Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 60

A new genus to accommodate three skinks currently assigned to Proablepharus (Lacertilia: Scincidae)

Couper, P.J., Hoskin, C.J., Potter, S., Bragg, J.G. & Moritz, C.

Published online: 29 January 2018

Citation

Couper, P.J., Hoskin, C.J., Potter, S., Bragg, J.G. & Moritz, C. 2018. A new genus to accommodate three skinks currently assigned to Proablepharus (Lacertilia: Scincidae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 60: 227–231. https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.60.2017.2017-15

Accepted

14 December 2017

Published online

29 January 2018>

Peer reviewed

Yes

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17082/j.2204-1478.60.2017.2017-15

Keywords

Proablepharus, Austroablepharus gen. nov., Australia, morphology, genetics

Abstract

The genus Proablepharus currently contains five species (P. barrylyoni, P. kinghorni, P. naranjicaudus, P. reginae and P. tenuis). Morphologically, these are readily separated into two groups: the small, almost patternless species (P. reginae and P. tenuis) and the larger, striped species (P. kinghorni, P. barrylyoni and P. naranjicaudus). We present genetic and morphological data to demonstrate that these two groups are generically distinct from each other. As P. reginae is the type species for Proablepharus, we erect a new genus, Austroablepharus gen. nov., for the kinghorni group and designate A. kinghorni as the type species.