The earliest taxonomic description and illustration of an Australian reptile: another historical first for bluetongue lizards (Squamata: Scincidae: Tiliqua)

Abstract

Manuscript descriptions of several species of reptiles prepared in 1777 by William Anderson, naturalist on James Cook's third voyage of discovery, are reported and, where possible, identified. The most thorough description is of the Blotched Bluetongue, Tiliqua nigrolutea, based on a specimen collected from Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, and painted by the artist John Webber. This description, though not previously published, is the earliest known formal scientific description of an Australian reptile, and the painting is the earliest scientific illustration of an Australian reptile.