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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) 
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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