Diporiphora australis (Steindachner, 1867)

MELVILLE, JANE, DATE, KATIE SMITH, HORNER, PAUL & Doughty, Paul, 2019, Taxonomic revision of dragon lizards in the genus Diporiphora (Reptilia: Agamidae) from the Australian monsoonal tropics, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 78, pp. 23-55 : 27-32

Diporiphora australis (Steindachner, 1867)

Common name. Tommy roundhead.

Figure 4 , Tables 3, 4

Calotella australis Steindachner, F. 1867 . Reptilien. pp. 1–98 in, Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorff-Urbair. Zoologie 1(3). State Printer: Vienna. [1869 on title page] [29, pl. 1 fig.9]. Type data: lectotype – NHMW 19821.1 Australia (“Cape York, QLD” on type label), taxonomic designation, this work.

Grammatophora macrolepis Günther, A. 1867 . Additions to the knowledge of Australian reptiles and fishes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 20: 45–68 [51]. Type data: holotype – BMNH 1946.8 .12.74, Australia (by implication).

* = tail broken

Diporiphora nuchalis De Vis, C.W. 1884 . On new species of Australian lizards. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 1: 97–100 [98]. Type data: syntype (s) – whereabouts unknown, central and south-coast district, Queensland.

Diporiphora ornata De Vis, C.W. 1884 . On new species of Australian lizards. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 1: 97–100 [99]. Type data: holotype – whereabouts unknown, locality unknown.

Physignathus nigricollis Lönnberg, E., and Andersson, L.G. 1915 . Results of Dr. E. Mjöberg’s Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910–1913. VII. Reptiles collected in northern Queensland. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Academiens Nya Handlingar, Stockholm 52: 1–9 [4] [incorrect spelling as Physignatus nigricollis ]. Type data: holotype – NHRM 3209 , Cooktown , Queensland .

Diagnosis. Body size moderately large (to 70 mm SVL) with long tail (2.3–2.7 × SVL). Gular, post-auricular and scapular folds present. Lacks spinose scales on thighs or neck. Pre-cloacal pores 4; femoral pores 0.

Description of lectotype. Female; 69 mm SVL; 146 mm tail length. Medium-sized dragon, moderately robust with moderately long limbs and tail. Single canines on each side of upper jaw. Gular and post-auricular folds present and scapular fold weak. Dorsal scales homogenous but prominent keels form longitudinal ridges along dorsum along midline with dorsolateral ridges on each side; these raised vertebral and dorsolateral scale rows extend anteriorly onto nape to head and posteriorly onto base of tail, not extending down tail. Scales on flanks heterogeneous with scattered slightly enlarged scales. Scales on neck, limbs and tail not spinose. Scales in axilla small but not granular. Ventral scales strongly keeled. Pre-cloacal pores 4; femoral pores 0.

Dorsum strongly patterned. Vertebral and dorsolateral lines very faint, almost undiscernible with colouring a slightly paler replication of dorsum patterning, running from back of head to pelvis. Five wide dark transverse bands across dorsum between head and pelvis. Dark bands are a similar width to the pale background. Head relatively plain with little patterning, labials similar colour to rest of head and lacking pale line between eye and ear. Lacks dark spot on posterior of tympanum. Flanks a similar colour to dorsum. Lacks lateral stripe between axilla and groin. Dark patch on sides of neck at anterior edge of shoulder. Arms weakly banded with dark bands slightly narrower than light. Legs and tail strongly banded with dark bands narrower than light. Ventral surface cream with no patterning.

Variation. 46–70 mm SVL; 105–174 mm tail length. Tail long, ranging from 2.3–2.7 × SVL. Strong scapular fold present, post-auricular fold usually absent although present but weak in a few individuals. Dorsal scales homogenous but prominent keels form longitudinal ridges. There are often five longitudinal ridges: one along the vertebral midline, one each on the 2nd paravertebral scale rows and one on each of the dorsolateral stripes. Some individuals only have these longitudinal ridges running along the

(c) D. bilineata species group

D. bilineata Long Present Absent Absent

(2.2–2.7)

D. gracilis sp. nov. Very Sometimes Absent Weak/ long absent (2.7–3.0)

D. lalliae Very Usually Present Strong long

(2.7–3.4)

D. magna Very Present Absent Strong long

(2.6–3.0)

D. margaretae Long Present Absent Weak / present (2.5–2.7)

D. granulifera sp. Very Present Absent Weak– nov. long strong

(2.7–3.0)

Present

Weak

Strong

Strong

Weak/ present

Strong

Absent Over arm onto Moderately 2 0 shoulder and heterogeneous posteriorly with outer row of along flanks, dorsolateral stripe with pale having weakly flecks raised trailing edge

Absent Over arm to Homogeneous 4 0 scapular fold lacking raised scales in dorsolateral stripes

Absent Absent Homogeneous 4 0

lacking raised scales in dorsolateral stripes

Absent Over arm but Homogeneous 4 0 not to sides of lacking raised neck scales in dorsolateral stripes

Absent On top of arm Homogeneous but 4 0 and posteriorly with outer row of along flanks, dorsolateral stripe with pale having raised flecks trailing edge

Absent Over arm and Homogeneous but 4–6 0 along the full with outer row of

(usually length of the dorsolateral stripe

4)

scapular fold; having raised anterior to trailing edge scapular fold small, slightly granular scales

Tail Dorsolateral Gular Post- Scapular Dark spot Extent of axial Dorsal scales Pre- Femoral length stripes fold auricular fold on dark granular between cloacal pores (× SVL) fold tympanum scales dorsolateral pores (total) edge stripes (total)

D. carpentariensis Very Present Absent Weak – Strong Absent Over arm and Homogeneous 4–5 0

sp. nov. long strong along the full lacking raised (usually length of the scales in (2.1–3.0) 4) scapular fold dorsolateral stripes

(d) Arid zone species group

D. pallida sp. nov. Short Absent Present Absent

Present Absent Absent Homogeneous 2 0

(2.0)

second scales out from the midline, giving a smoother appearance to the dorsum. Some individuals have weakly heterogeneous dorsal scales with the 2nd paravertebral scale rows slightly enlarged. In individuals with weak post-auricular fold, a row of 4–6 enlarged but not spinose scales may be present.

Dorsal pattern variable from strong, complex patterning to unpatterned. Dorsolateral stripes always present, wide cream to grey vertebral stripe present in all but weakly patterned individuals. In strongly patterned individuals, usually six dark transverse bands across dorsum between head and pelvis but ranges from 4–7. Transverse bands similar in size or slightly narrower than pale background. Flanks in these individuals have similar patterning to dorsum and commonly have wide pale lateral stripe between axilla and groin. In weakly patterned individuals, transverse bands are either absent or are narrow dark bands contacting the dorsolateral stripes and extending towards, but not contacting, the vertebral stripe. In these plain animals, the bands on the tail also contact the dorsolateral stripes but do not meet at the midline. Flanks in these individuals lack patterning, including a lateral stripe between axilla and groin. Dark patch on sides of neck often present but variable from being absent to running along scapular fold and extending anteriorly onto the sides of neck from the dorsal extent of the fold, with the dark pigmentation contacting the pale dorsolateral stripe. This dark spot on the neck never extends posteriorly from the scapular fold towards the axial region or onto the ventral surface. Ventral surface usually unpatterned and cream in colour, but a few individuals, usually females, have pale grey colouring on gular region.

Distribution and ecology. Widespread along the north-eastern coast of Australia, as far south as the Coffs Harbour area in northern New South Wales, extending north along the coast into the south-eastern portions of Cape York Peninsula as far north as the Cooktown area (fig. 3). It extends inland approximately 600 km from the coast, across the base of Cape York Peninsula to the Normanton area. It extends south along the Great Dividing Range, into northern New South Wales.

A common and abundant species that is an ecological generalist, occurring in most dry forests and woodlands within its distribution (fig. 5c and e). Individuals use low vegetation, fallen timber and termite mounds as perches. This species is a common sight in some of the northern cities and appears to have adapted well to bushy suburban areas ( Kutt et al., 2011). Although D. australis is one of the most common species encountered in suburban areas of eastern Queensland, relatively little is known about its biology.

Comparison with other species. Overlaps extensively with the distribution of D. nobbi and overlaps broadly with D. jugularis at the northern edge of its range (fig. 3) and with D. carpentariensis sp. nov. in the north-western extent of its range. It differs from D. nobbi in having smaller body size and lacking spinose scales on the thighs or neck. It can be distinguished morphologically from D. jugularis and D. carpentariensis sp. nov. by possessing a gular fold.

Remarks. As part of this study we examined all available types, including those of synonymised species, held in Australian and European collections. In addition, we examined a specimen held in the NHMUK that is housed in the type collection based on an account by Günther (1867). This account named Grammatophora calotella as a replacement name for a species described earlier in the same year by Steindachner, who described Calotella australis , basing his name on specimens in the Vienna collection. Günther renamed Calotella australis as the species Grammatophora calotella and referred to the two specimens in the NHMUK from Cape York. However, examination of the Grammatophora calotella specimen revealed that it lacks a gular fold, indicating that it is D. jugularis from Cape York, and not C. australis . In the same paper, Günther described Grammatophora macrolepis as a new species, which examination confirms is D. australis .

Cogger et al. (1983) suggested that the two specimens with the single registration number of NHMW 19821 were likely to be the syntypes and that these bore the locality “Cape York ”, suggesting that they were collected by Daemel. As such, they would have been collected by Daemel at the same time as the Grammatophora calotella specimens in the NHMUK ( BMNH 66.12.28.22–23). However, it is probable that the location of these specimens is incorrect and they were not from Cape York but were from Rockhampton. Comparison of the lectotype NHMW19821 :1 to the image provided in the original description (fig. 6) suggests that this specimen was the one described by Steindachner but with incorrect locality data. There are several species with types collected by Daemel where there is a mix-up between specimens collected in Cape York and Rockhampton (G. Shea, personal communication) .

The type of Physignathus nigricollis Lönnberg and Andersson was also examined as part of this study and was confirmed to be a specimen of D. australis .

Figures

Figure 4. Diporiphora australis: a, adult, Karawatha, south-eastern Queensland (photo: S. Wilson); b, lectotype NHMW 19821.1, Australia (“Cape York, QLD” on type label); c, ventral view of head showing gular fold.