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Delma impar (FISCHER, 1882)

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Higher TaxaPygopodidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Many-lined Delma, Striped Legless lizard 
SynonymPseudodelma impar FISCHER 1882
Delma impar — BOULENGER 1885: 244
Delma impar — LUCAS & FROST 1894: 39
Delma lineata ROSÉN 1905
Delma impar — KLUGE 1974: 98
Delma impar — KLUGE 1993
Delma impar — SHEA 1991: 84
Delma impar — COGGER 2000: 289
Delma impar — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Delma impar — MAHONY et al. 2022 
DistributionAustralia (New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria)

Type locality: Melbourne; neotype from Hamilton, 37° 45’ S, 142° 02’ E, Vic.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: NMV D10883, designated by Kluge (1974). Holotype: originally in MTD (= MTKD) D158, presumed destroyed fide Obst (1977) cited in Kluge 1974, COGGER 1983. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Impar differs from all other species in the genus Delma in possessing the following combination of character states: a) nasal and first supralabial fused anterior to nostril, b) usually five or six loreal scales, c) usually five anterior orbital scales, d) almost always four frontal scales, e) fourth supralabial below orbit, f) usually 10 nuchal scales, g) usually 12 gular scales, h) ventral scales in males average 65.7, in females 70.5, i) usually 14 or 16 midbody scale rows, j) one pair of ventral body scales almost always enlarged, k) two preanal scales, 1) dorsal head bands absent, m) throat and ventral body surfaces immaculate, n) conspicuous stripes almost always present on dorsal body surfaces (Figs. 7, 59-60). (Kluge 1974)


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CommentSynonymy after COGGER 1983.

Limb morphology: Limbless.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin impar (uneven, or odd). The holotype was described as having an odd number of midbody scales, unlike other previously described species, all of which had an even number of midbodies. This was an individual anomaly. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp. - get paper here
  • 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.
  • Dorrough, J. W.;Close, P.;Williams, L. 1996. Rediscovery of the striped legless lizard Delma impar (Pygopodidae), on the Monaro Plains of NSW. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 26 (2): 52-53
  • Dorrough, J.; Ash, J.E. 1999. Using past and present habitat to predict the current distribution and abundance of a rare cryptic lizard, Delma impar (Pygopodidae). Austral Ecology 24(6):614-624. - get paper here
  • Fischer, J. G. 1882. Herpetologische Bemerkungen. I. Bemerkungen über einzelne Stücke der Schlangensammlung des kön. Zoologischen Museums in Dresden. . II. Neue Eidechen aus Australien und Polynesien. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 48: 281-302 - get paper here
  • Husband, G. 1995. A new northern limit for the striped legless lizard Delma impar. Herpetofauna (Sydney) 25 (1): 44-45
  • Kinghorn, J. Roy 1926. A brief review of the family Pygopodidae. Rec. Austral. Mus. 15 (1): 40-64 - get paper here
  • Kluge, A. G. 1974. A taxonomic revision of the lizard family Pygopodidae. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, (147): 1-221. - get paper here
  • Kluge, Arnold G. 1976. Phylogenetic relationships in the lizard family Pygopodidae: an evaluation of theory, methods and data. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (152): 1-72 - get paper here
  • Lucas, A. H. S. & Frost, C. 1894. The lizards indigenous to Victoria. Proc. R. Soc. Vict. (ns) 6: 24-92 - get paper here
  • MAHONY, S. V., CUTAJAR, T., & ROWLEY, J. J. 2022. A new species of Delma Gray 1831 (Squamata: Pygopodidae) from the Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains of New South Wales. Zootaxa 5162 (5): 541-556 - get paper here
  • Obst, F. J. 1977. Die herpetologische Sammlung des Staatlichen Museums für Tierkunde Dresden und ihre Typusexemplare. Zool. Abh. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 34: 171-186.
  • O’Shea, Megan 2017. Identification of individual Striped Legless Lizards 'Delma impar' using the dorsal head scale pattern. Victorian Naturalist 134 (6) - get paper here
  • Rosen, N. 1905. List of the lizards in the Zoological Museum of Lund, with descriptions of new species. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7) 16:129-142 - get paper here
  • Shea, G. M. 1991. Revisionary notes on the genus Delma (Squamata: Pygopodidae) in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Rec. South Austral. Mus. 25: 71-90 - get paper here
  • Shea, Glenn 1993. A newly discovered old record of the endangered striped legless lizard, Delma impar (Squamata: Pygopodidae). Herpetofauna (Sydney) 23 (2): 13
  • Stirling, E. C., and A. Zietz. 1893. Scientific results of the Elder Exploring Expedition. Vertebrata. Mammalia, Reptilia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 16:154-176. - get paper here
  • Swan, G.; Sadlier, R.; Shea, G. 2017. A field guide to reptiles of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, 328 pp.
  • 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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