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Lerista desertorum (STERNFELD, 1919)

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Higher TaxaScincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Central Deserts Robust Slider 
SynonymLygosoma (Rhodona) planiventrale desertorum STERNFELD 1919: 82
Lygosoma planiventrale desertorum — STERNFELD 1925: 249
Rhodona desertorum — PIANKA 1969
Lerista desertorum — STORR 1976: 251
Lerista desertorum — COGGER 1983: 172
Lerista desertorum — STORR 1991
Lerista desertorum — COGGER 2000: 518
Aphroditia desertorum — WELLS 2012: 169
Lerista desertorum — WILSON & SWAN 2010 
DistributionAustralia (SW Northern Territory, NW/C South Australia, south-eastern interior of Western Australia)

Type locality: Hermannsburg Mission, upper Finke River, N. T., designated by Mertens (1967).  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: SMF 15495 (=6335 1a in Mertens, 1922), presented M. von Leonhardi, 1910, designated by Mertens (1967) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A member of the L. macropisthopus group with 2 fingers, 3 toes, dark upper lateral stripe and 2 (occasionally 4) rows of small dark spots on back and tail. 
CommentLimb morphology: 2 digits, 3 toes

Etymology: not explained in original description by Sternfeld 1919. 
EtymologyFrom the Latin desertum (a desert) plus the genitive suffix -orum (belonging to), in reference to the distribution of the species. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
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., 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
  • Dittmer, D. E., Chapman, T. L. & Bidwell, J. R. 2020. In the shadow of an iconic inselberg: Uluru’s shadow influences climates and reptile assemblage structure at its base. J. Arid Environ. 181, 104179 (2020) - get paper here
  • Greer,A.E. 1990. Limb reduction in the scincid lizard genus Lerista. 2. Variation in the bone complements of the front and rear limbs and the number of postsacral vertebrae. Journal of Herpetology 24 (2): 142-150 - get paper here
  • Gynther, Ian; Harry Hines, Alex Kutt, Eric Vanderduys and Megan Absolon 2009. A verteAbrate faunavsurvey of Cravetns Peak Rbeserver, farawestetrn Qeueenslanfd auna survey of Cravens Peak Reserve, far western Queensland. Cravens Peak Scientific Study Report - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1967. Die herpetologische Sektion des Natur-Museums und Forschungs-Institutes Senckenberg in Frankfurt am Main nebst einem Verzeichnis ihrer Typen. Senckenbergiana Biologica 48: 1-106 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. 1969. Habitat specificity, speciation, and species density in Australian desert lizards. Ecology 50 (3): 498-502 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. 2011. Notes on the ecology of some uncommon skinks in the Great Victoria Desert. Western Australian Naturalist 28: 50-60 - get paper here
  • Skinner, Adam; Michael S Y Lee and Mark N Hutchinson 2008. Rapid and repeated limb loss in a clade of scincid lizards. [Lerista]. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8:310 - get paper here
  • Sternfeld, R. 1919. Neue Schlangen und Echsen aus Zentralaustralien. Senckenbergiana 1: 76-83 - get paper here
  • Sternfeld, R. 1925. Beiträge zur Herpetologie Inner-Australiens. Abhandlungen Herausgegeben von der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 38: 221—251
  • Storr G M. 1991. Partial revision of the Lerista macropisthopus group (Lacertilia: Scincidae). Rec. West. Austr. Mus. 15 (1): 149-161 - get paper here
  • Storr, G. M. 1971. The genus Lerista (Lacertilia: Scincidae) in Western Australia. J R. Soc. West. Aust. 54: 59-75
  • Storr, G. M. 1976. Revisionary notes on the Lerista (Lacertilia: Scincidae) of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 4: 241-256 - get paper here
  • Storr, G. M., Smith, L. A. & Johnstone, R. E. 1981. Lizards of Western Australia. I. Skinks. Perth: University of Western Australia Press and Western Australian Museum, 200 pp.
  • Storr, G. M.; L. A. Smith, and R. E. Johnstone 1999. Lizards of Western Australia. I. Skinks. Revised Edition. Western Australian Museum
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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