Palaia, Slavenko & Tamar & Tallowin & Kraus & Allison & Carranza & Meiri, 2022

Slavenko, Alex, Tamar, Karin, Tallowin, Oliver J S, Kraus, Fred, Allison, Allen, Carranza, Salvador & Meiri, Shai, 2022, Revision of the montane New Guinean skink genus Lobulia (Squamata: Scincidae), with the description of four new genera and nine new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195 (1), pp. 220-278 : 239-240

PALAIA GEN. NOV.

(CLADE IV)

( FIG. 5 ; SUPPORTING INFORMATION, FIG. S6 ; TABLE 1 )

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n:l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 89741FC3-DB12-469F-8682-C4579D922488

Type species: Lygosoma pulchrum Boulenger, 1903 . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1903(2): 125–129.

Diagnosis: Small (adult SVL 37.3–41.2 mm) skinks with short limbs (forelimbs 29.9–34.4% of SVL, hindlimbs 36.7–43.8% of SVL); small lobules present on anterior edge of ear opening; single pair of chin shields in medial contact; two supralabials posterior to subocular supralabial; chin shields abutting infralabials; lower eyelid with semi-transparent window; standard three-scale temporal region; nasal scale undivided; frontoparietals fused; oviparous; clutch size two; subdigital lamellae slightly expanded basally.

Palaia differs from Nubeoscincus , Prasinohaema and Lobulia by having one pair of chin shields in medial contact (vs. two pairs) and an oviparous (vs. viviparous) reproductive mode. It further differs from Nubseoscincus and Lobulia by having slightly basally expanded subdigital lamellae. It further differs from Nubeoscincus and Prasinohaema by having the standard three-scale temporal region (vs. fragmented temporal region), the chin shields abutting the infralabials (vs. chin shields separated from infralabials by a row of genials) and fused (vs. unfused) frontoparietals. It further differs from Prasinohaema by lacking green blood serum ( Greer, 1974) and tissues and a prehensile tail with a glandular tip. It differs from Papuascincus by having an undivided (vs. divided) nasal scale and slightly basally expanded subdigital lamellae and by lacking pustulate eggshells.

Etymology: Latinized feminine genus from the Tok Pisin palai, lizard.

Species included: Palaia pulchra ( Boulenger, 1903) comb. nov.

Distribution: The single species in the genus is distributed widely across the lowlands of northern New Guinea.

Figures

Figure 5. Representatives of each of the seven revised genera, not to scale: (A) Lobulia huonensis (BPBM 40322); (B) Prasinohaema flavipes (BPBM 40369); (C) Nubeoscincus glacialis (BPBM 14712); (D) Papuascincus lineage VII (BPBM 44749); (E) Palaia pulchra (BPBM 38789); (F) Alpinoscincus alpinus (BPBM 44218); (G) Ornithuroscincus pterophilus (BPBM 45705). Images by Allen Allison.

Figure 6. Pictures in life of (A) Lobulia brongersmai (BPBM 34733); (B) Lobulia elegans (BPBM 18692); (C) Lobulia fortis (paratype; BPBM 41130); (D) Lobulia huonensis (holotype; BPBM 40322); (E) Lobulia lobulus (BPBM 47837); (F) Lobulia marmorata (holotype; BPBM 34150). Images A, B, F by Fred Kraus, images C–E by Allen Allison.