Two New Species of Menetia from Northeastern Queensland, with Comments on the Generic Diagnoses of Lygisaurus and Menetia

Abstract

The Australian skink genera Lygisaurus and Menetia are diagnosed on the basis of derived morphological characters. Menetia consists of the six species traditionally included therein (alanae, amaura, concinna, greyii, maini, and surda), plus three additional species (timlowi, koshlandae, and sadlieri). Menetia koshlandae and M. sadlieri are described as new and along with M. timlowi, most recently assigned to Lygisaurus, are shown to constitute a distinct subgroup within Menetia. A key is provided to all nine species of Menetia, and some notes are presented on reproduction, habitat and color for three species. Menetia is a group of small, ground-dwelling skinks occurring in arid, semi-arid, and seasonally dry habitats in Australia. Six species are currently recognized in the genus. Recently, a species originally described as M. timlowi by Ingram (1977), was reallocated to the genus Lygisaurus, a group of small, ground-dwelling skinks from mesic habitats in New Guinea and eastern Australia (Ingram and Covacevich, 1988). The reason for the reallocation was the realization that the species lacked the one uniquelyderived character of Menetia (supraoculars two instead of three or four) and its similarity to Lygisaurus burnettii. On re-examining a longknown but undescribed species of small skink from northeastern Queensland which closely resembles M. timlowi, I came to the conclusion that these two species are probably more closely related to Menetia than to Lygisaurus. Quite recently a single specimen of a second undescribed species also closely resembling M. timlowi has been discovered in the collections of the Queensland Museum. The purpose of this paper is to update the generic diagnoses of Lygisaurus and Menetia and to describe the two new species of Menetia. I also take the opportunity to provide some general notes on reproduction and habitat in three species of Menetia. MATERIALS AND METHODS The paravertebral scales were counted from the first scale falling wholly outside of an imagetia is a group of small, ground-dwelling i ks o curring in arid, semi-ari , and seasonl dry habi ats in Australia. Six species are rently recognized in the genus. Recently, a ecies originally described as M. timlowi by ram (1977), was realloca ed to the genus Lyisaurus, a group of small, ground-dwelling inary line drawn along the posterior edge of the thighs held perpendicular to the long axis of the body forward to and including the anteriormost nuchal. The supraand subdigital scales were counted on the fourth toe of the pes beginning in the former case with the first scale wholly on the toe, and in the latter case with the first transversely enlarged scale wholly on the toe. The posteriormost supraciliary was taken as the scale just lateral to the suture between the posteriormost supraocular and the anteriormost pretemporal. Nuchals were all the transversely enlarged paravertebral scales just posterior to the parietals. The presacral vertebrae were counted on X-rays. Limb length was measured along the posterior edge of the outstretched limb and including the claw. The polarity of character states was inferred by reference to the successively more distant outgroups: Eugongylus, the most generally primitive taxon in the Eugongylus group; southeast Asian Mabuya, the most generally primitive lygosomines, and Eumeces, the most generally primitive scincid (Greer, 1979). DIAGNOSES OF LYGISAURUS AND MENETIA B th Lygisaurus and Menetia are members of the Eugongylus group of lygosomine skinks (Greer, 1979), and both show the following derived character states vis a vis this group: supranasals absent; frontoparietals fused; postsupralabial single; external ear opening small; 268 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.243 on Thu, 06 Oct 2016 04:55:39 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms