Oedura murrumanu Oliver & Laver & Melville & Doughty 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Oliver, Paul M.
name: Laver, Rebecca J.
name: Melville, Jane
name: Doughty, Paul
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Diplodactylidae
Oedura
Oedura murrumanu

description: Oedura murrumanu sp. nov.
Limestone Range Velvet Gecko
(Figs. 2–5, 6A)
Holotype. WAM R173368 (Field# PMO54), an adult male with original tail, Oscar Range, Western Australia (17.9166°S, 125.3024°E), collected by Paul Oliver, Paul Horner, and Susan Perkins on 28 October 2013.
Paratypes. WAM R173370 (Field # PMO56), NMV D76948 (PMO55) with same collection details as holotype; NMV D77002 (PMO51), NMV D76947 (PMO53), WAM R173369 (Field # PMO52) collected by Paul Oliver, Paul Horner, and Susan Perkins, Oscar Range (17.9125°S, 125.2827°E) on 28 October 2013.
Diagnosis. A large (SVL to 103 mm) species of Oedura, with a wide (HW / SVL 0.18–0.20) and relatively shallow head (HD / SVL 0.011), moderately long (TL/ SVL 0.69–0.74) and slightly to moderately swollen tail (TW <HW), large eyes (EYE / SVL 0.067 –0.069), rostral crease extending less than 20% height of rostral, digits with 3–7 paired sets of distal subdigital lamellae, of which the largest are expanded to form distinct lateral fringes, a weak postorbital stripe, light spots on dorsum and head typically> 3 scales wide, and 5 light bands on the tail (Figs. 2–6).
Description of the holotype. Adult male with the following dimensions (in mm): SVL 103.0, HW 19.1, HD 11.3, HL 25.4, EN 10.2, IN 4.1, IO 8.4, EYE 7.0, TrK 48.9, Crus 17.8, Tibia 19.4, TL 76.0, TW 8.3, TD 7.1, 3FW 3.0, 3TW 3.3.
A large (103 mm SVL) slender gecko (Fig. 2). Head robust and clearly wider than body (HW/SVL 0.19), distinct from neck, much wider than deep (HD/HW 0.59). Snout rounded in dorsal profile, truncate in lateral profile, longer than eye (EN/EYE 1.5); loreal region convex; interorbital region and top of snout slightly concave; canthus rostralis broadly rounded, weakly defined. Eyes very large (EYE/SVL 0.068), pupil vertical, supraciliaries extending from anteroventral edge to posterodorsal edge of eye, longest at the anterodorsal corner. Ear opening circular, bordered by an indistinct posterior skin fold. Rostral broadly rectangular with rounded edges, twice as wide as high, with medial suture extending less than 20% of distance from dorsal edge towards ventral edge, bordered dorsally by two nasals. Supranasals in series of 6 posterior to rostral, small and granular, distal pair distinctly larger than the 4 smaller medial scales. Nares bordered by first supralabial, rostral, 1 supranasal, 2 enlarged postnasals. Supralabials approximately equal in width and height, 17 on right and left, 12–13 to midpoint of eye. Head, temporal, and nuchal scales very small and granular; dorsal scales above eyes and on snout conspicuously larger. Enlarged infralabials 13 on right and left; anterior labials higher than wide, medial labials wider than high, posterior labials approximately as wide as high, all bordered by 3–4 rows of slightly enlarged scales grading to small granular gular scales. Mental divided, broadly rectangular with slightly concave distal edges, approximately 1.6 times longer than wide.
Body slender and long (TrL/SVL 0.48), slightly dorsoventrally compressed. Ventrolateral folds prominent behind forelimbs, present but less prominent along remainder of trunk. Body scalation small and granular, middorsal and ventral scales about twice the size of lateral scales. Femoral pores small and circular, positioned medially within pore-bearing scales, 10 on left, 8 on right, separated by 7 scales lacking pores.
Forelimbs long and slender (FA/SVL 0.17). Hindlimbs slightly longer and much more robust (CS/SVL 0.19). Digits long and well developed, all with expanded subdigital lamellae (Figs. 2, 3); distal lamellae paired and widened, forming a distinct lateral fringe along the distal edge of all digits; terminal lamellae prominently expanded and widely separated from penultimate lamellae; respective numbers of divided and undivided lamellae on right hand I:8,2 II:8,4 III:9,5 IV:10,6 V:10,4, left hand I:7,2 II:8,5 III:9,5 IV:10,5 V:8,4; right foot I:8,3, II:8,6, III:10,7, IV:10,7, V:9,6; left foot I:9,3, II:8,6, III:10,6, IV:11,8, V:11,6. Claws present on all digits, minute, not extending beyond terminal lamellae.
Tail original, narrower than body, slightly swollen, widest about 30 mm from base, slightly flattened, scalation homogeneous. Cloacal sacs swollen and moderately prominent with 1 (left) and 2 (right) enlarged rounded cloacal spurs at anterior edge.
Coloration. In preservative (Fig. 2), dominant coloration of dorsum dark purplish-brown, flecked with extensive subtle light cream spots, typically> 3 scales wide and often connected to other spots forming an irregular reticulum; dorsum marked with four relatively straight-edged and well defined light cream transverse bands containing numerous tiny brown maculations; of these bands, the single nuchal band is approximately half the width of others. Dorsum of head dark purplish-brown with extensive light blotching and vermiculations. Lateral surface of head with a continuous but indistinctly edged dark brown postorbital stripe, bordered ventrally by an unpigmented region. Loreal region dark brown, lips indistinctly barred. Limbs mottled with same dominant colors as torso, but with less brown and no distinct pattern, hindlimbs much darker than forelimbs, dorsal surface of digits with small amount of brown maculation. Ventral surfaces unpigmented, with the exception of dark brown barring and maculations on the infralabials. Tail with alternating dark brown (4) and dirty cream (5) bands, most bands with some flecking of the alternate color (either dark brown or cream), bands of varying width, distal light band by far the widest, more than twice the width of other bands. Venter of tail unpigmented.
Photographs of the holotype in life (Fig. 3) show that the overall color pattern is similar to that in preservative. The base coloration is purplish brown, the lighter regions of the trunk, head, and tail have a distinctly yellowish wash, and the light transverse bands on the tail are white. The iris is black with extensive silvery flecks.
Variation. Summary meristic data (in mm) for the adults in the type series (3 males, 1 female) are as follows (mean, with range in parentheses): SVL 100.1 (94.7–103); HW 18.6 (17.4–19.1); HD 11.0 (10.6–11.4); HL 24.5 (22.6–25.6); EN 9.4 (8.6–10.2); IN 3.9 (3.6–4.1); IO 8.4 (8.0–9.0); EYE 6.8 (6.5–7.0); Trk 44.5 (41.2–48.9); Crus 16.6 (15.5–17.8); Tibia 18.1 (17.2–19.4); TL (original) 71 (65–76); TL (regrown) 63 (58–67); TW 10.0 (8.3–12.3); TD 7.2 (6.4–7.8); 3FW 2.9 (2.7–3.1); 3TW 3.2 (3.0–3.4). Summary scalation data for these same four individuals is: SuL (midpoint of eye) 12.2 (11.0–13.0); SuL (rictus of jaw) 16.3 (15.0–17.0); InL 13.8 (12.0–15.0); InI 4.0 (4.0–4.0); RC 14% (5–20%); PP (males only) 15.7 (15.0–16.0); CS (males only) 1.5 (1.0–2.0); FL3 9.0 (9.0–9.0), TL3 9.8 (9.0–10.0). Individual measurements and scale counts for all types are presented in Table 1.
Most specimens have the same base coloration of dark purplish-brown with three broad light transverse bands on the the torso, and an additional narrower nuchal band (Fig. 4). However, the extent and density of light and dark mottling increases with size: the posterior torso of the largest specimen (NMV D76947) is heavily mottled and bands are less defined. The anterior light bands also sometimes contain an indistinct brown medial region, especially on paratype NMV D77002. On all specimens the venter is largely unpigmented, except for a small number of light brown maculations on the labial scales. All original tails have four dark brown bands and five light creamish bands, including a long distal band. Regrown tails are mottled with dark brown and light cream on the dorsal and lateral surfaces and unpigmented ventrally. Regrown tails also seem to be shorter and more swollen, although the sample size is small (N = 2).
The single juvenile and subadult specimens have the same basic pattern of alternating light and dark bands as the adults, but are much more neatly patterned, with high contrast between bands, no obvious mottling on the torso and tail, and less extensive mottling on the head and limbs (Fig. 5).
Comparisons with other species. Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. differs from all Oedura occuring outside Western Australia by having prominent lateral expansions of the digital lamallae. Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. can also be distinguished from O. gracilis (also occuring in the Kimberley) by its lateral expansion of the digital lamellae, and further differs in its higher number of paired lamellae on digits (6–7 versus 3–4 on toe 4), shorter tail (less than versus equal to or more than length of SVL), slightly swollen tail (versus tapering), and lower number of light transverse bands on the dorsum (4 versus 5 or more) and tail (5 versus 6 or more).
Two other species of Oedura occuring in Western Australia also have lateral expansions of the digital lamallae. Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. can be distingushed from O. filicipoda (north-west Kimberley) by its much narrower tail (less than width of body versus near to or wider than width of head), slightly longer tail (both regrown and original), higher number of light bands on the tail (5 versus 3) and typically much larger light spots on the head and often body (usually> 3 scales wide versus <3 scales wide). Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. differs from populations of Oedura marmorata Gray in Western Australia (Pilbara and Carnarvon Region) in having a larger eye (EYE/SVL 0.067 –0.069 versus 0.051 –0.064), shorter rostral crease (<20% versus> 20% of rostral height), wider and more clearly defined dorsal bands, and much more minute dorsal scales. Photographs of typical individuals of all three species of Oedura occuring in the Kimberley (O. murrumanu sp. nov., O. filicipoda and O. gracilis) are shown in Fig. 6.
Etymology. ‘Murru manu’ (‘u’ pronouced as ‘oo’) is the word for gecko in the language of the Bunuba people of the south-west Kimberley. This new species is probably entirely restricted to the traditional lands of the Bunuba.
Distribution. All museum and sight records are from around the type locality (Fig. 1). Further survey work is required to determine if it occurs elsewhere in the Oscar Range, however, there are no obvious barriers between the type locality and large areas of similar limestone to the east, west and north.
Ecology. The type series of O. murrumanu sp. nov. was collected towards the start of the ‘wet season’ (late October) following a brief rain shower. Individuals were observed on horizontal rock platforms and associated with deep horizontal crevices among smooth, weathered limestone (Fig. 7). Several were observed drinking water that had pooled on the rocks. The single adult female paratype (WAM R176699) contains well-developed eggs (approximately 10 mm in diameter and shelled), suggesting that at least some egg-laying occurs early in the wet season. Other geckos recorded at the same time and place were Gehyra cf. multiporosa, Heteronotia planiceps, and Nephrurus sheai.
At the same locality in the late wet season (late February, 2013) several individuals were observed in inaccessible spots on limestone pillars, and one further individual was observed on lower rocks as it appeared to be stalking smaller Gehyra species (G. Gaikhorst, pers. comm.).
Molecular comparisons. The genetic analysis indicated the sister species of O. murrumanu sp. nov. is O. filicipoda. Mean pairwise ND2 sequence divergence between these species is 16.1%. In contrast, pairwise divergences among the six samples of O. murrumanu sp. nov. are very low (less than 0.1%), providing strong support that O. murrumanu sp. nov. is a distinct taxon.
description: Published as part of Oliver, Paul M., Laver, Rebecca J., Melville, Jane & Doughty, Paul, 2014, A new species of Velvet Gecko (Oedura: Diplodactylidae) from the limestone ranges of the southern Kimberley, Western Australia, pp. 49-61 in Zootaxa 3873 (1) on pages 51-54, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/4948063