significant morphological variation in L. desert lizard fauna in the world (Pianka 1989). Local stenodactylum. His "Population A" from Western faunal assemblages can include 50 or more species, Australia comprised specimens from the western and the total number of species currently known to deserts, including the type locality of L. inhabit desert and semidesert habitats (mean annual stenodactylum (Roebuck Bay off Broome), and rainfall < 200 mm) is at least 270 (based on range includes specimens having numerous large and maps in Wilson and Swan 2003). Even so, these small lateral spots, and with variable expression of numbers are an underestimate of the true diversity. a pale vertebral stripe that forks on the neck to end Many of Australia's widespread lizard genera and over each eye. These animals have small but still species are likely to harbour as yet undescribed distinct and possibly functional apical plates (or species (Donnellan et al. 1993), and many of the scansors), and a reduced phalangeal formula in the more successful lizard lineages in desert areas have fourth finger (four instead of five phalanges). still to be fully investigated for cryptic species. Such Kluge's "Population B" from central Australia cryptic species can be detected by examining large (including a large series from Warburton) had a series of preserved museum specimens in more distinct colour pattern, with fewer, sharp­ combination with genetic screens across large areas edged lateral spots and the consistent presence of a of the arid zone. strongly defined pale vertebral stripe. This form The Australian diplodactylid genus Lucasium had variable (small to vestigial) apical plates and Wermuth 1965 is a group of small, terrestrial, variable phalangeal counts in the fourth finger (four desert-dwelling geckos, until recently mostly in the north, five in the south with both counts included in [)iplodactvlus Cray, 1832 (Bauer et aJ. recorded in central Australia). Pepper et aJ. (2006) 1988; StO!T et al. 1990; Cogger 2000; Wilson and showed that the variation within L. stenodactvlum Swan 2003; Oliver et al. 2(07). The species diversity is more complex than Kluge's simple dichotomy, in this genus (as the Oiplodactylus stenodactylus with at least three species probably present within species-group) was recently examined Pepper et Kluge's Population B forms (designated "non­ al. (2006), who showed that there was significant Pilbara", "Species I" and "Species divergence in mitochondrial gene sequences among Species 2 specimens from the southern deserts of specimens identified phenotypically as L. Western Australia and South Australia are stenodactylum (Boulenger, 1896). In both this and distributed south of the geographic range of L. the later paper by Oliver et al. (2007), the "species" stenodactylum of either of Kluge's forms (Kluge L. stenodactylum was regarded as probably 1967, fig. 10; Storr et al. 1990, figure p. 41; Figure 1). encompassing several species. Molecular phylogenetic work also shows that 96 P. Doughty, M.N. Hutchinson 114 116 118 120 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 138 ~(;:J (!J '<t (;j (;) C';l r;fJ (;) (;) (;) (;) (;) <D (;) C';l 1i;!) (;) (;) (;) (;) co ~ C';l • • • ~(!;)~ 0 ~ w '? (;) @ o • • • , (;) N '? • • '<t • '? (;) Lucasium stenodactylum • Lucasium bungabinna sp. nov 114 116 118 120 122 124 126 128 130 132 134 136 138 Figure 1 Distribution of Lucasium bungabinna sp. novo and L. stenodactylum in southern Australia. Species 2 is not closely related to other populations Table 1 Meristic characters and their abbreviations currently included in L. stenodactylvm (Pepper et used in this study. al. 2006), but is instead closely related to another SVL Snout-vent length species of Lvcasivm, L. immacvlatum (Storr, 1988) TrunkL Trunk length from axilla to groin from western Queensland and eastern Northern TL Tail length of original tails Territory (Oliver et al. 2007). Unpublished allozyme TailW Tail width at widest point on original tails results (S. Donnellan and M. Adams), also indicate ArmL Foreleg length from elbow to tip of 4th finger that Species 2 is distinct from L. stenodactylvm. LegL Tibia length from upper surface of knee to th These Lucasium populations have much larger tip of 4 toe terminal apical plates than any other population HeadL Head length from tip of snout to retroarticular process included under L. stenodactylum, and differ subtly HeadW Head width at widest point in colour and pattern. A revision of L. steno­ HeadH Head height at highest point dactylum is in preparation (P. Doughty, M. Pepper OrbL Orbit length from lower anterior to upper and J. S. Keogh, unpublished data), but the posterior corners distinctiveness of Species 2 has enabled us to NarEye Distance from naris to anterior corner of eye describe it herein as a new species. SnEye Distance from snout to anterior corner of eye EyeEar Distance from posterior edge of eye to anterior margin of ear INar Internarial distance MATERIALS AND METHODS 10 Interorbital width at centre of eyes Specimens in the collections of the Western SupLab Number of supralabial scales Australian Museum, Perth (WAM) and the South InfLab Number of infralabial scales Australian Museum, Adelaide (SAMA) form the CreaseL Proportional length of the crease on rostral basis of this description. All specimens used in the scale IntNar Presence or absence of minute internarial molecular studies (allozymes or DNA sequences) scale were examined morphologically. Well-preserved AntSup Number of anterior supranasals specimens that conformed to the set of character PostNas Number of postnasal scales states defined by these typed specimens and were NolO Number of scales between centre of orbits from the same area were regarded as conspecific. NoSC Number of subcaudal scales from fracture Osteological characters of the skull were examined plane to tip on original tails nd in two dry specimens prepared using bleach­ RelLab Relative height of 1,t and 2 labial scales assisted hand dissection. Phalangeal counts of the Cspurs-L Average number of enlarged cloacal spurs Cspurs-T Average total number of clocal spurs (small fourth finger were checked by peeling away the and large) skin of the left fourth finger in several individuals. MenL/W Ratio of length/width of mental scale Specimens of the new species that are not the A new Lucasium gecko from the southern deserts 97 holotype or paratypes as well as specimens of L. 1989). The new species shares all of the diagnostic stcnodactylllm from the adjoining regions to the features of the genus. north in each state are given in the Appendix. Table 1 defines the meristic characters, and their Lucasium bungabinna sp. novo abbreviations, used in this study. These Southern Sandplain C;ecko measurements and scale counts arc presented in Figures 2-4 Table 2 for 42 specimens of Species 2 and 25 specimens of the nearest populations of L. "Oiplodactylus species 2": Pepper et al. 2006: 542 stcnodactylum from Western Australian and South "Oiplodactylus stenodactvlus": Bush et al. 2007: Australia. We also calculated the following ratios: 115. TrunkL/SVL, ArmL/SVL, LegL/SVL, HeadL/SVL, lieadW/SVl" HeadH/SVL and TailL%SVL. Material examined Examination of the raw data indicated no violations of assumptions of parametric tests; therefore, tests HO/OIl/pc were carried out on untransformed data. We tested Australia: Western Australia: WAM R166888. An whether there were differences in SVL according to adult male from 16 km northeast of Bungalbin IIill sex and taxon with a 2-way ANOVA. For the at 30 0 1740"S, 119°44'50"E. Collected by D. Robinson following variables, we used 2-way ANCOVAs to on 7 April 2007. test for sex and taxon, using SVL as a covariate: TrunkL, TailL, ArmL, LegL, lieadL, HeadW, Pl7rall/pcs HeadH, NolO and NoSe. For all statistical tests, Australia: Western Australia: (all in WAM): interaction and covariates were deleted from R121955 (M) and RI21956 (M) Bungalbin Hill, models when P> 0.05. 30 0 42'S, 119°38'E;RI26400 (M), R126405 (M) ­ Bungalbin Sandplain, 3()o17S, 119°45'E; R151202 (M, genotyped) - 20 km E Sandstone, 27°59'S, Taxonomy 1l9°30'E; R147385 (F), 1~155409 (F), R155410 (F) and Family Diplodactylidae Underwood 1954 R155412 (F) - 7-8 km WNW Point Salvation, 28°12'S, 123°35'E; R155413 (M) and R155417 (M) ­ Lucasium Wermuth 1965 7-8 km WNW Point Salvation, 28°14'S, 123°36'E. Lucasium Wermuth 1965: x, 100. Australia: South Australia: (all in SAMA): R56597(M) - Ketchalby Rock Hole, 32°39'31 "s, Type species 134°59'28"E; R59368 (M) 22.5 km NW Maralinga, Lucasillm damaeum Wermuth 1965, by 30 0 01'l6"S, 131°24'32"E; R59774 (M) - 2.9 km NE of monotypy.