The amphibians and reptiles in the University of

D. S. Homing, Jr Macleay Museum, , NSW 2006

The Macleay Museum was established at the These collections are now properly stored and University of Sydney in 1888 and contains curated. There are now about 2 800 specimens historic collections of insects, fish, amphibians, of amphibians and reptiles. Computer reptiles, birds and mammals. Some of the catalogues are being written and the frogs and natural history collections have their origins in snakes are complete, pending slight altera- Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/rrimo/book/chapter-pdf/2644383/rzsnsw_1993_034.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 Great Britain, dating from the late 1700s. tions. These two groups will be discussed in (1767-1848) started gathering greater detail than other herpetofauna because specimens in the 1780s. He was primarily their catalogues are nearly complete. interested in insects but it is known that he collected birds and possibly reptiles. His son, TYPES William Sharp Macleay (1792-1865) also collected, mostly insects again, but he was also The herpetological collections were searched interested in marine biology, mammals and for type specimens in 1968. It was found that reptiles. It was William Sharp's cousin, William the majority of the amphibian and reptilian (later Sir William) John Macleay (1820-91) types were collected on the Chevert expedition who expanded the collections. In the late led by William John Macleay to coastal north Queensland, Torres Strait and the southern 1860s, William John started to diversify the coast of New Guinea in 1875 (Macmillan collections. He wrote "I have hitherto confined 1957). All these were named and described by my attention entirely to the Articulata (=Insecta Macleay. Other type material was sent to in his case) but it is now my intention to make Macleay by collectors in , but since his my collection as perfect as possible in all death in 1891, few types have been lodged in branches of the Animal Kingdom" (Horning the Macleay Museum (Goldman et al. 1969). 1984). Impatient with the slowness of accumula- Altogether 113 type specimens were dis- tions of collections, he hired collectors who covered. These included 19 species of worked from many places including Fiji, Scincidae, 10 of Gekkonidae, three of , Rockhampton and the Endeavour Agamidae, 12 of Colubridae and 10 species of River area in Queensland and King George's Elapidae. Almost all primary and secondary Sound in Western Australia. He collected in types found during this search were sub- the Svdney area and also inland to his property sequently transferred to the Australian on the Murrumbidgee River. He also bought Museum, Sydney on "permanent loan". There and exchanged exotic birds, mammals and are a few recognized types still in the Macleay reptiles from India, China, South America, the Museum. A careful study of the specimens, United States and the Pacific Islands. He also labels and associated literature may reveal built up a fine zoological library. In the additional types. The Macleays, particularly 1870s and 1880s, William John organized William John, corresponded with prominent expeditions for collectors. The most famous of naturalists of the day. A careful search through these was the 1875 Chevert expedition, led by the correspondence and files of these people William John, which was the first scientific may lead to the discovery of foreign types also. expedition to Papua New Guinea to be This could be a very fruitful and important organized with private funds from Australia. research project. By the time of his death in 1891, the Macleay Museum collections were said to be "in first- rate order". FROGS The frogs were identified by Dr Arthur In the years following the death of the first White, Rockdale, , while he curator, George Masters, in 1912, the fortunes was in the Department of Zoology, University of all collections faltered considerably. Many of Sydney, in 1981. There are six families, 45 of the spirit specimens (which included almost genera, 114 species and 1 257 specimens. The all of the amphibians and reptiles) dried out, families Hylidae (464 specimens) and especially the geckos (Goldman et al. 1969). Myobatyrachidae (641 specimens) are best Herpetology in Australia 227 represented. Most of the Australian specimens Scincidae (skinks, 247 specimens), Gekkonidae were taken from various localities from New (geckos, 240 specimens), Pygopodidae (snake- South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and and worm-like lizards, 39 specimens), Western Australia. The majority of foreign Varanidae (monitor lizards, 36 specimens) and specimens are from India (e.g., Malabar, Chelidae and Cheloniidae (turdes and sea- Nilgires and Travancore), Papua New Guinea, turdes, 52 specimens). Simon Blomberg, the Pacific Islands and the United States. Department of Zoology, University of Sydney, has recendy identified the lizards and is SNAKES currently working with other herpetological Many of the snakes were identified by Dr material not yet identified or catalogued. This Greg Mengden while he was a Research project will be finished in 1994. Associate with the , Sydney in the late 1980s. All of the snakes have been ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS recently identified by Dr Glenn Shea, Depart- I wish to thank Simon Blomberg (lizards), ment of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Dr Arthur White (frogs) and Drs Greg Sydney. Australian taxa were identified from Mengden (now San Antonio, Texas) and Glenn Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/rrimo/book/chapter-pdf/2644383/rzsnsw_1993_034.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 Cogger (1992) and the foreign taxa were Shea (snakes) for the careful identifications identified mostly from the keys of Boulenger and useful catalogues of their respective (1893, 1894 and 1896), Smith (1943) and De groups. Acknowledgement is also given to Rooij (1917). Stuart Norrington, Macleay Museum, who Almost all the snakes were collected for cares for the collections. Gratitude is extended William John Macleay as far as is known. But to the Environmental Resources Information there may be specimens in the collection that Network (ERIN) of the Australian Parks and were sent to Alexander or William Sharp Wildlife Service, Canberra, who provided Macleay. There are 11 families, 86 genera, 171 funds for identifying and cataloguing the species and 672 specimens. Australian specimens lizards and other herpetofauna. constitute 49 per cent, foreign specimens 37 per cent and 14 per cent are from unknown REFERENCES localities. Australian species are best represented BOULENGER, G. A., 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British in the family Elapidae. Most of the Australian Museum (Natural History). Volume I, Containing the specimens were taken from various localities Families Typhlopidae, Glauconiidae, Boidae, Ilysiidae, from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, and Colubridae Aglyphae, part. Australia. The majority of foreign specimens Longmans & Co.: London. are from India (45 records), Indonesia (27), BOULENGER, G. A., 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Papua New Guinea (16), Singapore (13) and Museum (Natural History). Volume II, Containing the Con- clusion of the Colubridae Aglyphae. Longmans & Co.: Fiji (nine records). There are scattered London. localities represented in the Australasian area and the United States of America. There are BOULENGER, G. A., 1896. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume III, Containing the no known snakes from Africa, Europe, or Colubridae (Opisthoglyphae and Proteroglyphae), South America in the Macleay Museum. Amblycephalidae, and Viperidae. Longmans & Co.: London. Some interesting species include: the boids Bothrochilus boa (Schlegel 1837) from Papua COGGER, H. G., 1992. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. Revised Edition. Reed Books: Chatswood, New South New Guinea, New Ireland and Casarea Wales. dussumieri (Schlegel 1837) from Mauritius, Round Island, Reunion Group. The latter DE ROOIJ, N., 1917. The Reptiles of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, II. Ophidia. E. J. Brill: London. 334 pp. species is extremely rare and may be the only specimen of this species in Australia. Two GOLDMAN, J., HILL, L. AND STANBURY, P. J., 1969. Type specimens in the Macleay Museum, University of elapids are notable: Elapognathus minor Sydney. II. Amphibians and reptiles. Proc. Linn. Soc. (Giinther 1863), a rare snake confined to the NSW 93(3): 427-38. lower southwest corner of Western Australia HORNING, D. S., JR., 1984. The history and significance of in an area centred at Albany (Cogger 1992) the Macleay insect collection. Hist. Biblio. Monog. 12: and three specimens of the extremely rare 23-32.

Ogmodon vitianus Peters, 1864 from Fiji, Viti MACMILLAN, D. S., 1957. A Squatter Went to Sea. The Story of Levu. A computer catalogue of the snakes in the Sir William Macleay's New Guinea Expedition (1875) Macleay Museum is available at a small cost. and his Life in Sydney. Currawong Publishing Co.: Sydney.

Herpetofauna other than frogs and snakes SMITH, M. A., 1943. The Fauna of British India. Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-region. There are 14 families of about 875 specimens Reptilia and Amphibia. Volume III — Serpentes. Taylor and in this category. The principal families include Francis: London. 228 Herpetology in Australia