Two new species of Lerista Bell, 1833 (Reptilia: Scincidae) from north Queensland populations formerly assigned to Lerista storri Greer, McDonald and Lawrie, 1983
Author
Amey, Andrew P.
Author
Couper, Patrick J.
Author
Wilmer, Jessica Worthington
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-04-08
4577
3
473
493
journal article
27355
10.11646/zootaxa.4577.3.3
178cbcbe-f40f-4bb9-aa3e-763ffa5393b7
1175-5326
2632297
CA0CE52C-49EE-4F8C-8DD4-6A3297D982BB
Redescription of
Lerista storri
Greer, McDonald and Lawrie, 1983
Mount Surprise Slider
(
Figs. 3
,
4
&
5
)
Holotype
.
QM
J39480
,
Springfield Station
, NEQ (
17°56'50"S
,
144°24'25"E
),
19 Aug
, 1979.
Paratypes
.
AMS R44772–73,
Chillagoe Post Office
,
14.9 km
SE, NEQ (
17°13'S
,
144°33'E
),
17 June
,
1976 [now referred to
Lerista parameles
sp. nov.
and excluded from the diagnosis and description below
]
;
QM
J39481
,
Springfield Station
, NEQ (
17°56'50"S
,
144°24'25"E
),
22 August
, 1981.
Other material examined.
QM
J85022
,
Almaden–Mount Surprise
railway line, NEQ (
17°56'55"S
,
144°24'28"E
),
4 June
, 2006;
QM
J94325
,
Springfield Station
, NEQ (
17°56'52"S
,
144°24'30"E
),
22 September
, 2015;
QM
J94333
,
Springfield Station
, NEQ (
17°56'59"S
,
144°24'27"E
),
24 September
, 2015.
Diagnosis.
Distinguished from all other
Lerista
by the complete absence of a forelimb, hindlimb styliform <2.5% SVL, interparietal distinct from the frontoparietals, prefrontals absent, four supraciliaries and anterior chin shields with an intervening scale.
Comparisons.
This species is very close morphologically to
L. alia
sp. nov.
It can usually be distinguished by its shorter hindlimb, but there is overlap in this character (range: 1.70–2.46% SVL
vs.
2.33–4.49% SVL). This species is almost patternless, with very vague to absent bands of darker pigment running along the body, strongest anteriorly. In
L. alia
sp. nov.
, discrete dark flecks are always present, forming more or less distinct longitudinal lines, strongest anteriorly (for comparison, see
Fig. 3
). The two species are separated geographically by about
60 km
, with
L. alia
sp. nov.
centred on Bulleringa National Park and
L. storri
known only from Springfield Station (see
Fig. 1
). Of those species of
Lerista
with no forelimb and a stylar or single digit hindlimb (18 species), only four other species have four supraciliaries,
L. cinerea
,
L. hobsoni
,
L. vanderduysi
and
L. vittata
. These four species all have a longer hindlimb (>4% SVL) with a distinct, clawed digit and usually have two infralabials contacting the postmental (
vs.
a single infralabial in
L. storri
and
L. alia
sp. nov.
).
FIGURE 3.
Preserved holotypes of
Lerista alia
sp. nov.
(A, QM
J94337
) and
Lerista storri
s.s.
(B, QM
J39480
), showing difference in degree of pattern; distinct dark flecks in
L. alia
sp. nov.
vs.
absence of discrete patterning in
L. storri
s.s.
(Photo: P. Waddington).
Description of
holotype
.
Adult female; SVL =
66 mm
; HL =
5.6 mm
, 8.5% SVL; HW =
3.2 mm
, 57% HL; SE =
1.1 mm
, 20% HL; eyelid free (not fused into a spectacle); EE =
2.6 mm
, 45% HL; RL =
0.98 mm
, 17% HL; NL =
1.1 mm
, 20% HL; IN =
1.2 mm
, 22% HL; EN =
1.8 mm
, 32% HL;
RF
=
1.3 mm
, 23% HL; E =
0.74 mm
, 13% HL; ear minute, smaller than the surrounding scales; MW = 4.0 mm, 6.1% SVL; forelimb absent; L2 =
1.2 mm
, 1.8% SVL; TL =
73 mm
, 111% SVL (original, determined by X-ray). Hindlimb styliform, no evidence of a digit.
Midbody scale rows 20; NC = 55%; NaL = 17%; FN = 109%; FW = 88%; IW = 114%; PL = 56%; MV = 50%; two supraoculars; four supraciliaries, all in contact, first enlarged; first supraciliary contacts preocular, loreal, frontonasal, frontal, first supraocular and second supraciliary; frontal contacts interparietal, frontoparietal, first supraocular, first supraciliary and frontonasal; interparietal free (not fused to frontoparietals); single loreal; prefrontal absent; single preocular; single presubocular; four palpebrals; single postocular; single postsubocular; five supralabials; third supralabial bordering eye; single postsupralabial; five infralabials, single infralabial contacting postmental; four scales between last infralabial and ear; single pretemporal; temporal contacts fourth and fifth supralabials, postocular, pretemporal, parietal (point contact), second temporal and lower temporal; three rows of enlarged chin shields; primary chin shields separated by intervening scale; secondary chin shields separated by one scale; tertiary chin shields separated by three scales; four enlarged nuchal scales; 107 paravertebrals; two enlarged preanals; L2B = 3.
Variation.
The two
paratypes
referred to
L. parameles
sp. nov.
are excluded from this description. Sample size is therefore four unless otherwise noted: SVL =
47–67 mm
(58 +
7 mm
); HL = 7.8–8.9% SVL (8.5 + 0.3%); HW = 56–68% HL (63 + 4%); SE = 20–28% HL (24 + 3%); EE = 45–54% HL (49 + 2%); RL = 15–19 % HL (17 + 1%); NL = 19–23% HL (21 + 1%); IN = 19–24% HL (22 + 2%); EN = 31–34% HL (32 + 1%);
RF
= 23–28 %
HL
(25 + 2%)
; E = 13–18% HL (15 + 1%);
MW
= 5–7% SVL (6 + 1%); L2 = 1.7–2.5% SVL (2.1 + 0.4%);
TL
= 96% SVL
(single original tail,
QM
J85022
, determined by X-ray, all others regrown)
.
Midbody scale rows 20 (18, QM
J94325
only); NC = 40–55% (47 + 6%); NaL = 13–23% (18 + 4%); FN = 48– 110% (82 + 29%); FW = 87–106% (96 + 8%); IW = 81–114% (98 + 9%); PL = 50–66% (59 + 6%); MV = 49–79% (63 + 10%); four supraciliaries, first enlarged, first three in contact, fourth separate at posterior edge of eye below last supraocular; 3–5 palpebrals (mode = 4); temporal contacts fourth and fifth supralabials, postocular, pretemporal, second temporal and lower temporal (sometimes no contact with postocular, N = 2); 3–5 enlarged nuchal scales (mode = 4), 101–115 paravertebrals; L2B = 2–4 (mode = 4); hindlimb styliform, no evidence of a digit or claw; 104 subcaudals (N = 1).
FIGURE 4.
Preserved holotypes of
Lerista parameles
sp. nov.
(top, QM
J95783
),
Lerista alia
sp. nov.
(middle, QM
J94337
) and
Lerista storri
s.s.
(bottom, QM
J39480
). Scale bar = 1 cm (photo: P. Waddington).
Colouration in preservative (
Figs. 3
&
4
).
The dorsal surfaces of the head, body and tail are pale silvery grey. The body (paravertebrals and adjacent scale rows) is largely without pattern but the flanks (rows three to six or four to seven) are marked with four diffuse longitudinal stripes. Ventral surface cream to straw coloured. The head shields are very weakly mottled and a dark zone is present from the secondary temporal, through the eye and extending forward to the ventral edge of the nasal. The tail is strongly marked with longitudinal rows of dark streaks and heavily flecked on the ventral surface.
Colouration in life (as different from colouration in preservative,
Fig. 5
).
As for spirit specimens but the ground colour is more lustrous.
Distribution and habitat (
Figs. 1
and
6
).
Known only from Springfield Station, N of Mount Surprise, NEQ. This falls within the Lynd River catchment of the Mitchell River drainage system in the Einasleigh Uplands Bioregion. The Extent of Occurrence (EOO, as defined by
IUCN 2012
) is less than
1 km
2
. The species was collected in the following Regional Ecosystems (
Queensland
Government
Environment and Science 2018
):
9.5.8: Woodland to open woodland of
Eucalyptus cullenii
and/or
E. leptophleba
+/-
Corymbia erythrophloia
+/-
Erythrophleum chlorostachys
.
Eucalyptus tardecidens
may also occur as a subdominant in northern extent of this regional ecosystem. A sparse shrub layer includes
Petalostigma
spp.,
Melaleuca
spp.,
Grevillea
spp.,
Alphitonia pomaderroides
and
Denhamia cunninghamii
. The sparse to dense ground layer is dominated by
Heteropogon contortus
and
Sarga plumosum
. Occurs on undulating plains in valleys in ranges on Tertiary/Quaternary soils overlying granite and metamorphic geologies.
9.12.3: Woodland to low woodland of
Eucalyptus chartaboma
and/or
E. crebra
or
E. cullenii
or
E. granitica
+/-
Corymbia erythrophloia
+/-
E. tetrodonta
+/-
Erythrophleum chlorostachys
+/-
C. dallachiana
+/-
C. clarksoniana
. There can be sub-canopy including canopy species,
Grevillea glauca
and
Petalostigma pubescens
. The shrub layer is sparse to open and includes juveniles of canopy species,
Grevillea
spp.,
Petalostigma
spp.,
Melaleuca viridiflora
,
Alphitonia
pomaderroides
and
Planchonia careya
. The dense ground layer is dominated by
Heteropogon
spp.,
Themeda triandra
,
Schizachyrium fragile
and
Sarga plumosum
. In the north of the bioregion the
Eucalyptus crebra
is replaced by
E. cullenii
. Small areas with
C. trachyphloia
or
E. similis
may occur. Occurs in patches on footslopes, low hills, crests and ridges.
FIGURE 5.
Lerista storri
s.s.
in life (QM
J94333
, photo: P. Waddington).
FIGURE 6.
Collection locality of
L. storri
s.s.
(QM
J94325
, photo: A. Amey).
General ecology.
Specimens were found in loose soil under logs and other debris. As far as is known, it feeds on small arthropods.
Comments.
The original diagnosis given in
Greer
et al.
(1983)
is similar to that given in the same publication for
Lerista vittata
and does not distinguish the two taxa.
Lerista storri
is properly diagnosed from
L. vittata
by a shorter hindlimb (<3% SVL
vs.
>4%SVL) lacking a distinct, clawed digit and a single infralabial contacting the postmental (
vs.
usually two).
The major field guides
Cogger (2014)
,
Wilson (2015)
and
Wilson and Swan (2017)
all refer to
L. storri
as the Chillagoe Fine-lined Slider. However, we have found the Chillagoe population is referrable to
Lerista parameles
sp. nov.
and we therefore believe the name is more suited to this taxon. Accordingly, we prefer the name Mount Surprise Slider for
L. storri
.
Conservation Status.
This species is listed as Vulnerable by Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act (
Queensland
Government 1992
) and Near Threatened by the IUCN (
Vanderduys
et al.
2018
). However, these assessments were based on the broader concept of
L. storri
which included the populations split off here as
L. alia
sp. nov.
and
L. parameles
sp. nov.
With our revised narrower concept of the species, it is known from only a single locality less than
1 km
2
in
extent, which is not in a protected reserve. Here it is threatened by compaction of sandy soil through intensification of cattle grazing, and by multiple invasive plant species (including Buffel Grass, Grader Grass, Indian Couch, and Rubber Vine) potentially altering soil structure. Population trends are unknown but inferred to be downwards. Therefore, we believe it qualifies as Critically Endangered under IUCN guidelines (
IUCN 2012
).