Records of the Zoological Survey of India - A Journal of Indian Zoology

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Taxonomic reassessment of Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853) complex in the Western Ghats of India: Resurrection of Eutropis brevis (Günther, 1875), Eutropis dawsoni (Annandale, 1909) and synonymisation of Eutropis gansi (Das, 1991) (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae)


Affiliations
1 Chennai Snake Park, Rajbhavan Post, Chennai − 600022, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Zoological Survey of India, Herpetology Division, 27 JL Nehru Road, Kolkata − 700016, West Bengal, India
3 Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore − 560012, Karnataka, India
4 Department of Life Sciences, Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
 

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Against the backdrop of published cryptic genetic diversity and partly resolved taxonomy of the Eutropis macularia complex of skinks in the Indian Peninsula, we reassess the taxonomic status of the Western Ghats populations. Based on our examination of name-bearing types of two synonymised nomina (Euprepes brevis, Lygosoma dawsoni) and a valid (Mabuya gansi) nomen, we recognise two species: E. brevis and E. dawsoni, with E. gansi being the synonym of the latter. We characterise and distinguish these southwest Indian taxa from the allopatric E. macularia s. str. In keeping with studies on the nearby island of Sri Lanka, cryptic diversity within the peninsular Indian E. macularia complex has resulted in the resurrection of these long-synonymised nominal taxa.

Keywords

Bengal, Eutropis brevis, E. dawsoni, Junior Synonym, Nomenclature, Western Ghats
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  • Taxonomic reassessment of Eutropis macularia (Blyth, 1853) complex in the Western Ghats of India: Resurrection of Eutropis brevis (Günther, 1875), Eutropis dawsoni (Annandale, 1909) and synonymisation of Eutropis gansi (Das, 1991) (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae)

Abstract Views: 173  |  PDF Views: 123

Authors

S. R. Ganesh
Chennai Snake Park, Rajbhavan Post, Chennai − 600022, Tamil Nadu, India
Kaushik Deuti
Zoological Survey of India, Herpetology Division, 27 JL Nehru Road, Kolkata − 700016, West Bengal, India
N. S. Achyuthan
Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore − 560012, Karnataka, India
Patrick Campbell
Department of Life Sciences, Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
Sujoy Raha
Zoological Survey of India, Herpetology Division, 27 JL Nehru Road, Kolkata − 700016, West Bengal, India
Probhat Bag
Zoological Survey of India, Herpetology Division, 27 JL Nehru Road, Kolkata − 700016, West Bengal, India
Sudipta Debnath
Zoological Survey of India, Herpetology Division, 27 JL Nehru Road, Kolkata − 700016, West Bengal, India

Abstract


Against the backdrop of published cryptic genetic diversity and partly resolved taxonomy of the Eutropis macularia complex of skinks in the Indian Peninsula, we reassess the taxonomic status of the Western Ghats populations. Based on our examination of name-bearing types of two synonymised nomina (Euprepes brevis, Lygosoma dawsoni) and a valid (Mabuya gansi) nomen, we recognise two species: E. brevis and E. dawsoni, with E. gansi being the synonym of the latter. We characterise and distinguish these southwest Indian taxa from the allopatric E. macularia s. str. In keeping with studies on the nearby island of Sri Lanka, cryptic diversity within the peninsular Indian E. macularia complex has resulted in the resurrection of these long-synonymised nominal taxa.

Keywords


Bengal, Eutropis brevis, E. dawsoni, Junior Synonym, Nomenclature, Western Ghats

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi%2Fv121%2Fi3%2F2021%2F154296