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Australasian Journal of Herpetology ISSUE 30, PUBLISHED 10 NOVEMBER 2015 1 ISSN 1836-5698 (Print) ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) AustralasianAustralasian JournalJournal ofof HerpetologyHerpetology Hoser 2015 - Australasian Journal of Herpetology 28:1-64 and 29:65-128. Available online at www.herp.net Copyright- Kotabi Publishing - AllAprasia rights reserved parapulchella CONTENTS PAGE 2 gibbonsi subsp. nov. 2 Australasian Journal of Herpetology Australasian Journal of Herpetology Issue 30, 10 November 2015 Contents Two new legless lizards from Eastern Australia (Reptilia: Squamata: Sauria: Pygopodidae). ... Raymond T. Hoser, 3-6. A division of the Meso-American lizard genus Laemanctus Wiegmann, 1834 as currently recognized, with the formal description of a new genus, new species and a new subspecies. ... Raymond T. Hoser, 7-10. Two new genera of Lacertid lizards (Reptilia: Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae) from the Middle-east. ... Raymond T. Hoser, 11-17. Two hitherto overlooked subspecies of Papuan Python Liasis (Apodora) papuana Peters and Doria, 1878 from New Guinea. ... Raymond T. Hoser, 18-20. Hitherto overlooked species of reptile from Northern Australia: A result of science, taxonomy, molecular biology, systematics, history and forensic herpetology. ... Raymond T. Hoser, 21-27. A new taxonomy for the Vipera latastei species complex (Serpentes: Viperidae). ... Raymond T. Hoser, 28-36. Australian agamids: Eighteen new species from the genera Amphibolurus Wagler, 1830, Lophognathus Gray, 1842, Rankinia Wells and Wellington, 1984, Diporiphora Gray, 1842, Tympanocryptis Peters, 1863, as well as three new genera and six new subgenera. ... Raymond T. Hoser, 37-64. Australasian Journal of Herpetology® Publishes original research in printed form in relation to reptiles, other fauna and related matters, including the subjects of classification, ecology, public interest, legal, captivity, exposure of frauds, “academic misconduct”, etc. It is a peer reviewed printed journal published in hard copy for permanent public scientific record in accordance with the Zoological Code (Ride et al. 1999), with a sizeable print run and has a global audience. Full details of acquiring copies, either printed or in identical form online, editorial policies, publication procedure, author submission guidelines, peer review guidelines, legal matters, advantages of publication in this journal and the like can be found by following links from: http://www.herp.net Published by Kotabi Pty Ltd ISSNISSN 1836-5698 1836-5698 (Print) (Print) PO Box 599 ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) Doncaster, Victoria, 3108. ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) Australia. Copyright. All rights reserved. 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Available online at www.herp.net Copyright- Kotabi Publishing - All rights reserved Australasian Journal of Herpetology 3 Australasian Journal of Herpetology 30:3-6. ISSN 1836-5698 (Print) Published 10 November 2015. ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) Two new legless lizards from Eastern Australia (Reptilia: Squamata: Sauria: Pygopodidae). 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 11 August 2015, Accepted 15 August 2015, Published 10 November September 2015. ABSTRACT Two new subspecies of legless lizards from south-eastern Australia within the genus Aprasia Gray, 1839 are formally identified and named according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Both are morphologically distinct from their nominate forms and both are allopatric in distribution with respect to the nominate forms. One of these populations, this being from Bendigo, Victoria and currently referred to as a population of Aprasia parapulchella, Kluge, 1974 has long been recognized as being taxonomically distinct from the nominate form (Osborne and Jones, 1995). The second taxon, referred to as being within Aprasia inaurita Kluge, 1974, was found to be distinct for the first time as part of this audit. Keywords: Taxonomy; nomenclature; Lizards; Aprasia; parapulchella; pseudopulchella; inaurita; new subspecies; gibbonsi; rentoni. INTRODUCTION MATERIALS, METHODS AND RESULTS As part of an audit of the reptiles in Victoria, Australia, two The audit consisted of looking at specimens from all relevant regionally isolated of legless lizards in the genus Aprasia Gray, species, herein effectively treated as two groups, namely A. 1839 were inspected with a view to assess their relationships inaurita and A. parapulcella / A. pseudopulchella (the latter two with the nominate forms. species being near identical in features) with a view to Both were within the genus Aprasia Gray, 1839, these being identifying obvious morphological differences between the Aprasia parapulchella, Kluge, 1974 and A. inaurita Kluge, 1974. populations in order to decide whether or not any unnamed For both species, the Victorian animals were found to be populations were worthy of taxonomic recognition. different from those from interstate and sufficiently so as to Added to this was an audit of the relevant published literature warrant taxonomic recognition. The Victorian populations were and available molecular data for species and species complexes also allopatric in distribution and with no known point of contact. affected by similar geographical barriers. For the species Aprasia parapulchella, Kluge, 1974, the type On a morphological level, each population was distinct, albeit locality is Coppins Crossing in the ACT, and the population in only slightly, and on the basis of this alone, worthy of taxonomic and around Bendigo, Victoria is apparently isolated from the recognition. However on the basis of molecular results for next nearest population in Albury, NSW, by some 120 km in a species affected by the same geographical barriers (e.g. the straight line measurement, being an area of habitat known to be Varanus rosenbergi group, Smith et al. 2007, as cited by Hoser unsuitable for the taxon. 2013), these recognized differences were decided to be only significant enough to warrant designation as subspecies. For the species A. inaurita Kluge, 1974, type locality Sunset Country, Victoria, the specimens from West of the Flinders Hence the formal descriptions below. Ranges in South Australia were found to be allopatric from the APRASIA PARAPULCHELLA AND A. PSEUDOPULCHELLA. nominate form and also morphologically distinct. The species Aprasia parapulchella, Kluge, 1974, with the type The barrier between these populations of this taxon appears to locality of Coppins Crossing in the ACT and Aprasia be a population of another recognized taxon, known as Aprasia pseudopulchella, Kluge 1974, from the type locality of Burra, pseudopulchella, Kluge 1974, type locality Burra, South South Australia when described by Arnold Kluge, were known Australia and generally restricted to this region. In terms of A. from two widely scattered locations about 800 km apart and inaurita Kluge, 1974, there is no known zone of contact between separated by an arid zone of clearly unsuitable habitat. the two main populations. While morphologically similar, Kluge no doubt relied on this The same applies in terms of the Bendigo, Victoria, the ACT/ geographical separation to decide each should be treated as NSW and the South Australian populations of A. parapulchella separate species. and A. pseudopulchella. The more recent discovery of a third population of similar lizards Hoser 2015 - Australasian Journal of Herpetology 30:3-6. Available online at www.herp.net Copyright- Kotabi Publishing - All rights reserved 4 Australasian Journal of Herpetology in and around Bendigo, Victoria, in part midway between the exclusion. other two populations has confused things somewhat. In any event, it is clear that the eastern (east of the Flinders While some authorities have treated this population as being Ranges) population and western (west side of the Flinders either an undescribed or unidentified species, most recent ranges) populations are disjunct and also morphologically authors have treated it merely as an outlying population of A. different. In the absence of molecular data, there is no effective parapulchella. way to ascertain how long each population has been divergent Notwithstanding this, it appears that no one has actually and it is for that reason the unnamed western population is compared this population with A. pseudopulchella. herein described conservatively as a new subspecies. When doing so, I found all three to be very similar and quite Further significant literature in terms of A. inaurita, include the likely of one and the same species. following: Cogger (2014), Kluge (1974, 1976), Wells (2007) and Wilson and Swan (2010). However