Lerista miopus (GÜNTHER, 1867)
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Lerista miopus
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Soridia miopus GÜNTHER 1867: 49 Lygosoma (Rhodona) bipes concolor WERNER 1910 Lygosoma (Rhodona) miopus — GLAUERT 1960: 98 Lygosoma (Rhodona) nigriceps GLAUERT 1962 Lerista miopus — AMEY & EDWARDS 2017 |
| Distribution | Australia (Western Australia) Type locality: (neotype locality): Strickland St, Geraldton, Western Australia (28° 46' S 114° 37' E). |
| Reproduction | oviparous; Sex was determined in 36 specimens opportunistically, either through observation of everted hemipenes or previous dissection. There were ten females and 26 males in this sample. The smallest sexually mature male measured 60 mm SVL, the smallest female 63 mm. The largest specimen measured (106 mm SVL) was male, the largest female 97 mm. No consistent differences between the sexes were observed in any morphological character measured.<br />Data on the reproductive cycle that could be opportunistically collected without further dissection are presented in Table 3. In summary, reproductive individuals were found in spring, not summer or autumn. One female in late vitellogenesis had a developing clutch of four follicles. A gravid female had ova measuring 5.33 mm diameter, but the date of collection of this individual is unknown (Amey & Edwards 2017).<br /> |
| Types | Neotype: WAM R136122, designated by Amey & Edwards (2017). Holotype: unknown (BMNH records cite 1946.8.15.60 as holotype in error), from Champion Bay, W. A. fide COGGER 1983 Holotype: ZMB 21464, from Denham, W. A. [Lygosoma (Rhodona) bipes concolor] Holotype: WAM R14039, from Vlaming Lighthouse, North West Cape, W. A. [Lygosoma (Rhodona) nigriceps] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A species of Lerista with forelimb either absent (represented by a depression) or a nubbin (<0.7% SVL), one or two digits on a relatively short hindlimb (<14% SVL), fused frontoparietals, four or five supraciliaries and a free eyelid (vs. fused into a transparent spectacle). |
| Comment | Synonymy after COGGER 1983 and AMEY & EDWARDS 2017. Sympatry with Lerista lineopunctulata. The distribution of L. miopus and L. lineopunctulata appear to be very close to each other, with specimens assigned morphologically to L. miopus only 8 km from L. lineopunctulata specimens at Jurien Bay. Specimens from this area can be assigned confidently to either taxa but genetic information for them was lacking. A closer study of this apparently near contact between the two could be rewarding. Type species: Soridia miopus Günther 1867 is the type species of the genus Oncopus COPE 1892, a synonym of Lerista, fide Shea 2021. |
| Etymology | Günther was not specific about the etymology of the name. However, from the original combination of the spelling miopus with the feminine generic name Soridia, it is likely a noun, and hence from the Greek mio (small) + pous (foot), rather than the Latin miopus (short-sighted). (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) |
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