Lerista lineopunctulata (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1839)
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Lerista lineopunctulata
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Sphenomorphinae (Sphenomorphini), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Dotted-line Robust Slider, West Coast Line-spotted Lerista |
| Synonym | Rhodona punctata GRAY 1839: 335 (non Lacerta punctata LINNAEUS 1758) Brachystopus lineopunctulata DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 779 Ronia catenulata GRAY 1841: 87 Rhodona punctata — MÜLLER 1880 Rhodona lineopunctulata — SMITH 1937: 231 Lygosoma (Rhodona) lineopunctulatum — GLAUERT 1960: 96 Lygosoma (Rhodona) lineopunctulatum — FORD 1963 Lerista lineopunctulata — GREER 1967 Lerista lineopunctulata — COGGER 1983: 174 Lerista lineopunctulata — GANS & FUSARI 1994 Lerista lineopunctulata — COGGER 2000: 525 Rhodona punctata — WELLS 2012: 2 Rhodona lineopunctulata — WELLS 2012: 30 Lerista lineopunctulata — WILSON & SWAN 2010 Lerista lineopunctulata — AMEY & EDWARDS 2017 |
| Distribution | Australia (Western Australia) Type locality: Australia (but see note below). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntype: MNHN-RA 1246, from Australia (original description cites Cape of Good Hope, southern Africa), see Guibé (1954) [Brachystopus lineopunctulata] Holotype: BMNH (not found), from W. A. [Ronia catenulata] Syntypes: BMNH 1946.9.4.73-77, from Australia [Rhodona punctata] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A species of Lerista with forelimb only a short stump (L1 = 0.7–1.2% SVL), two digits on a relatively short hindlimb (L2 <14% SVL), fused frontoparietals, four or five supraciliaries and a free eyelid (vs. fused into a transparent spectacle) (AMEY & EDWARDS 2017). Comparisons. Only three other species of Lerista, L. connivens, L. miopus and L. varia, have the combination of forelimb with a nubbin or stump, two digits on the hindlimb, free eyelid and interparietal fused to the frontoparietals. Lerista lineopunctulata differs from L. connivens in a more developed forelimb (a stump 0.7–1.2% SVL vs. usually a depression only or a nubbin no more than 0.6% SVL), a reduced hindlimb (up to 14% SVL vs. 13–23% SVL, 7–10 subdigital lamellae on longest toe, homologous to digit IV, see Greer (1987, 1990) vs. 11–14, 5–7 supradigital scales on longest toe vs. 8–11), more supraciliaries (5 vs. 4) and colour pattern (brown-grey dorsally with lines of dark brown spots, pattern fading laterally vs. two irregular lines of dark brown enclosing a paler brown vertebral stripe and a solid dark brown upper lateral stripe). From L. miopus, it differs in a more developed forelimb (a stump 0.7–1.2% SVL vs. usually a depression only or a nubbin no more than 0.7% SVL) and more distinct colour pattern (lines of dark brown spots vs. often so indistinct as to appear patternless). From L. varia, it differs in a more developed forelimb (a stump 0.7–1.2% SVL vs. usually a depression only or a nubbin no more than 0.4% SVL), a reduced hindlimb (up to 14% SVL vs. 13–24% SVL, 5–7 supradigitals on the longest toe vs. 8–10), more paravertebrals (76–88 vs. 63–73) and a generally bolder colour pattern (usually brown-grey with lines of dark brown spots dorsally vs. usually 2–4 indistinct lines of dark brown spots) (AMEY & EDWARDS 2017). |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after COGGER 1983. Type species: Rhodona punctata Gray, 1839 is the type species of the genus Rhodona Gray, 1839. This genus was resurrected by WELLS 2012: 22, who also provides a diagnosis of the genus. Unfortunately WELLS did not provide a phylogenetic analysis of the genera, into which he broke up Lerista, hence we leave the current genus Lerista intact for the time being. Limb morphology: 0 digits, 2 toes |
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