AUSTRALIAN BIODIVERSITY RECORD - Calodema

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Australian Biodiversity Record, 2009 (3): 1-96 Eulamprus heatwolei Wells and Wellington, 1984 - Synop. Class Rept. Aust. Aust. J. Herp. 1(3-4): 73-129 [93] [1983 on title page]. Type data: Holotype AM R111949 (previously AMF27987). Type Locality: Macquarie Rivulet just east of Robertson, NSW. Eulamprus heatwolei Wells and Wellington, 1985 - Classif. Amph. Rept. Aust. Aust. J. Herp. Suppl. Ser. 1: 1-61 [p.27] [March 1985 on title page, but not published until September, 1985] Sphenomorphus heatwolei Shea and Peterson, 1985 - Proc. Linn. Soc. NSW, 108 (2): 141- 148 [p. 144] [dated 1984, but not published until November, 1985] Eulamprus heatwolei Ehmann, 1992 - Encycl. Austr. Anim. Reptiles. [p. 248] Eulamprus heatwolei Cogger, 2000 - Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia [Pp. 483] Eulamprus heatwolei Wilson and Swan, 2003 - Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia [p. 218-219] Eulamprus heatwolei Swan, Shea and Sadlier, 2004 - Rept. NSW [p. 146] Eulamprus heatwolei Swanson, 2007 - Field Guide to Austr. Reptiles [p. 168] Eulamprus heatwolei Wilson and Swan, 2008 - Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 2 nd Edition [p. 234-235] Description: A commonly observed lizard of stream-sides and well-watered areas in the cooler more elevated areas, or areas of lower elevation in the more southerly latitudes in south-eastern Australia. This species is most closely related to Eulamprus tympanum, from which it can be easily distinguished by a distinctive colouration, longer limbs, more gracile body and tail, and narrower head. Eulamprus heatwolei is a medium-sized skink, with a long fragile tail that has moderate lateral compression in section. The base body colour may be bronze, coppery-brown, or olive-brown dorsally. The top of the head is usually strongly marked with black flecks and small blotches on deep brown, while the sides of the temples and cheeks usually have distinctive white spots. There is usually a short, very narrow or rather indistinct pale yellow dorso-lateral stripe that extends from the supraoculars, along the upper neck, and just onto the forebody. The dorsum of the body is usually heavily speckled, flecked or blotched with black, with the flecking being more-or-less longitudinally-aligned. Some specimens may be very heavily flecked and blotched with black over the head and back and base of the tail, although some such as those from the New England Plateau may be more much lightly spotted with black over the dorsum or even be an unmarked bronze brown, in contrast with the more boldly patterned specimens from the Southern Tablelands of NSW and elsewhere (but see comment on taxonomy below). Some populations in Victoria and South Australia also have the dorsum more plain coppery-brown with only a light scattering of black flecks at best. The upper lateral zone, between the neck posterior of the body is usually black and contains scattered pale yellow or creamish speckles or spots that may have an irregular vertical and longitudinal alignment to them, due to the pale markings being each associated with a single body scale. The lower lateral zone is creamish or creamish-yellow with dense black flecking which may form a variegated pattern posteriorly, and a finer, darker purplish-brown peppering pattern anteriorly. The upper parts of the limbs are the same colour as the dorsum, but with black flecks and small blotches, and the side of the original tail is heavily speckled and barred with black; regenerated tails are plain brown. The lateral of the head can be black, or the same as the dorsum, with black blotching, and there is usually a pale white line that runs over the infralabials and under the ear opening. As mentioned above, a short, pale creamish or yellowish, poorly defined streak also runs from above the eye to the nape - but sometimes to the mid-body. The anterior margin of the auricular region is black. The venter of the body is unmarked whitish or creamish-yellow to bright yellow (particularly intense around the thighs and pelvic region in mature specimens), but the throat, and chin are heavily blotched with blackish or dark bluish or bluish-grey on a base of pale cream or white. Important diagnostic features that separate E. heatwolei from its congenor E. tympanum can be summarised as follows: In Eulamprus heatwolei, the anterior margin of the ear-opening is black, whereas in Eulamprus tympanum the margin is creamish or a pale brown. The pale post-supraciliary streak of Eulamprus heatwolei is entirely absent in Eulamprus tympanum. There are also pronounced differences in the ventral colouration between the two species. Eulamprus heatwolei usually has an unmarked plain yellow ventral surface, whereas the venter of Eulamprus tympanum is paler lemon at its brightest, and has the addition of fine black flecking throughout - which in some areas is so pronounced as to give Eulamprus tympanum a darker, more metallic look to the ventral surface of the body. The darker gular colouration of Eulamprus heatwolei also readily separates the two species (the gular region is immaculate in Eulamprus tympanum). In E. heatwolei, the head, limbs, body 8
Australian Biodiversity Record, 2009 (3): 1-96 and tail tend to be longer or more gracile (more similar to the condition in Eulamprus quoyii) when compared to the more robust-looking E. tympanum. The superficial similarity with its much larger congenor Eulamprus quoyii mainly relates to the occasional presence of an extended pale dorsolateral stripe in Eulamprus heatwolei and this may cause no small amount of confusion in identifying Eulamprus heatwolei from Eulamprus quoyii on superficial inspection. In some populations of Eulamprus heatwolei, the thin creamish or yellowish dorsolateral stripe that runs from just above and behind the eye, along the nape, and along most of the anterior of the body is far less distinct that in E. quoyii. When this stripe is present in E. heatwolei, it is always much less distinct than in Eulamprus quoyii, and often it is entirely absent or so obscure as to be barely noticeable anyway. Further, only rarely does Eulamprus heatwolei possess a pale streak that extends from behind the eye to just above the ear opening. Some significant features of Eulamprus heatwolei morphology are: body scales smooth in adults and sub adults, but keeled in neonates, 36-44 at mid-body (counted longitudinally); paravertebral scales 68-89, about the same size as, or only slightly broader than adjacent dorsals; parietals in point to only moderate contact behind the interparietal; prefrontals usually separated, but sometimes in point contact; interparietal elongate, about twice as long as wide, and usually not separating parietals; mature specimens have the posterior edges of the parietals bordered across the nape by four or five variable, obliquely aligned scales which usually comprise 1-3 nuchals, plus the upper secondary temporals; supralabials 7-9 (usually 7), with the 5 th or 6 th subocular; infralabials 6-9 (usually 8), with postmental in contact with first two (occasionally 3) infralabials on each side; lower eyelid movable and scaly; supraciliaries 7-11 (usually 9); ear-opening present and conspicuous (larger than nasal scale); no anterior ear lobules; supraoculars 4; supranasals usually absent; nasals separated; rostral in narrow contact with frontonasal; well-developed pentadactyl limbs that strongly overlap when adpressed; hind limbs much longer than forelimbs, and all appendages longer than those of Eulamprus tympanum; 4th toe much longer than the 3rd; base of 4th toe broad, and most lamellae with a median groove, and divided basally; 23-29 subdigital lamellae beneath 4th toe. Premaxillary teeth usually 9 (rarely 8). Attains a maximum total length of around 200 mm. and a snout-vent length of about 90 mm. although slightly longer specimens can be occasionally found. Variation in morphology suggests that this species may be composite. In particular the isolated populations on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia, and more significantly, those on the New England Plateau, NSW appear to me to be distinct morphologically from topotypic E. heatwolei of the NSW Southern Highlands in their body-form and colouration and so should be more closely studied. This population from the New England Plateau in NSW has been frequently misidentified in a number of publications as either Eulamprus quoyii or Eulamprus tympanum. I was intending to describe this species some years ago but never got around to it due to other matters. Fortunately, Dr Glenn Shea has indicated that he will be describing this very distinctive water skink as a new species as soon as possible. Distribution: As presently defined, this species occurs as a number of isolated populations over a large part of eastern and south-eastern Australia, ranging from the New England Plateau, south through the Blue Mountains, and Southern Highlands and Tablelands in New South Wales (including the Australian Capital Territory). Known also from the Five Islands Group off Wollongong, and the Tollgates Islands. It is also widespread in north-eastern Victoria to about as far south as the Goulburn River, and into south-eastern South Australia where an isolated population occurs on the Fleurieu Peninsula from the Deep Creek area, to the northern shore of Lake Alexandrina. Habitat: This species - as presently defined - occurs from sea level to over 1000 metres elevation, although in the northern part of its range in New South Wales, it mainly occurs in the higher tablelands and ranges, whereas the more southern populations tend to favour much lower coastal areas or the lower altitude foothills and lower tablelands of the Great Dividing Range. Consequently, it is known to utilise a variety of temperate or montane sclerophyll vegetation communities (usually but not exclusively riparian), ranging from wet or dry sclerophyll forest, open woodland, to heathland and is often found in association with rotting logs and/or rock outcroppings. The open margins of hanging swamps, marshes, freshwater creeks and rivers, and soaks are all utilised, but in some densely forested areas in eastern New South Wales and Victoria, populations can occur well away from water courses, but usually along ecotonal or more exposed edges of forests. Its close relative Eulamprus tympanum tends to favour damper cooler conditions in more densely forested (i.e. less open) upland areas. Eulamprus heatwolei readily adapts to a range of disturbed conditions, such as 9
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AUSTRALIAN BIODIVERSITY RECORD - Calodema

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