Species Tympanocryptis osbornei Melville et al., 2019
Monaro Grassland Earless Dragon
- Tympanocryptis osbornei Melville, J., Chaplin, K., Hutchinson, M., Sumner, J., Gruber, B., MacDonald, A.J. & Sarre, S.D. 2019. Taxonomy and conservation of grassland earless dragons: new species and an assessment of the first possible extinction of a reptile on mainland Australia. Royal Society Open Science 6: 190233.Zoobank Registration Number:02D9C489-2C7A-43B0-A698-2DFA35B1D1BE
Type data:
Holotype SAMA R43098 ♂, Cooma, New South Wales.
Paratype(s) NMV D76105 1 specs, same as holotype; NMV D76106 1 specs; SAMA R43347 1 specs, same as holotype; AM R38172, R131836 2 specs, same as holotype.
Miscellaneous Literature Names
- Tympanocryptis pinguicolla Mitchell, 1948 [a misidentification]. —
Cogger, H.G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO publishing 7th edition, pp. xxx+1033. [759] (in part)
Introduction
While previously considered to be one of four disjunct populations of T. pinguicolla in south-eastern Australia, Melville et al. (2019) determined that these represent four different species with this name applied to the population from around Cooma, NSW. See Melville et al. (2019) for further information.
Distribution
States
New South Wales
Extra Distribution Information
Confined to the Monaro tablelands near Cooma, NSW.
Australian Endemic.
IBRA
NSW: South Eastern Highlands (SEH)
Notes
Habitat: Naturally treeless native grassland communities from 758 to 1234m above sea level on basalt geology and heavy clay soils and in predominately dry tussock grasslands