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Morethia lineoocellata (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1839)

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Higher TaxaScincidae, Eugongylinae (Eugongylini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: West Coast Morethia Skink, Western Pale-flecked Morethia 
SynonymAblepharus lineoocellatus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 817 (part.)
Morethia anomalus GRAY 1845: 65 (part.)
Ablepharus lineo-ocellatus — STRAUCH 1868: 371
Ablepharus anomalus — STRAUCH 1868: 371
Ablepharus lineo-ocellatus — GLAUERT 1960:116
Ablepharus lineo-ocellatus — FORD 1963
Morethia lineoocellata — GREER 1974: 21
Morethia lineoocellata — COGGER 1983: 180
Morethia lineoocellata — COGGER 2000: 548
Morethia lineoocellata — WILSON & SWAN 2010 
DistributionAustralia (Western Australia)

Type locality: “Australia”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesLectotype: MNHN-RA 3092 (four specimens MNHN-RA 3092, MNHN-RA 3092A, MNHN-RA 3092B and MNHN-RA 3092C) (pentadactyl syntype), from Australia, designated by Rawlinson (1976). For the other 2 specimens under this number, see synonymy of Menetia greyii GRAY 1845. See also MNHN-RA A 0793 and A 0794 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Small to medium-sized (snout-vent length up to 56 mm), primarily terrestrial skinks with supranasals (except in some lineoocellata), an ablepharine eye, and the frontoparietals and interparietal fused into a single scale; clutch sizes variable, up to 6 (Greer 1974: 23). 
CommentSynonymy after COGGER 1983.

Type Species: Morethia anomalus (= Ablepharus lineoocellatus) is the type species of the genus Morethia GRAY 1845.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin linea (line) plus ocellatus (spotted), in combination relating to the color pattern. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024)

The origin of the genus name Morethia is unknown. Derivation not stated by Gray (1845). Probably one of the many generic names he coined that were euphonious but lacked any meaning. 
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
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here
  • Ford, J. 1963. The Reptilian Fauna of the Islands between Dongara and Lancelin, Western Australia. Western Australian Naturalist 8 (6): 135-142 - get paper here
  • Glauert, L. 1960. Herpetological miscellanea. XII. The family Scincidae in Western Australia. Pt. 3. The genus Ablepharus. Western Australian Naturalist 7: 115-122 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1845. Catalogue of the specimens of lizards in the collection of the British Museum. Trustees of die British Museum/Edward Newman, London: xxvii + 289 pp. - get paper here
  • Greer A E 1981. A new species of Morethia (Lacertilia: Scincidae) from northern Australia, with comments on the biology and relationships of the genus. Rec. Austral. Mus. 33 (2): 89-122 [1980] - get paper here
  • Greer, A.E. 1974. The generic relationships of the scincid lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. Australian Journal of Zoology 31: 1-67. - get paper here
  • Hallermann, J. 2020. An annotated list of reptiles and amphibians from the 1905 Hamburg expedition to southwest Australia deposited in the Zoological Museum Hamburg. Evolutionary Systematics 4: 61 - get paper here
  • How, RA, Cowan, MA, Teale, RJ, Schmitt, LH. 2020. Environmental correlates of reptile variation on the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, eastern Indian Ocean. J Biogeogr. 47: 2017– 2028 - 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
  • Maryan, B., Browne-Cooper, R. and Bush, B. 2002. Herpetofauna Survey of the Maralla Road Bushland. Western Australian Naturalist 23: 197-205 - get paper here
  • Maryan, B., Gaikhorst, G., & Parkhurst, B. 2024. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia: Exceptional richness in a global biodiversity hotspot. Western Australian Naturalist, 33, 3
  • Rawlinson, P. A. 1976. The endemic Australian lizard genus Morethia (Scincidae: Lygosominae) in southern Australia. Mem. Natl. Mus. Vict. 37: 27-41 - get paper here
  • Storr, G. M. 1972. The genus Morethia (Lacertilia: Scincidae) in Western Australia. J. R. Soc. West. Aust. 55: 73-79 [1973]
  • Strauch, A. 1868. Ueber die Arten del' Eidechsen-Gattung Ablepharus (Fitz.). Bull. Ac. Sc. St. Petel'sb. xii: 359-371 or<br />Mél. Biol. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Petersburg 6: 553-570 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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