Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 60

A redescription of Lerista karlschmidti (Marx & Hosmer, 1959) (Reptilia: Scincidae) from the Northern Territory and removal of this species from the Queensland faunal list by rejecting its type locality

Citation

Amey, A.P. & Couper, P.J. 2017. A redescription of Lerista karlschmidti (Marx & Hosmer, 1959) (Reptilia: Scincidae) from the Northern Territory and removal of this species from the Queensland faunal list by rejecting its type locality. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature 60: 177–183. https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.60.2017.2017-08

Accepted

13 September 2017

Published online

13 December 2017

Peer reviewed

Yes

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.60.2017.2017-08

Keywords

Lerista, Queensland, L. karlschmidti, Northern Territory, species

Abstract 

The current species concept for Lerista karlschmidti encompasses two widely disjunct populations, one in Queensland and the other in the Northern Territory. The two populations cannot be differentiated morphologically and genetic analysis is currently not possible since the original Queensland specimens (the type series) are likely to be formalin-fixed. The species has not been found in Queensland since its description, despite targeted searches by competent field herpetologists. Herein, we re-evaluate the collection data associated with the type specimens and also assess aspects of head scalation that are almost unique to this species. We conclude that L. karlschmidti is an endemic Northern Territory species, that the type locality of Woodstock, Queensland, is in error and that the species should be removed from the Queensland faunal list.