Lacerta stellio Linnaeus 1758 , p 202

Crochet, Pierre-Andre, Lymberakis, Petros & Werner, Yehudah L., 2006, The type specimens of Laudakia stellio (Linnaeus) (Reptilia: Agamidae) and its subspecies, Journal of Natural History 40 (7 - 8), pp. 461-471 : 462-464

Lacerta stellio Linnaeus 1758, p 202

Name-bearing type(s)

Adult male from Delos , with complete tail, housed in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn ( Germany): ZFMK 2063 , collected by Karl F. Buchholz on 13 June 1952, with field number 582, on ‘‘ Micro-Delos’ ’ (5 Delos); neotype by present designation. The original description was based on several syntypes (see below). Among them, we designate here as lectotype the specimen illustrated in the first volume of Tournefort (1717), on the plate facing p 373 (see below). Since this specimen is lost, and for reasons developed below, we had to designate a neotype to permanently attach the name stellio to the taxon for which it is used today .

The species was originally described based on three sources. First, an illustration in Seba’s Thesaurus (Seba 1734–65, Volume 2, Plate 8, Figure 7), that represents an agamid species but does not look particularly like, and is unlikely to be, L. stellio . There is no indication of the origin of the specimen. Second, the travel report of Hasselquist ( Hasselquist and Linnaeus 1757): ‘‘ Lacerta Stellio. The Lizard Stellio. This creature frequents the ruinous walls of Natolia [5 Anatolia], Syria and Palaestine [5 Palestine]. The Arabs call it Hardun. The Turks kill it, for they imagine that by declining the head, it mimicks them when they say their prayers’’. There is little doubt that this text actually refers to L. stellio , as no similar species inhabits the area concerned. Third, the first volume of the travel reports of the French Joseph Pitton de Tournefort ( Tournefort 1717). This is the most precise reference, as it includes a drawing of a clearly identifiable L. stellio . The text (p 372–373) is too long to be reproduced here, but Tournefort specifically states that he saw the species on Delos and on ‘‘Mycone’’ (5Mykonos). The drawing (facing p 373) does not mention where the specimen was collected. The morphological account is scanty, leaving mainly the illustration to link the description to the species known today as L. stellio .

Based on Article 73.2.1 of the Code, all the specimens illustrated or seen by Seba, Tournefort or Hasselquist are syntypes of Lacerta Stellio. The original type locality ( Article 73.2.3) thus includes Delos , Mykonos , Anatolia, Syria (presumably a larger area than present-day Syria), and Palestine. Linnaeus adds to this ‘‘ Egypt, Africa’ ’, without reference to actual specimens or reports, but presumably based on sources not mentioned .

None of the original syntypes seem to exist. Hasselquist’s specimens were incorporated in the Museum Adolphi Friderici (Kullander, personal communication). There is no specimen of L. stellio in what is left of this collection ( Lönnberg 1896; Holm 1957; Wallin 1997). There is no trace in France of specimens collected by Tournefort (R. Bour, personal communication). One stuffed specimen labelled Lacerta stellio is still kept in Uppsala among other Linnean specimens, but according to Holm (1957) it is not a type. This is fortunate as this specimen is in fact a Varanus sp. (P.-A. Crochet, personal observation). No specimen from Seba’s collection fitting the animal depicted in Volume 2, Plate 8, Figure 7, could be traced either in Stockholm (Kullander, personal communication) or in St Petersburg (K. Milto, personal communication). It is thus likely, as already noted by Andersson (1900) and Holm (1957), that all syntypes of Lacerta stellio Linnaeus, 1758 have been lost.

The type locality restriction by Mertens and Müller (1928, p 26) to Delos Island, Cyclades is invalid (no lectotype or neotype designation). The type locality thus currently encompasses the whole range of the species and the name could formally apply to any of the valid subspecies. The only way to stabilise the nomenclature is to designate a lectotype or a neotype.

The only original syntype that can clearly be identified as L. stellio is the specimen illustrated by Tournefort. Since Seba’s syntype is apparently not a member of this species, we designate here as lectotype of Lacerta stellio Linnaeus, 1758 the specimen illustrated in the first volume of Tournefort (1717), on the plate facing p 373. In doing so, we make sure that Seba’s syntype will not threaten current nomenclature even if it is relocated in the future.

The origin of the specimen illustrated in Tournefort (1717) is uncertain. The specimen is illustrated opposite the text concerning the island of Delos. Tournefort explicitly mentions that he saw the species on Delos, but also that specimens of this species were caught for him on Mykonos. However, this drawing does not clearly exhibit the typical features of the nominotypic subspecies as understood today. Indeed, its coloration (dark body with a row of elongated pale spots along the middle of the back, head as dark as the body with some pale spots) could fit the subspecies daani sensu Almog et al. (2005) better. This suggests that the specimen may not come from Delos or Mykonos. Indeed, Tournefort must have seen the species in other places during his extensive travels in the Levant, as it is a very conspicuous part of the fauna of most of the Mediterranean part of Anatolia. The restricted type locality following present lectotype designation is thus ‘‘probably Delos or Mykonos but possibly Anatolia’’.

Since the locality where the lectotype was collected is not known for sure, since the lectotype is lost, and since the characters visible on the illustration of the lectotype do not allow it to be allocated unambiguously to one of the valid taxa recognised today within L. stellio , only a neotype designation can clarify the type locality and at the same time permanently attach the name stellio Linnaeus, 1758 to the populations for which it is used today (Article 75.3.1 of the Code). The characters separating the nominotypical subspecies from the other valid subspecies of Laudakia stellio (see Article 75.3.2 of the Code) can be found in Daan (1967) and Almog et al. (2005).

For stability the neotype should originate from the area that previously has been accepted as restricted type locality. Thus we designate here as neotype of Lacerta Stellio Linnaeus, 1758 an adult male from Delos, with complete tail, housed in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany: ZFMK 2063, collected by Karl F. Buchholz on 13 June 1952, with field number 582, on ‘‘Micro-Delos’’ (5Delos). This specimen is partly depicted in Almog et al. (2005, Figures 2C, 3C). Delos is part of the original type locality, as requested by Article 75.3.6 of the Code.

The neotype is briefly described here following the methods of Almog et al. (2005). Mensural characters (in mm with PERCRA in parentheses): RA, 105.0; tail length, 162 (154.3); head length, 22.5 (21.4); head width, 34 (32.4); head depth, 17.4 (16.6); head index, 66.2; head flatness, 129.3; forelimb length, 44.7 (42.6); hindlimb length, 68.2 (64.9); fourth toe length, 24 (22.9); limb ratio, 152.6. Meristic characters: supralabialia, L513, R511; mid-dorsal scales along 1 cm in the largest scaled area halfway between fore- and hindlimbs, 6; ventral scales along 1 cm in the middle of the belly, transversely from the midline laterad, 10; preanal glandular scales, 36; subdigital lamellae under fourth toe, L518, R519. Pattern of dorsal tubercles, halfway between Daan’s (1967) Figures 6a and 6b. Coloration: head dorsally light coloured; back with three vague light spots, each almost twice as long as wide; throat unspotted grey; venter unspotted light-coloured, tail with eight light rings.

Type locality

Originally Delos , Mykonos , Anatolia, Syria (presumably a larger area than present-day Syria), Palestine, Egypt, and Africa. Restricted to Nissí Dílos (5 Delos island), Greece, by present neotype designation .

Proposed status

Laudakia stellio stellio ( Linnaeus, 1758) .