Carlia quinquecarinata (Macleay)

Donnellan, S. C., Couper, P. J., Saint, K. M. & Wheaton, L., 2009, Systematics of the Carlia ‘ fusca’ complex (Reptilia: Scincidae) from northern Australia, Zootaxa 2227 (1), pp. 1-31 : 24-26

Carlia quinquecarinata (Macleay)

Fig. 12 , Tables 3 & 4

1877 Heteropus quinquecarinatus Macleay Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 2: 67. Darnley Island , north-eastern Queensland. Lectotype AMS R 31873.

Material examined: Lectotype: AMS R 31873. Darnley Island , north-eastern Queensland (9°35'S, 143°46'E).

Paralectotypes: AMS R31871-2 , AMS R31874-5 , as for lectotype. AMS R 31872 excluded from measurements (see discussion below) .

Other material: QM J68354 , J68359 , Darnley Island (9°35'S, 143°46'E) . QMJ52427, a specimen from Murray Island exhibits pattern characteristics similar to those of the Darnley Island specimens .

Distribution: Darnley Island [= Erub Island] (9°35'S, 143°46'E) Torres Strait and probably also Murray Island (9°56'S, 144°04'E). This taxon may also occur in New Guinea (see comments below).

Diagnosis: A large, heavy-bodied member of the C. fusca group usually possessing large, longitudinally aligned, dark- edged, pale dashes on the dorsum and a midlateral line (where present) broken into a series of dashes anterior to the forelimb - a pattern not seen in C. longipes or C. sexdentata .

Description: SVL (mm) 56.96–65.68, n = 4. Proportions as %SVL (mean ± standard deviation): not available; AG 42.80–50.54 (48.32 ± 3.71, n = 4); L1 32.13–36.73 (34.88 ± 1.95, n = 4); L2 49.43–50.05 (49.66 ± 0.27, n = 4); HL 21.09–22.26 (21.79 ± 0.50, n = 4); Eye – ear 7.23–7.89 (7.57 ± 0.27, n = 4); Snout 7.80– 8.71 (8.40 ± 0.42, n = 4). Body robust. Head barely distinct from neck. HW 65.92–70.65% HL (68.34 ± 1.97, n = 4). Limbs moderate. L1 64.19–74.29% L2 (70.26 ± 4.29, n = 4).

Raw measurements and scale counts of lectotype: AMS R31873. SVL 60.91 mm; AG 30.19 mm; L1 22.37 mm; L2 30.11 mm; HL 13.56 mm; HW 9.58 mm; Eye – ear 4.60; Snout 5.14: midbody scale rows 38; paravertebral scale rows 47; supraciliaries 8 left, 7 right; supralabials 7; fifth supralabial below eye; infralabials 6; subdigital lamellae beneath 3 rd finger 23; subdigital lamellae beneath 4 th toe 32; enlarged nuchals 2; preoculars 2; presuboculars 1; postsupralabial divided; temporals – 1 primary, 2 secondary; ear vertical with sharp lobules on all edges—those along posterior margin small and deeply recessed ( Fig. 12b ); palpebral disc larger than ear opening. The scales of the dorsal and lateral surfaces are weakly carinated and some have an indication of a smaller point at the lateral edges, producing five carinations. The scale characters of AMS R31871, AMS R31874-5 are less well preserved but suggest the same general effect. The scales of AMS R31872 are largely smooth.

Pattern: AMS R31871-5 are badly faded but still show traces of a dark upper lateral zone extending beyond the forelimb and bordered above by a narrow, pale dorsolateral stripe. AMS R 31874 shows traces of dark-edged dorsal dashes the full extent of this pattern is clearly seen in QM J86354 , a fresh specimen from Darnley Island , collected in November 2007 ( Fig. 12c ) .

Comments: C. quinquecarinata is a large, heavy-bodied Carlia that is readily separated from the sympatric, slender-bodied H. variegatus by both pattern and scalation differences. Specimen AMS R31872 is not considered as conspecific with the other specimens in the type series. Its colour pattern and scalation characters fit more closely with H. variegatus . (Pale dorsolateral and mid lateral stripes present, midbody scale count = 33, lamellae under 3 rd finger = 19, lamellae under 4 th toe = 25). The scale characteristics of the other H. quinquecarinatus types appear to be consistent with recently collected, genetically typed, specimens from Darnley Island (QM J68354 , J68359 ) that possess prominent longitudinally aligned, dark- edged, pale flecks on the dorsum and broken midlateral stripes. A similar pattern was observed in a specimen from Murray Island (QM J52427 ). The mitochondrial DNA phylogeny ( Fig. 2) places the Darnley Island specimens with AMS R122702, a specimen from Waro, Southern Highlands Province, PNG (6°32'S, 143°11'E) that Zug (2004) was not able to assign to any named taxon with confidence. AMS R122702 does not have the pattern of Darnley Island C. quinquecarinata and for the present we do not include it in C. quinquecarinata until the extent of morphological variation in C. quinquecarinata is assessed across the region.

Figures

FIGURE 12. (a) AMS R31873, Lectotype of H. quinquecarinatus Macleay 1877 Darnley Island, north-eastern Torres Strait (image: J. Wright). (b) Ear lobules, left side of AMS R31873. Note that the lobules on the posterior margin are small and deeply recessed, hence not clearly discernible. (image: G. Thompson). (c) QM J86354 from Darnley Island, see Comments in C. quinquecarinata species account (image: J. Wright).