Determining the generation length and level of morphological and genetic differentiation in the Data Deficient glossy grass skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni)

Lucy Wotherspoon; Margaret L. Haines; Jules E. Farquhar; David G. Chapple

doi:10.1071/PC23037

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Next Contents Vol 30(2)

Determining the generation length and level of morphological and genetic differentiation in the Data Deficient glossy grass skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni)

Lucy Wotherspoon ^A , Margaret L. Haines ^A ^B , Jules E. Farquhar ^A ^# and David G. Chapple

^A ^# ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.

^B Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Carlton, Vic., Australia.

^* Correspondence to: David.Chapple@monash.edu

^# These authors contributed equally to this paper

Handling Editor: Dan Lunney

Pacific Conservation Biology 30, PC23037 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC23037

Submitted: 4 September 2023 Accepted: 29 February 2024 Published: 21 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Human activities are having a significant impact on biodiversity worldwide, to the extent that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event. Although a substantial proportion of species globally have an elevated risk of extinction, some species are poorly known and there is insufficient information available to adequately assess their risk of extinction.

Aims and methods

One such species is the glossy grass skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni), a widespread but enigmatic lizard species in south-eastern Australia. In order to improve our knowledge of its life history, and particularly its generation length, we examined museum specimens collected from across the range of the species, supplemented with measurements from field-caught individuals.

Key results

We estimated that the species reaches sexual maturity in 3 years, at approximately 40 mm snout–vent length. Its generation length was estimated as 5 years. Sexual dimorphism was evident, and female body size was positively related to litter size. Although there was no evidence for substantial variation in morphology across the range of the glossy grass skink, a phylogeographic analysis using mitochondrial DNA sequence data (ND4) revealed the presence of seven genetic sublineages (up to 5.1% genetic divergence) within the species.

Conclusions

The glossy grass skink appears to be a single, but widespread and genetically variable, species.

Implications

Our study demonstrates how a targeted, multifaceted study can be effective at rapidly gathering data that can be used to contribute vital information to the assessment of extinction risk in Data Deficient species.

Keywords: Australia, extinction risk, IUCN Red List, life history, lizard, phylogeography, reproductive ecology, Scincidae.

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