ePrints

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

Shea, GM 2000 , 'The earliest taxonomic description and illustration of an Australian reptile: another historical first for bluetongue lizards (Squamata: Scincidae: Tiliqua)' , Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, vol. 134 , pp. 79-82 , doi: https://doi.org/10.26749/rstpp.134.79.

[img]
Preview
PDF
2000_Shea_The_E...pdf | Download (157kB)
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.

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.

Item Type: Article
Authors/Creators:Shea, GM
Keywords: Royal Society of Tasmania, RST, Van Diemens Land, natural history, science, ecology, taxonomy, botany, zoology, geology, geography, papers & proceedings, Australia, UTAS Library
Journal or Publication Title: Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
ISSN: 0080-4703
DOI / ID Number: https://doi.org/10.26749/rstpp.134.79
Collections: Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Additional Information:

Copyright Royal Society of Tasmania

Item Statistics: View statistics for this item

Actions (login required)

Item Control Page Item Control Page
TOP