A new species of Eremiascincus (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from the Great Sandy Desert and Pilbara Coast, Western Australia and reassignment of eight species from Glaphyromorphus to Eremiascincus

Abstract

The concept of the skink lizard genus Eremiascincus Greer, 1979 is expanded to include eleven species [antoniorum,brongersmai, butlerorum, douglasi, emigrans, fasciolatus, isolepis, richardsonii, musivus sp. nov., pardalis, timorensis], eight of which [antoniorum, brongersmai, butlerorum, douglasi, emigrans, isolepis, pardalis, timorensis] (comb. nov.) previously belonged to Glaphyromorphus Wells & Wellington, 1983. This decision is based on the results of three recent studies, which indicated that ‘Glaphyromorphus’ was a polyphyletic assemblage representing a morphotype within Australian sphenomorphine skinks. In addition, we describe a new species of Eremiascincus based on morphological and molecular genetic evidence. The new species is distributed in coastal areas of the Pilbara region, Dampierland and the Great Sandy Desert in northwestern Western Australia. Eremiascincus musivus sp. nov. differs from regional congeners by possessing a characteristic dorsal pattern comprising numerous whitish and dark spots which align to form a diffuse reticulum, a pale vertebral stripe, more slender body and smaller body size, 52–62 paravertebral scales, scales along top of the fourth toe with oblique sutures on basal quarter to third of digit, subdigital lamellae of fourth toe undivided and feebly keeled and 10–15 plantar scales. The description of E. musivus sp. nov. brings the number of species of Australian Eremiascincus to seven.