Dasia olivacea, Gray, 1839

Shea, Glenn M. & Iskandar, Djoko T., 2020, Mabuia wirzi Roux, 1925 (Squamata: Scincidae), an overlooked synonym of Dasia olivacea Gray, 1839, with notes on the synonymy of Dasia olivacea, Zootaxa 4763 (1), pp. 145-150 : 148

The synonymy of Dasia olivacea now becomes:

Dasia olivacea Gray, 1839

Dasia olivacea Gray, 1839: 331 . Holotype: Museum Chatham [Museum of the Army Medical Department, Fort Pitt, Chatham] (now lost), from Prince of Wales’ Island [= Pulau Pinang, Malaysia], collector unknown.

Gongylus (Euprepes) Ernestii Duméril & Bibron, 1839: 696 . Holotype: Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN) 7093, Java, via Leyden Museum [RMNH]. Synonymy by Gray (1845).

Mabuia wirzi Roux, 1925: 319 . Holotype: NHMB 8957, Nias [= Pulau Nias , Indonesia], collected P. Wirz. Synonymy of this paper.

De Rooij (1915) also included Mabuia saravacensis Bartlett, 1895 , syntypes from Santubong and Kuching, Sarawak, in the synonymy of Dasia olivacea . However, Inger and Brown (1980), who examined a syntype in the Natural History Museum London (cited by them as BMNH 99.1.20.6, though the syntype has original registration number 99.1.20.4, now reregistered as 1946.8.20.57, Kuching, Sarawak, presented Sarawak Museum—99.1.20.6 is a syntype of Lygosoma bampfyldei Bartlett, 1895 ), considered Mabuia saravacensis to be a synonym of Dasia grisea instead .

Smith (1943) and Taylor and Smith (1950), following examination of the holotype of Euprepis microcephalus Hallowell, 1856 , suggested that this species, purportedly from Mexico, was a Dasia species with an incorrect locality, although they were unable to determine its affinities within Dasia as the head of the holotype was in poor condition. Uetz et al. (2019) go further in tentatively listing this name in the synonymy of Dasia olivacea . The small size of the holotype (given as 4 inches 9 lines [4.75 inches, = 121 mm] in total length by Hallowell 1856, with snout-vent length 2 inches 1 line [2.08 inches, = 53 mm] as given in a more extended description by Hallowell 1860) would be commensurate with a juvenile of the currently known species in the genus. Juveniles of Dasia species are strongly banded ( Greer 1970; Inger & Brown 1980). Given this, the description of coloration by Hallowell (1860), uniform ash with traces of four longitudinal narrow dark-coloured lines extending the whole length of the trunk (earlier in the same description, Hallowell gives the number of dark lines as five), is not in agreement with any known Dasia species, suggesting that the assignment of this name to Dasia is incorrect. Hallowell (1856, 1860) also reports the ear having three lobules along the margin, and the body scales bearing 8-9 keels, the central pair more widely spaced than the others, features which do not fit with Dasia . We have examined low resolution photographs of the holotype (Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University (ANSP) 9531), and our suspicions have been confirmed—the specimen is clearly not a Dasia , but more likely a Trachylepis or Eutropis species. In addition to the features in the description, the ear is very much larger than that of Dasia , and there are no enlarged glandular scales on the heel. A more detailed assessment of the type will be needed for generic and species assignment, but for the moment the name should not be considered synonymous with D. olivacea or any Dasia species.