Bellatorias obiri (WELLS & WELLINGTON, 1985)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Bellatorias obiri?
Bellatorias obiri
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Egerniinae (Tiliquini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Arnhem Land Gorges Skink |
| Synonym | Hortonia obiri WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 30 Egernia obiri — GREER 2005 (online) Bellatorias obiri — GARDNER et al. 2008 Egernia arnhemensis SADLIER 1990 Egernia arnhemensis — COGGER 2000: 755 Bellatorias obiri — WILSON & SWAN 2010 |
| Distribution | arnhemensis: Australia (Alligator Rivers region, Northern Territory) Type locality: 3 km south west of Oenpelli, Arnhem Land, NT |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Holotype: NTM R1190, collected by B. Jukes, 28.vii1975; paratype: NTM R0809 Paratypes: R38384 Koongarra, [Mt] Brockman Range, NT (P–J. Calaby & A. Wolfe); R100018 SE corner of Djawamba Massif, Jabiluka project area, NT (A. Kerle, 19.xi.1980). [arnhemensis] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (Hortonia): “A genus of large rainforest inhabiting skinks, allied to Bellatorias, and easily distinguished by the following combic nation of characters: Pentadactyl limbs; body scales with low multiple keels; tail round and tapering without enlarged or expanded upper caudals; ear opening distinct with short ear lobules; head shields unfragmented, regular (with a post-narial groove); nasals separated; interparietals narrower to almost as wide as the frontal shield; parietals and frontoparietals intact; supraciliaries 8-12; subocular series continuous, all much larger than adjacent granules of lower eyelid.” (Wells & Wellington 1985) Diagnosis (obiri): “A large Scincid lizard closely related to Hortonia jrerei of north Queensland, and distinguished by the following combination of characters: Body colour uniform brown dorsally, laterally and on the tail; venter creamish. There is a small area of very dark brown (almost black) that extends from the eye to just past the forelimb. Typical H. oakesi has this black area extending all the way along the side ofthe body; typical H. shinei is ornately marked with numerous white flecks and black striae on rich reddish brown laterally. Hortonia obiri is known only from the western escarpment of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, but possibly extends south westwards to the Katherine region. Cogger, (1983: Plates 626-7) illustrates a specimen of Hortonia obirifrom Mt. Brockman, N.T. Swanson (1979:18) provides natural history data on Hortonia obiri, and Swanson (1981: 125) figures a mature specimen of H. obiri in life colours.” (Wells & Wellington 1985) |
| Comment | GARDNER et al. (2008) list Bellatorias obiri as valid species although they do not appear to have included it in their sequence analysis. E. arnhemensis is a synonym of E. obiri fide GARDNER (pers. comm.). Conservation: this is one of the most-threatened reptile species in Australia (Geyle et al. 2021). Etymology: Wells & Wellington 1985 give an etymology for Hortonia (which was named after Dr. David Horton, an Australian biologist) but not for “obiri”. |
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