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Ctenotus arnhemensis STORR, 1981

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Higher TaxaScincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Jabiluka Ctenotus 
SynonymCtenotus arnhemensis STORR 1981: 127
Minervascincus arnhemensis — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 34
Ctenotus arnhemensis — COGGER 2000: 415
Ctenotus arnhemicus — GREER 2005 (online)
Ctenotus arnhemensis — WILSON & SWAN 2010 
DistributionAustralia (Northern Territory)

Type locality: Jabiluka, in 12° 331S, 132° 55’ E, N. T.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: AMS (AM) R88613 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Ctenotus amhemensis is distinguished from C. astictus sp. nov. by having a complex lateral pattern of stripes, pale spots and blotches and by having generally more ear lobules (mean of 4.8 vs mean of 2.9). Additionally, the relative length of the limbs are usually less in C. amhemensis than in C. astictus sp. nov. Ctenotus amhemensis is distinguished from C. stuarti sp. nov. by having a generally higher number of subdigitallamellae under the fourth toe (mean of22.9 vsmean of21.0) and by having generally fewernuchal scale pairs (mean of3.8 vs mean of 4.7). Also, the headofC. amhemensis is usually less deep than that of C. stuarti sp. nov. (head depth as percentage of head width, mean of 85.7% vs mean of 88.6%). In addition, C. arnhemensis has continuous, smooth-edged, white dorsolateral stripes and dark laterodorsal stripes, features which in C. stuarti sp. nov. are broken into ragged-edged, semi-continuous series of flecks and streaks [HORNER 1995]. 
CommentLimb morphology: 5 digits, 5 toes (Singhal et al. 2018, Cogger 2014) 
EtymologyNamed after its distribution in Arnhem Land, a region in the north of the Norther Territory of Australia. 
References
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Couper, P. J.; Amey, A. P.; Kutt, A. S. 2002. A new species of Ctenotus (Scincidae) from central Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 48(1):85-92 - get paper here
  • Couper, P., Covacevich, J., Amey, A. & Baker, A. 2006. The genera of skinks (Family Scincidae) of Australia and its island territories: diversity, distribution and identification. in: Merrick, J.R., Archer, M., Hickey, G.M. & Lee, M.S.Y. (eds.). Evolution and Zoogeography of Australasian Vertebrates. Australian Scientific Publishing, Sydney, pp. 367-384
  • Horner, P. 1995. Two new species of Ctenotus (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Northern Territory. The Beagle 12: 75-88.
  • Singhal, Sonal; Huateng Huang, Maggie R. Grundler, María R. Marchán-Rivadeneira, Iris Holmes, Pascal O. Title, Stephen C. Donnellan, and Daniel L. Rabosky 2018. Does Population Structure Predict the Rate of Speciation? A Comparative Test across Australia’s Most Diverse Vertebrate Radiation. The American Naturalist - get paper here
  • Storr G M 1981. Ten new Ctenotus (Lacertilia: Scincidae) from Australia. Rec. West. Austr. Mus. 9 (2): 125-146 - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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