Delma inornata

Olive Legless-lizard at Monash, ACT

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Identification history

	Delma inornata	4 Nov 2023	WillO
	Delma inornata	27 Oct 2023	AndyRoo

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User's notes

GPSed. Shed skin - estimate length of skin to be at least 215mm based on measured dimensions of clutch pencil (length 88mm, max diameter 8mm) in first picture. For best resolution on head scales zoom in on 3rd pic. Didn't get a pic of preanal scales. Estimate 18 rows of mid body scales. My colleague Marg Ning, an ACT Herpetological Association member, sighted three live D. inornata, each at distinctly different locations on the site, during same site visit. Also an urban ecologist with the ACT Govt EPSDD, in a private communication to Marg, has indicated presence of D. inornata found at this site in their recent surveys.

3 comments

WillO wrote:

4 Nov 2023

Thanks for the record. The two specie are usually not present at the same site, but there are enough records from sites where both occur very close to each other that care needs to be taken in using other reports of D. inornata from the site as being support for calling it D. inornata. It can be difficult identifying to species from a photograph of a skin slough but the photos are good. The total length estimate in this case doesn't help to separate D. impar and D. inornata because D. impar can grow to about 300mm and D. inornata to over 400mm. I cannot see the head shields clearly enough to check if postnasal scales are present (present in D. inornata but absent in D. impar). However the number of mid body scale rows (18) would confirm it as D. inornata (13-16 in D. impar). Based only on the fact it is a Delma and has 18 mb scale rows I suggest (given the site is in the ACT) we accept the record as Delma inornata.

AndyRoo wrote:

4 Nov 2023

Thanks Will. Agree photos of the live animal would have been best but with the warmth at the time of day of our site visit they would have been way too quick off the mark to photograph. As far as we are aware CUBS haven't found any D . impar at this site to date.

WillO wrote:

6 Nov 2023

OK, great. These kind of records can be very helpful.

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