The herpetofauna of the Kei Islands (Maluku, Indonesia): Comprehensive report on new and historical collections, biogeographic patterns, conservation concerns, and an annotated checklist of species from Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, Tam, and Kur
Author
Karin, Benjamin R.
Author
Stubbs, Alexander L.
Author
Arifin, Umilaela
Author
Bloch, Luke M.
Author
Ramadhan, G.
Author
Iskandar, Djoko T.
Author
Arida, Evy
Author
Reilly, Sean B.
Author
Kusnadi, Agus
Author
Mcguire, Jimmy A.
text
Raffles Bulletin of Zoology
2018
2018-11-19
66
704
738
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5363075
2345-7600
5363075
DC2B423B-55FE-4F92-985E-39F5A61EE04C
Lamprolepis smaragdina
(
Lesson, 1826
)
(Fig. 22)
Type
locality.
Ebon Atoll
,
Marshall Islands
.
Distribution in the Kei Islands.
Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, Tam, and Kur. We collected this species on all islands we surveyed, except Kei Besar, though the AM and WAM expeditions collected several specimens there.
Natural history.
This arboreal species was very common and encountered on exposed trees bathed in sunlight in disturbed and plantation forest. This species is also abundant in local coconut plantations.
Field identification.
Medium-large robust arboreal skink; anterior half of body emerald green; posterior half brown; snout long and pointed; body and limbs strong; digits slender; 20–26 mid-body scale rows; 28–35 smooth fourth toe subdigitial lamellae; SVL to
103 mm
; tail to
156 mm
(
de Rooij, 1915
, p. 199–200).
Remarks.
Lamprolepis smaragdina
has colonised most of Wallacea without anthropogenic assistance (
Linkem et al., 2013
). It shows deep mitochondrial genetic differentiation across regions of Wallacea, with the Kei Islands population part of a larger
Maluku
clade (
Linkem et al., 2013
) that can be attributed to the subspecies
L. s. moluccarum
(
Barbour, 1911
).
Fig. 22. Photo in life of
Lamprolepis smaragdina
from Kei Kecil.