New Character Useful in the Systematics of the Scincid Lizard Genus Mabuya
The overlap pattern between the parietal scale and the upper anterior temporal scale is a useful character in the large scincid lizard genus Mabuya. In the primitive pattern, the parietal overlaps the upper anterior temporal, and in the derived pattern, the upper anterior temporal overlaps the parietal. The primitive condition occurs in most species from Africa, at least some of the species from the Cape Verdes, and in all species from the Americas and the Seychelles. The derived condition occurs in most species from southeast Asia, some south Asian species, all endemic Madagascan species, and a few mainland African species.Abstract
Variation in the parietal/temporal overlap pattern in the scincid genus Mabuya. (A) Mabuya variegata with the upper anterior temporal overlapping the parietal, the primitive condition. (B) Mabuya multifasciata with the upper anterior temporal overlapping the parietal, the derived condition. (C) Mabuya boulengeri with the upper anterior temporal overlapping the parietal but also with the lower pretemporal “squeezed down” directly below the upper pretemporal. (D) Mabuya boulengeri interpreted as having the lower pretemporal posteriorly extended. (E) Mabuya longicaudata with a composite overlap pattern between the parietal and upper anterior temporal. All views left profiles, anterior to left. Abbreviations: lpt, lower pretemporal; upt, upper pretemporal; par, parietal; uat, upper anterior temporal. Scale bar = 1 mm. Illustrations: P. Koshland (A–D) and R. Warren (E)