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Accepted by S. Carranza: 24 Feb. 2011; published: 24 Mar. 2011
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2011 · Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 2799: 29–40 (2011)
www.mapress.com/zootaxa/Article
29
Peninsular Malaysia’s first limbless lizard: a new species of skink of the genus
Larutia (Böhme) from Pulau Pinang with a phylogeny of the genus
L. LEE GRISMER1,2,6, EVAN QUAH SENG HUAT3, CAMERON D. SILER4, CHAN, K. O.2, PERRY L. WOOD,
JR.5, JESSE L. GRISMER4, SHAHRUL ANUAR MOHD SAH3 & NORHAYATI AHMAD2
1Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, 92515-8247 USA.
E-mail: lgrismer@lasierra.edu
2Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia. E-mail: kin_onn@yahoo.com, yati_68@yahoo.co.uk
3School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia. E-mail: evanquah@yahoo.com
4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Boule-
vard, Lawrence Kansas, 66045-7561, USA. E-mail: camsiler@ku.edu; grismer@ku.edu
5Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 92108, USA.
E-mail: perry.wood@villanova.edu
6Corresponding author. E-mail: lgrismer@lasierra.edu
Abstract
A new species of the scincid genus Larutia, L. penangensis sp. nov., from Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia is separated
from all other congeners by having the unique characteristics of the complete absence of limbs, four supralabials, large
body scales, and no banding or striping pattern. Additionally, it has the following unique combination of characters that
further separates it from all congeners: a single presubocular; separated nasals; paired frontoparietals; small, widely sep-
arated prefrontals; no supranasals or postnasal; two postsupralabials; and large, posterior chinshields that contact the in-
fralabials. A molecular phylogeny based on one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes from all species of Larutia from
Peninsular Malaysia indicates L. penangensis sp. nov. is most basal and that L. seribuatensis is the sister lineage to a clade
containing L. miodactyla and the sister species L. trifasciata and L. larutensis. Consistencies and inconsistencies between
this phylogeny and a previously proposed morphological phylogeny are discussed.
Key words: Larutia, Larutia penangensis, Malaysia, new species, Penang, Pulau Pinang, Scincidae, taxonomy, phylog-
eny
Introduction
Pulau Pinang (= Penang Island) is the largest island along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, encompassing
approximately 330 square kilometers in area and reaching 830 meters in elevation at Penang Hill in the central
ranges of Bukit Bendera. In 1786, it became the first British acquisition on the Malay Peninsula and for well over a
century, the cool air of Penang Hill served as a retreat where Penang Island’s colonialists could escape the hot,
humid, coastal lowlands. During such retreats, a number of early naturalists (i.e. Cantor 1847; Flower 1896,1899;
Stoliczka 1870a,b,c, 1873) collected amphibians and reptiles and thus, Penang Hill became the type locality for a
significant portion of Peninsular Malaysia’s herpetofauna. Despite this auspicious historical legacy, Penang Hill
has frustrated herpetologists for many years by harboring a number of species known only from one or two speci-
mens collected well over a century ago. Notable among these are the skinks Eutropis novemcarinata (Anderson)
(not seen on the island since the report of Flower 1896), Lygosoma albopunctatum (Gray) (first reported by Cantor
1847 but not confirmed until 1956 and not seen since then), and Sphenomorphus anomalopus (Boulenger) (not
seen since its collection by Dr. J. G. Fischer around the year 1889). Therefore, it is not surprising that a new species
of semi-fossorial skink recently found on Penang Hill has escaped detection for so long. Being that the specimen
collected has an elongate, snake-like body; paired prefrontals; two loreals; separated nasals; three supraoculars; and
GRISMER ET AL.
30 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
the last supralabial being horizontally divided (or two post supralabials) places it in the genus Larutia Böhme
(Greer 1997). Currently, Larutia is composed of six, generally upland, Sundaland species that extend from northern
Peninsular Malaysia southward to Sumatra and Borneo (J. Grismer et al. 2003; Fig. 1). All have elongate, snake-
like bodies, long tails, and extremely reduced limbs bearing zero to two digits. Additionally, the four species from
Peninsular Malaysia have stripping and/or banding patterns (J. Grismer et al. 2003). Being that the specimen from
Pulau Pinang has no trace of limbs, stripping, or banding it cannot be ascribed to any known species. Additionally,
a re-evaluation of the phylogenetic relationships within Larutia based on one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes
indicates that the Pulau Pinang specimen is the basal lineage of a monophyletic group containing the remaining
Malaysian taxa. Therefore, these data indicate this skink is a new species of Larutia.
FIGURE 1. Distribution of the species of the genus Larutia.
Material and methods
Scale terminology follows J. Grismer et al. (2003) and Lim (1998). All measurements were made with Mitutoyo
digital calipers to the nearest 0.1 mm. Scale counts were made on the right side of the body with a Nikon SMZ
1500 dissecting microscope. Measurements and scale counts used are snout-vent length (SVL) measured from the
tip of the rostral scale to the vent; tail length (TailL) measured from the end of the broken tail to the vent; midbody
scale rows counted as the number of longitudinal scale rows encircling the body at a point midway between the
limb insertions; paravertebral scale rows counted as the number of scales in a line from the parietal scales to a point
on the dorsum opposite the vent; and ventral scale rows counted as a row of scales between the postmentals and the
anal plate. Other standard counts include supraoculars, suboculars, loreals, supralabials, and infralabials. The mate-
rial examined is listed in Appendix I.
Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press · 31
NEW LEGLESS LARUTIA FROM MALAYSIA
Institutional acronyms follow Leviton et al. (1985) and the following: LSUHC—La Sierra University Herpeto-
logical Collection, La Sierra University, Riverside, California, U.S.A. and ZRC—Zoological Reference Collection
in the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Taxon sampling and outgroup selection for phylogenetic analyses. Our primary goal was to estimate phylo-
genetic relationships among species in the genus Larutia for which we had samples (Appendix II). A total of seven
ingroup samples were used including representatives of Larutia penangensis sp. nov., L. larutensis (Boulenger), L.
miodactyla (Boulenger), L. seribuatensis Grismer, Leong & Norsham, and L. trifasciata (Tweedie). To assess the
monophyly of the genus as well as investigate appropriate outgroup taxa, scincid species from the subfamilies
Lygosominae and Scincinae were included, as well as a single outgroup sample from the family Lacertidae
(Appendix II). For all 16 samples, complete sequences were collected for the mitochondrial NADH Dehydroge-
nase Subunit 1 (ND1) gene and two nuclear loci, R35 and PTGER4, were completely sequenced for all ingroup
samples and many of the outgroup samples (Appendix II). All sequences were deposited in GenBank (Appendix
II). DNA extractions, purifications, and amplification. Genomic DNA was extracted from liver tissues and
stored in 95.0–100.0% ethanol following the guanidine thiocyanate method of Esselstyn et al. (2008). All primers
and thermal cycler profiles used to amplify the target fragment using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) follow
the methods of Siler et al. (in press). Amplified products were visualized on 1.0% agarose gels and then purified
with 1 µL of a 20.0% diluted solution of ExoSAP-IT (US78201, Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ) for 31
min at 37º, and 15 min at 80º. We cycle sequenced in both directions with ABI Prism BigDye Terminator chemistry
(Ver. 3.1; Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA), and purified sequence reactions with Sephadex (NC9406038,
Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, NJ) in Centri-Sep 96 spin plates (CS-961, Princeton Separations, Princeton,
NJ). Targeted gene regions were analyzed with an ABI Prism 3130xl Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems).
Consensus gene sequences were assembled and edited in Sequencher 4.8 (Gene Codes Corp., Ann Arbor, MI).
Alignment and phylogenetic analyses. Initial alignments were produced using MUSCLE (Edgar 2004) and
manual adjustments made in Se-Al Sequence Alignment Editor, version 2.0a11 (Rambaut 2002). To assess phylo-
genetic congruence between the mitochondrial and nuclear data, we inferred the phylogeny for each subset inde-
pendently using likelihood and Bayesian methods. Following the observation of no statistically significant
incongruence between datasets, we chose to conduct all subsequent analyses on a concatenated ND1 + PTGER4 +
R35 dataset. Exploratory analyses of this combined dataset for all 16 individuals (including four outgroup samples
lacking ND1, PTGER4, or both) and a reduced dataset of 12 individuals (no missing data) supported identical rela-
tionships; we therefore chose to include all available data (16 individuals) for subsequent analyses.
Partitioned Bayesian analyses were conducted with MrBayes v3.1.2 (Ronquist & Huelsenbeck 2003) for the
combined datasets. As much of this dataset is a subset of the Siler et al. (in press) dataset, we followed the same
partitioning strategy. The mitochondrial dataset was partitioned by codon position for the protein-coding region of
ND1. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), as implemented in jModeltest v0.1.1 (Guindon & Gascuel 2003;
Posada, in press), was used to select the best model of nucleotide substitution for each partition (Table 1). The best-
fit model for each of the three subsets of mitochondrial data, as well as the nuclear data, was the general time
reversible (GTR) model with gamma distributed rate variation among sites (Γ). A rate multiplier model was used to
allow substitution rates to vary among subsets, and default priors were used for all model parameters. We ran four
independent Metropolis-coupled MCMC analyses, each with four chains and the default heating scheme (temp =
0.2). All analyses were run for 20 million generations, sampling every 5000 generations. To assess stationarity, all
sampled parameter values and log-likelihood scores from the cold Markov chain were plotted against generation
time and compared among independent runs using Tracer v1.4 (Rambaut & Drummond 2007). Furthermore, we
plotted the cumulative and non-overlapping split frequencies of the 20 most variable nodes, and compared split fre-
quencies among independent runs using Are We There Yet? [AWTY (Wilgenbusch et al. 2004)]. All samples
showed patterns consistent with stationarity after five million generations, hence the first 50.0% of samples were
discarded as burn-in for all three analyses.
Partitioned maximum likelihood (ML) analyses were conducted in RAxMLHPC v7.0 (Stamatakis 2006) for
the combined dataset under the same partitioning strategy as for the Bayesian analysis. The model (GTR + Γ) was
used for all subsets, and 100 replicate ML inferences were performed for each analysis. Each inference was initi-
ated with a random starting tree, and employed the rapid hill-climbing algorithm (Stamatakis et al. 2007). Clade
confidence was assessed with 1000 bootstrap pseudoreplicates. In all analyses, nodes receiving 95% Bayesian
GRISMER ET AL.
32 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
posterior probability or 70% maximum likelihood bootstrap support were considered significantly supported
(Hillis & Bull 1993).
TABLE 1. Models of evolution selected by AIC and applied for partitioned, model-based phylogenetic analyses.
Results
Phylogeny and genetic divergences. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences yield the same interspecific
topology, with minor intraspecific topological changes (Fig. 2). All analyses of the combined dataset recovered five
lineages within the genus Larutia. The combined analyses strongly support all species-level relationships except
for the placement of Brachymeles taylori (Fig. 2). The outgroup species Lipinia pulchella pulchella (Gray) and
Scincella reevesii (Gray) are strongly supported to be part of a clade sister to the genus Larutia.
FIGURE 2. Maximum clade credibility tree from a partitioned phylogenetic analysis of the data (-lnL 8976.934287). Nodes
shown with numerical values corresponding to MLBP, and Bayesian PP support values respectively. Terminals are labeled with
taxonomic names.
Partition AIC Model Model Applied Number of Characters
NADH 1, 1st codon position TIM1 + GTR + 322
NADH 1, 2nd codon position TPM3uf + GTR + 322
NADH 1, 3rd codon position TPM3uf + GTR + 322
PTGER4 TPM3uf + GTR + 490
R35 TVM + GTR + 689
Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press · 33
NEW LEGLESS LARUTIA FROM MALAYSIA
The five lineages of Larutia correspond to four currently recognized species and one morphologically distinct
new species from Pulau Pinang. Each species clade defined in our analysis is separated from the remaining lineages
by 5.9–15.6% uncorrected mitochondrial sequence divergence (Table 2). The new, limbless species of Larutia from
Pulau Pinang is sister to all other sampled species within the genus and all three species currently recognized to
occur on Peninsular Malaysia (L. larutensis, L. miodactyla, and L. trifasciata) were recovered as a well-supported
clade sister to the insular L. seribuatensis from the Seribuat Archipelago (Figs. 1,2).
Systematics. The phylogenetic analyses and external morphological data clearly demonstrate that the new
population from Pulau Pinang belongs in the genus Larutia but that it can not be ascribed to any of the known spe-
cies, and is thus described herein as new.
TABLE 2. Uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence (%) for mitochondrial data (below diagonal), nuclear data (above diago-
nal) for Larutia penangensis sp. nov. , L. larutensis, L. miodactyla, L. seribuatensis, and L. trifasciata (Fig. 2).
Larutia penangensis sp. nov.
Figures 3,4
Holotype. Juvenile of unknown sex (ZRC 2.6918) collected by Evan Quah, on 13 June 2010 at Penang Hill, Pulau
Pinang, Penang (N.05.43825º, E100.28200º, ±5m; 308m asl.), Peninsular Malaysia.
Diagnosis. Body elongate, snake-like; dorsal scales smooth; limbs absent; lower eyelid bearing large, transpar-
ent scales, central scale largest; four supraoculars; nasals separated; frontoparietals paired; prefrontals small,
widely separated; supranasals absent; postnasal scale absent; last supralabial horizontally divided (or two post
supralabials); large, posterior chinshields not separated from the infralabials by smaller scales; 120 paravertebral
scale rows; 132 ventral scale rows; 18 longitudinal scale rows around midbody; caudal and body scales undifferen-
tiated; body unicolor dark brown; no yellow nuchal bands or pale, yellow spot on frontoparietals, supraoculars, or
rostrum. These characters are summarized across all species in Table 4.
Description of holotype. Head small, scarcely distinct from neck, rounded, triangular in dorsal profile; head
scales smooth; rostral wider than long, in broad contact with frontonasal; frontonasal wider than long; prefrontals
small, not contacting on midline; frontal wide, diamond-shaped, in contact with first supraocular; three supraocu-
lars; frontoparietals contacting all supraoculars anteriorly and parietals and interparietal posteriorly; interparietal
diamond-shaped, large, slightly projecting posteriorly, no parietal eyespot; parietals large, in medial contact poste-
rior to interparietal, contacting posterior margin of third supraocular anteriorly; enlarged, differentiated nuchals
absent; nasals moderately large, separated, trapezoidal, contacting rostral anteriorly, frontonasal dorsally, first
loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in central portion of nasal scale; supranasals absent; anterior
loreal nearly same size as posterior loreal; two preoculars in contact with second loreal; dorsal preocular much
smaller than ventral preocular; four supraciliaries, fourth supraciliary enlarged; two pretemporals; five suboculars;
single presubocular; four supralabials; first supralabial large and triangular; two postsupralabials; two twmporals;
two primary temporals; two secondary temporals, uppermost contacting parietal; granular scales at anterior corners
of eye; lower eyelid bearing large, transparent scales, central scale largest; mental wider than long; single large,
rectangular postmental contacting first infralabials; two enlarged pairs of chinshields following postmental, ante-
rior pair contacting medially, posterior pair separated posteriorly by two gular scales; all chinshields contacting
infralabials; three similarly sized infralabials; no external ear opening.
Body elongate, snake-like; body scales smooth, cycloid, imbricate; flank, ventral, and dorsal scales equal in
size; 18 longitudinal scale rows around midbody; 120 paravertebral scale rows; 132 ventral scale rows; two
enlarged, medial, preanal scales; limbs absent; tail robust, cylindrical; caudal scales equal in size, indiscernable
from body scales. Measurements are SVL 51.4 mm; TL (broken) 17.6 mm.
penangensis larutensis miodactyla seribuatensis trifasciata
penangensis –1.51.41.11.1
larutense 14.7 – 1.0 0.9 0.7
miodactyla 14.8 10.2 – 0.7 0.6
seribuatensis 15.6 10.8 10.9 – 0.4
trifasciata 15.3 5.9 9.9 11.7 –
GRISMER ET AL.
34 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 3. Illustrations of head of juvenile holotype Larutia penangensis sp. nov. (ZRC 2.6918) in dorsal, lateral, and ventral
views. Taxonomically diagnostic head scales are labeled as follows: C, chinshield; F, frontal; FN, frontonasal; FP, frontopari-
etal; IL, infralabial; IP, interparietal; L, loreal; M, mental; N, nasal; P, parietal; PF, prefrontal; PM, postmental; PN, postnasal;
PO, preocular; PSL, postsupralabial; R, rostral; SC, supraciliary; SL, supralabial; SO, supraocular; T, temporal; 1°T, primary
temporal; and 2°T, secondary temporal. Roman numerals indicate scales in the supraocular series, with Arabic numbers indicat-
ing scales in the supraciliary series (Illustrations by CDS).
Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press · 35
NEW LEGLESS LARUTIA FROM MALAYSIA
FIGURE 4. Upper: holotype of Larutia penangensis sp. nov. ZRC 2.6918 (photo by EQSH). Lower: habitat at type locality on
Penang Hill, Pulau Pinang, Penang, Malaysia (photo by LLG).
Coloration. Dorsal surface of head, body, and tail uniform dark brown; nuchal bands absent; no stripping on
body; ventral surface slightly lighter than dorsal surface (Fig. 4), rostral, first supralabial, nasal mental, postmental,
and first infralabilal scales opaque.
Distribution. Larutia penangensis sp. nov. is known only from the lower elevations of Penang Hill, Pulau
Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia (Fig. 1). It is expected to occur much more widely across the island in appropriate
habitats.
Natural history. The specimen was found crawling across an open dirt path surrounded by lowland diptero-
carp forest (Fig. 4). All other species of Larutia are fossorial to semi-fossorial and found in loose soils beneath sur-
face objects. This species is expected to be no different.
Etymology. The specific epithet penangensis is in reference to the type locality, Penang Island. The suffix
ensis is a derivation meaning “from” or “inhabiting.” It renders the specific epithet an adjective that must be in
grammatical accord with the gender of Larutia.
Comparisons. Larutia penangensis sp. nov. is clearly separated from all other species of Larutia by its com-
plete lack of limbs (Fig. 4); having fewer supralabials (4 vs. 5–7; Fig. 3); having proportionately larger body scales
(18 vs. 20–30 scales around midbody); and its unique, unicolor, color pattern (vs. nuchal bands and/or striping on
the body; Figs. 4,6). The new species is further separated from all other species except some specimens of L. mio-
dactyla (see J. Grismer et al. 2003), in having fewer infralabials (3 vs. 4 or 5; Fig. 3); from all other species except
L. larutensis and L. trifasciata, in that the second pair of chin shields is separated by two gular scales (vs. separated
by one scale; Fig. 3); from L. larutensis and L. miodactyla, in that the first two pairs of chin shields contact two
infralabials (vs. contacting only one infralabial; Fig. 3); from all other species except L. sumatrensis (Bleeker) in
the absence of linearly arranged yellow spots on the body (Figs. 4,6); from L. larutensis (in juveniles only), L.
seribuatensis, and L. trifasciata, in the absence of nuchal bands (Figs. 4,6); from L. serbuatensis and some L. tri-
fasciata in the absence of yellow spots on the head (Figs. 4,6); and from all species except L. larutensis, L. sumat-
GRISMER ET AL.
36 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
rensis, and L. trifasciata in having opaque scales on the snout (vs. the absence of such scales; Figs. 4,7). These
character states are summarized across all species in Table 3.
TABLE 3. Diagnostic scale counts and color pattern characteristics of the species of the genus Larutia. + = character state pres-
ent; 0 = character state absent.
Discussion
Given the secretive nature of many skinks in general and fossorial skinks in particular, it is not too surprising to
find a new species of Larutia in Peninsular Malaysia. Not only does L. penangensis sp. nov. represent a new record
of yet another poorly known skink from Pulau Pinang, it is Peninsular Malaysia’s first completely legless lizard
(Grismer 2008). J. Grismer et al. (2003) presented a morphological phylogeny (Fig. 5) of Larutia wherein they
hypothesized that the light yellow nuchal bands and opaque scales on the rostrum were derived character states
grouping L. larutensis, L. trifasciata, and L. seribuatensis to the exclusion of L. miodactyla, L. sumatrensis, and L.
puehensis Grismer, Leong & Norsham. They further hypothesized that L. trifasciata and L. seribuatensis were sis-
ter species based on them having three nuchal bands and yellow spots on the head (Fig. 6). J. Grismer et al. (2003)
also hypothesized that extreme limb reduction (i.e. complete loss of digits and movable wrist and ankle joints) in L.
miodactyla, L. puehensis, and L. sumatrensis was evidence supporting their monophyly. The results of the molecu-
lar phylogenetic analyses (Fig. 2) do not completely agree with some of the relationships proposed by J. Grismer et
al. (2003). The molecular analyses recover L. larutensis and L. trifasciata as sister species, and places L. miodac-
tyla as the sister lineage to them to the exclusion of L. seribuatensis. Unfortunately tissues of L. sumatrensis and L.
puehensis were not available and thus these species can not be evaluated. The molecular analyses also recover L.
penangensis sp. nov. basal to all other species.
Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that extreme limb reduction may be occurring independently within differ-
ent lineages of Larutia (Fig. 2). Unlike the morphological phylogeny that grouped L. miodactyla, L. puehensis, and
L. sumatrensis on the basis of extreme limb reduction (Fig. 5), the molecular analysis nests L. miodactyla within a
clade containing L. larutensis, L. trifasciata, and L. seribuatensis and does not place it as being closely related to
the limbless L. penangensis sp. nov. The degree of limb reduction in L. miodactyla is so variable (individuals hav-
ing 0–2 digits) that J. Grismer et al. (2003) and Grismer (2011) suggest this species is likely to be a species com-
plex. The specimen used in the molecular analysis had two digits on each limb which is the condition seen in L.
larutensis, L. trifasciata, and L. seribuatensis with whom it was shown to be related (Fig. 2). The systematics and
relationships of L. miodactyla that lack digits remain to be investigated.
larutensis miodactyla puehensis seribuaten-
sis sumatrensis trifasciata penangen-
sis sp. nov.
Suproculars 4 4 4 4 3 or 4 4 3
Supralabials 6 or 7 5 5 5 or 6 5 or 6 6 4
Infralabials 4 3 or 4 5 5 4 5 3
Midbody scales 25 or 26 20–22 23 24 or 25 22 29 or 30 18
Laterally compressed rostrum 0 0 0 0 + 0 0
No. of scales between 2nd pair
of chinshields 2111 1 22
No. of infralabials contacted
by first 2 pairs of chinshields 1122 2 22
Limbs present + + + + + + 0
Linearly arranged light spots + + + + 0 + 0
Nuchal bands + 0 0 + 0 + 0
Yellow spots on head 0 0 0 + 0 0/+ +
Opaque snout scales + 0 0 0 + + +
Sample size 46184 101
Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press · 37
NEW LEGLESS LARUTIA FROM MALAYSIA
FIGURE 5. Morphological phylogeny of Larutia proposed by J. Grismer et al. (2003).
FIGURE 6. Upper: Larutia miodactyla from Fraser’s Hill, Pahang (photo by LLG). Lower: Larutia trifasciata from Cameron
Highlands, Pahang (photo by LLG).
GRISMER ET AL.
38 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 7. Head of Larutia larutensis from Bukit Larut, Perak showing the opaque scales on the rostrum (photo by LLG).
The molecular phylogeny also does not support the hypothesis that the putatively derived (J. Grismer et al.
2003) acquisition of opaque scales on the rostrum (Fig. 7) has utility in delimiting monophyletic subgroups within
Larutia being that opaque scales occur in the most basal species L. penangensis sp. nov. and L. seribuatensis as
well as the most derived species, L. larutensis and L. trifasciata but are absent in L. miodactyla which is nested
between these lineages (Fig. 2). This would suggest that L. miodactyla may have the autapomorphic state of losing
opaque scales and that their presence in the other species is plesiomorphic.
J. Grismer et al. (2003) also hypothesized that L. trifasciata and L. seribuatensis were sister species based on
the presence of three nuchal bands (Fig. 5) and head spotting whereas the molecular analyses (Fig. 2) place L. lar-
utensis as the sister species to L. trifasciata and L. seribuatensis, all basal to a clade containing L. larutensis, L. tri-
fasciata, and L. miodactyla. The examination of additional specimens of each species indicates that the number of
nuchal bands and degree of head spotting can be quite variable, and that these character states may be unreliable as
indicators of relationship. What the molecular phylogeny also suggests is that nuchal banding occurred in the
ancestor of L. seribuatensis, L. miodactyla, L. larutensis and L. trifasciata and was independently lost in L. mio-
dactyla or that it evolved independently in L. seribuatensis and the ancestor of L. larutensis and L. trifasciata and
was never present in the L. miodactyla lineage. We prefer the former hypothesis on the basis that in L. larutensis,
nuchal banding only occurs in juveniles and is lost in adulthood, indicating that this is a character that is subject to
loss. There are no independent data suggesting this character can evolve independently. With the acquisition of tis-
sues from L. puehensis, L. sumatrensis and especially L. miodactyla, we will be able to more adequately discuss
aspects the evolution of limb loss within and among the various lineages of Larutia as well as the historical bioge-
ography of this group within the context of that of other Sundaland taxa.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank P. K. L. Ng, C. M. Yang, and K. K. P. Lim (ZRC) and C. McCarthy (BM) for the loan of speci-
mens and the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department for permission to do research in Malaysia and
for the issuance of a research permit (40/200/19 SJ.1105) to LLG. For field assistance we wish to than Rick Greg-
ory, Chelsea Johnson, Eugene Johnson, Micah Johnson, and Kimberly Rosenbery, Chiang Teen Yuen, Tan Zi
Xiang, Wang Ruo-Wen and Mohd. Abdul Muin. This research was supported in part by a grant to LLG from the
Committee for Research and Exploration of National Geographic Society (8487-08) and the College of Arts and
Sciences, La Sierra University. Financial support for molecular work was supported by NSF DEB 0804115 to
CDS. Work in Malaysia for EQSH was partially supported by the USM Fellowship Scheme.
Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press · 39
NEW LEGLESS LARUTIA FROM MALAYSIA
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APPENDIX I.
The following specimens were examined.
Larutia larutensis. MALAYSIA: Perak; Maxwell’s Hill, LSUHC 9073, 9844, 9927, ZRC.2.1861.
Larutia miodactyla. MALAYSIA: Pahang, Cameron Highlands, BM 1974. 3851, ZRC 2.1584, 2.1588, 1591–92; Fraser’s Hill
9932. Selangor; Genting Highlands, BM 1974.3852
Larutia trifasciata. MALAYSIA: Pahang; Cameron Highlands, BM 1974 3853, LSUHC 9077–80, 9101–03, ZRC 2.1862, 1867
Larutia sumatrensis. SUMATRA: locality unknown, BM 1946. 8.16.89. Fort de Kock, BM 1926 2.18.5. Lolo BM 2.18.6.
Agam BM 9.25.5.
Larutia seribuatensis. MALAYSIA: Johor: Pulau Tulai, LSUHC 3915, 3917–18, 4783, 4795. Pahang; Pulau Tioman, LSUHC
5168, 6170, 7074.
Larutia puehensis. MALAYSIA: Sarawak; Gunung Berumput, BM 8.112.
GRISMER ET AL.
40 · Zootaxa 2799 © 2011 Magnolia Press
APPENDIX II.
Summary of specimens corresponding to genetic samples included in the study. KU = University of Kansas Natural History
Museum; LSUHC = La Sierra University Herpetological Collections; FMNH = Field Museum of Natural History Herpetologi-
cal Collections; * = currently uncataloged specimen, deposited in the National Museum of the Philippines.
Species Voucher Locality Genbank Accession
Numbers
Brachymeles taylori KU 320841 Philippines, Negros Island, Municipality of Valen-
cia, Mt. Talinis
Eumeces quadrilineatus KU 311490 China, Guangxi State, Shiwan Dashang Nature
Reserve
Larutia larutensis LSUHC 9703 West Malaysia, Perak, Bukit Larut
Larutia miodactyla LSUHC 9932 West Malaysia, Pahang, Fraser’s Hill
Larutia seribuatensis LSUHC 5168 West Malaysia, Pahang, Pulau Tioman
Larutia penangensis ZRC 2.6918 Penang Hill, Pulau Pinang, Penang
Larutia trifasciata LSUHC 9077 West Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands
Larutia trifasciata LSUHC 9078 West Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands
Larutia trifasciata LSUHC 9079 West Malaysia, Pahang, Cameron Highlands
Lipinia pulchella pulchella RMB 1079* Philippines, Bohol Island, Municipality of Carmen
Lygosoma bowringii LSUHC 6998 West Malaysia
Lygosoma sp. LSUHC 6931 West Malaysia
Lygosoma quadrupes LSUHC 8403 West Malaysia
Plestiodon fasciatus KU 289462 United States, Texas, Smith County
Scincella reevesii FMNH 255540 Lao PDR, Khammouan Prov, Thakhek District
Takydromus sexlineatus KU 311512 China, Guangxi State,
Shiwan Dashang Nature Reserve
