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Hemiergis initialis (WERNER, 1910)

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Higher TaxaScincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesHemiergis initialis brookeri STORR 1975
Hemiergis initialis initialis (WERNER 1910) 
Common NamesE: Southwestern Earless Skink 
SynonymLygosoma (Hemiergis) initiale WERNER 1910: 480
Lygosoma (Leiolopisma) initiale — SMITH 1937: 225
Hemiergis initiale — SMITH 1939
Hemiergis initiale — GLAUERT 1960
Hemiergis initialis — COGGER 1983: 165
Hemiergis initialis — COGGER 2000: 500
Hemiergis initialis — WILSON & SWAN 2010

Hemiergis initialis brookeri STORR 1975
Hemiergis initialis brookeri — STORR et al. 1999 
DistributionAustralia (South Australia, Western Australia)

initialis: SW Western Australia; Type locality: Mt. Helena (as Lion Mill) and Jarrahdale, south W. A.

brookeri: SE Western Australia; Type locality: 40 km WSW of Caiguna, in 32° 20’ S, 125° 00’ E, W. A.  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesLectotype: NMW (= NHMW) 16637, designation by Wells & Wellington, 1985.
Syntypes: NMW = NHMW 16637 (Lion Mill), ZMH 3503 (Lion Mill), ZMB 21465 (3 specimens, Lion Mill), 4 other syntypes not found, from Mt. Helena (as Lion Mill) and Jarrahdale, south W. A.
Holotype: WAM R24677 [brookeri] 
Diagnosis 
CommentSynonymy partly after COGGER 1983.

Limb morphology: 5 digits, 5 toes (Singhal et al. 2018, Reeder and Reichert 2011)

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin initialis (first, original). The name relates to the pentadactyle form of the species, unique in the genus at the time. The other Hemiergis species previously described had fewer fingers and toes, so this was phylogenetically, the first/primitive Hemiergis, as noted by Werner. (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
  • Gemel, R.; G. Gassner & S. Schweiger 2019. Katalog der Typen der Herpetologischen Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien – 2018. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B 121: 33–248 - get paper here
  • Glauert, L. 1960. Herpetological miscellanea. XII. The family Scincidae in Western Australia. Pt. 2. The genus Lygosoma. Western Australian Naturalist 7 (4): 81-99 - get paper here
  • Licht, P., W.R. Dawson & V.H. Shoemaker 1966. Heat resistance of some Australian lizards Copeia 1966 (2): 162-169. - get paper here
  • 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
  • Skinner, Adam; Mark N. Hutchinson, Michael S.Y. Lee 2013. Phylogeny and Divergence Times of Australian Sphenomorphus Group Skinks (Scincidae, Squamata). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 69 (3): 906–918 - get paper here
  • Smith, H. M. 1939. A new Australian lizard, with a note on Hemiergis. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 24: 11-14 - get paper here
  • Smith, M.A. 1937. A review of the genus Lygosoma (Scincidae: Reptilia) and its allies. Records of the Indian Museum 39 (3): 213-234
  • Storr, G. M. 1975. The genus Hemiergis (Lacertilia: Scincidae) in Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 3: 251-260 - 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
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Werner, F. 1910. Reptilia (Geckonidae und Scincidae). In: Michaelsen, W., and R. Hartmeyer: Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Vol. 2. G. Fischer, Jena, pp. 451-493. - 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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