Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
Head depressed, truncated in front, covered with minute ovate scales; the
front of the upper part lead-coloured, with a rather broad red band a
little before the eyes, and a white crescent-shaped spot on each side
immediately behind it, and then some obscure red shades just behind that;
the back lead-coloured and blue, with six longitudinal series of
irregular-sized red spots; belly whitish; tail rather longer than the
body. Body one inch and five-eighths, head half an inch, tail two inches
and a half long.
This animal is very interesting, as being the second species of a genus
recently established, which only consisted of P. cepedia, the Gecko
cepedien of Peron; Cuv. Reg. Anim. 2 46. and 4 t. 5. f. 5.; which has
somewhat the manner of colouring, but is very distinct from the Gecko
ocellatus of Oppel.
Genus TILIQUA. Gray.
Pedes quatuor pentadactyli, poris femoralibus nullis.
Caput scutatum; dentes in palato nulli.
Truncus regulariter squamosus.
This genus is distinguished from the true Skinks by the want of Palatine
teeth, the shorter body, and the holes of the ears being furnished on
their front part with a fringe. It differs from the succeeding Genus,
Trachysaurus, in the head being covered with distinct flat plates, and
the whole of the body with cut hexangular scales; the scales are harder
than those of the true Skink, but not so distinctly bony as those of the
Trachysaurus.
4. Tiliqua tuberculata. Gray.
Lacerta scincoides. Shaw, Nat. Misc.
Lacerta occidua. var. Shaw, Zool. iij. 289.
Scincus tuberculatus, Merrem. Syst. Amph. 73.
Scincoid, or Skink-formed Lizard, White, Journal 242.
Icon. White, l. c. t. 30. Shaw, N. M. t. 179; Zool. iij. t. 81.
This Lizard, which was first described in the excellent journal of Mr.
White, does not appear to be uncommon on the coast of Australia, as there
are several specimens both in the British Museum and in the collection of
the Linnean Society, that were probably taken in the neighbourhood of the
colony; the specimen before me was caught at Seal Island, in King George
the Third's Sound.
The scales of the whole of the body are broad, hexangular, with five or
six longitudinal, slightly-raised ridges, which gradually taper, and are
lost just before they reach the margin. The legs are short, thick; the
toes of the fore-feet are rather short, the outer reaching to the middle
of the second, the second and third equal; the fourth reaching to the
last joint of the third, and the little one to the second joint of the
fourth finger. In the hind foot the first and third toe are nearly equal,
and only half as long as the second; the fourth only half as long as the
third; and the fifth about half the length of the fourth toe.
Genus TRACHYSAURUS. Gray.
Pedes quatuor pentadactyli.
Caput sub-scutatum, dentes in palato nulli.
Truncus supra sqoamis crassis elongatis subspinosis, infra hexagonis
membranaceis imbricatis, tectus.
Cauda brevis, depressa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account