Delma australis KLUGE, 1974
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Delma australis
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| Higher Taxa | Pygopodidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Marble-faced Delma |
| Synonym | Delma australis KLUGE 1974: 77 Delma australis — COGGER 2000: 286 Delma australis — WILSON & SWAN 2010 Delma australis — MARYAN et al. et al. 2015 |
| Distribution | Australia (S Western Australia, S Northern Territory, South Australia, SW New South Wales, NW Victoria) Type locality: Port Lincoln, S. A., (34°44'S, 135°52'E) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: WAM R27359, male |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A small species of Delma (SVL to 93 mm) with: ventral scales not markedly larger than adjacent lateral scales; one pair of supranasals; typically 18 midbody scales; 68–92 ventral scales (males average 76.3, females 83.5); six upper labials typically with fourth below eye; loreal scale row typically interrupted by a ventral extension of supraloreal scale that contacts upper labials; modally 5‒7 hindlimb scales in both sexes; strong dark variegations on upper surface of head; narrow dark bars on side of head (extending onto labial scales), nape and forebody. This revised diagnosis is essentially unchanged from those provided by previous authors (Kluge 1974; Storr et al. 1990; Shea 1991), despite the exclusion herein of D. hebesa sp. nov. Delma australis differs from the closely related D. torquata of southeastern Queensland in: larger adult size (SVL to 93 mm versus to 63 mm); three precloacal scales (versus two); the fourth upper labial scale typically below the eye (versus typically the third below the eye); modally 18 midbody scale rows (versus 16); and dark variegations or narrow bars (if present) on head, neck and forebody (versus broad dark bands). It differs from D. hebesa sp. nov. in: hindlimb scale counts in both sexes modally 5‒7 (versus > 9); body colour brownish on head and tail (versus greyish on head and tail); head, nape and lateral scales of forebody with strong dark variegations or narrow barring (versus weak variegations); dark barring on head typically extends ventrally onto the chin and throat (versus indistinct dark bars or smudges present on the lower labials); and dark pigment on rostral and lower labials not aligned with sutures (versus dark smudges positioned over sutures between rostral and lower labials). [MARYAN et al. 2015: 316]. Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 37 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Limb morphology: Limbless. Synonymy: Southwestern populations of Delma australis have been redescribed as D. hebesa; both species appear to be parapatric though. Sympatry: D. butleri, D. fraseri, D. grayii, D. nasuta, and D. petersoni. |
| Etymology | Named after the Latin adjective australis = southern, referring to the fact that the species has the most widespread southern geographic distribution in the genus Delma (Kluge 1974). |
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