Acanthophis cryptamydros: A new species of Death Adder from the Kimberly Region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Death Adders, Acanthophis spp., are Australian Snakes closely resembling the Old World Vipers, though they are Elapid Snakes more closely related to Cobras and Sea Snakes. The taxonomy of the group is poorly understood, with the genus currently divided into several widely distributed and highly variable species, a classification system thought unlikely to be accurate by Herpetologists (scientists that study Amphibians and Reptiles) specializing in the group.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 28 August 2015, Simon Maddock of the Department of Life Sciences at The Natural History Museum, the Research Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment at University College London and the Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory at Bangor University, Ryan Ellis, Paul Doughty and Lawrence Smith of the Department of Terrestrial Zoology at the Western Australian Museum and Wolfgang Wüster, also of the Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory at Bangor University describe a new species of Death Adder from the Kimberly Region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The new species is named Acanthophis cryptamydros, meaning hidden and indistinct. The species is described from a population previously assigned to the Northern Death Adder, Acanthophis praelongus, but shown by a genetic survey to be a distinct species more closely related to the Desert Death Adder Acanthophis pyrrhus.

Acanthophis cryptamydros in life. Ryan Ellis in Maddock et al. (2015).

Acanthophis Pyrrhus is an orange brown Snake with darker bands averaging 503 mm in length for males and 549 mm in length for females. It was found living on the Kimberly region of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, between Wotjulum to the west and Kununurra in the east, as well as some offshore islands including Koolan, Bigge, Boongaree, Wulalam, and an unnamed island in Talbot Bay. It was found dwelling on or close to sandstone outcrops in open savannah woodland, and appears to eat a range of small vertebrates including Lizards, Frogs, Birds and Mammals. Other species of Death Adder have been shown to be susceptible to toxins produced by the introduced Cane Toad, Rhinella marina, and this species is presumed to also be at risk as the Toads continue to move west across the Kimberly region.

Habitat of Acanthophis cryptamydros at Theda Station in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Ryan Ellis in Maddock et al. (2015).

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A new species of Lungfish from the Late Devonian of northwest Australia.

Lungfish are an ancient group of Vertebrates more closely related to the Tetrapods (terrestrial Vertebrates) than to other groups of Fish. They get their name from their ability to breath air, which is useful in anoxic or seasonal waters; all modern species are freshwater and most can no longer use their gills to extract oxygen from water, though ancient Lungfish are known to have originated in fully marine waters. The group have a fossil record dating back to at least the Devonian, and were one of the most numerous Fish groups in the Palaeozoic.

In a paper published in the journal Palaeontology on 9 January 2012, Alice Clement of the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University in Canberra describes a new species of Lungfish from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation of northern Western Australia.

The Gogo Formation is a Fossil Lagerstätte in the Kimberly Region of Western Australia. It is noted for its diverse fish fauna, which are preserved in limestone concretions, and recovered by slowly dissolving  the concretions in weak acid. The deposits were laid down in anoxic lagoons behind algal reefs in the Late Devonian.

The location and outcrop distribution of the Gogo Formation. Clement (2012).

The new species of Lungfish is described from a single specimen from a limestone concretion from the Long Wells Area. It is placed in the genus Rhinodipterus, which has previously only been known from Europe and Russia, and given the specific name kimberleyensis, meaning 'from Kimberly'.

The skull of Rhinodipterus kimberlyensis in dorsal (A & B) and lateral (C & D) views. B & D are interpretive drawings based upon A & C. Abbreviations: A, skull roof bone A; art.c.r, articulation surface for cranial ribs; art.mnd, articulation surface for mandible; B, skull roof bone B; f.a.orb, foramen for orbital artery; ft.hy, hyomandibular facet; gr.op, groove for ophthalmic superficialis nerve VII; gr.v.jug, groove for jugular vein; hy.sp, facet for hyosuspensory ligament; I, skull roof bone I; J, skull roof bone J; L, skull roof bone L; med.cav, median cavity; n.I, foramen for olfactory nerve I; n.II, foramen

for optic nerve II; n.X, foramen for vagus nerve X; olf, olfactory canals I; orb, position of orbit; p.o.sc, orbital sensory canal pores; p.l, pit line; pr.I, posterior projection of I bone; psph, parasphenoid; qu, quadrate; sc, scales; sp.occ, spino-occipital nerve foramen; t.p, tooth plate; X, skull roof bone X; Y1, skull roof bone Y1; Y2, skull roof bone Y2; Z, skull roof

bone Z. Arrow indicates midline. Clement (2012).

Rhinodipterus kimberlyensis appears to have been a long snouted fish, with limited dentition and oral a mouth that did not open to a very high angle. This implies that it was probably a suction feeder targeting soft-bodied prey. This is a common strategy among modern Fish, and is also the primary feeding method in Walruses.

The skull of Rhinodipterus kimberlyensis in ventral (A & B) anterior (C)  and anterioventral (D) views. B is an interpretive drawing based upon A. Abbreviations: art.c.r, articulation surface for cranial ribs; cr.dl, dorsolateral cristae; cr.m, median crista; crp, corpus of parasphenoid; dent, dentine; ec.cav, extracranial space; ext, anteromedial extension of pterygoid and prearticular tooth plates; ext, anteromedial extension of pterygoid and prearticular tooth plates; f.a.ic, foramen for internal carotid artery; f.a.occ, foramen for occipital artery; f.a.orb, foramen for orbital artery; f.a.ps, foramen for efferent pseudobranchial artery; gr.op, groove for ophthalmic superficialis nerve VII; gr.v.jug, groove for jugular vein; med.cav, median cavity;  n.X, foramen for vagus nerve X; olf, olfactory canals I; psph, parasphenoid; pt, pterygoid; stk, stalk of parasphenoid; t.p, tooth plate; t.r, tooth row. 

See also New species of Devonian Tetrapod from the northeast of Greenland, A novel Coelacanth from the Early Triassic of British Columbia, Live birth in a Middle Triassic Coelacanth, New Tetrapodomorph Fish from the Devonian of Nevada and Boney Fish on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.

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News species of Velvetfish from the Kimberly Coast of Western Australia.

Velvetfish are a form of Scorpaeniforme Fish noted for the velvety texture of their skin. They are spiny (sometimes poisonous), bottom dwelling fish found at depths of up to 100 m. The genus Pseudopataecus has until now been known from a single species from the coast of Queensland, P. taenianotus.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 15 February 2012, Jeffrey Johnson of the Ichthyology Collection at Queensland Museum, describes a new species of Velvetfish in the genus Pseudopataecus from the Kimberly Coast of Western Australia.

Map showing the distribution of P. taenianotus (dots) and the new species (stars). Filled stars represent areas where specimens were collected, the open star a site where the new species was photographed by a diver, but not collected. Johnson (2012).

The new species is named as Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus, the Goatee Velvetfish (carnatobarbatus meaning 'fleshy-beard', in reference to a fleshy growth on the fish's chin). It differs from P. taenianotus in having branched tips to most of its fin rays (those of P. taenianotus having simple tips), as well as in the shapes and sizes of the fins and the presence of the goatee-like chin-growth. The colour of P. carnatobarbatus is quite variable.

Three different colour patterns in Pseudopataecus carnatobarbatus. (A) derives its colour from a layer of greenish-brown mucus. (B & C) lack this, the colour is that of their skin.

See also Live birth in a Middle Triassic Coelacanth, The pelvic girdles of two primitive boney fish from China, New species of Deepwater Tilefish from the Philippines, New Tetrapodomorph Fish from the Devonian of Nevada and Boney Fish on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.

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A new Bent-toed Gecko from Western Australia.

Bent-toed Geckos are widespread across South-East Asia, the Malay Archipelago and as far south as Victoria State, Australia. They are smallish Geckos noted for an outward bend in the middle digit of their hindlimbs, typically living in rainforest environments.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 9 February 2012, Aaron Bauer of the Department of Biology at Villanova University and Paul Doughty of the Department of Terrestrial Zoology at the Western Australian Museum describe a new Bent-toed Gecko from East Montalivet Island off the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The new species has been named as Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis, the Kimberly Bent-toed Gecko. It is described from a single female presumed to be an adult because it was gravid (pregnant with an egg). This individual was about 45 mm long, making the new species the second smallest member of the genus if this individual is typical, surpassed only by C. laevigatus, a species from Komodo and Flores with an average length of adult 43 mm. It is brownish, elongate and slender.

Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis in life. Bauer & Doughty (2012).

Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis was discovered on a small island off the Kimberly Coast of Western Australia. It is the first species of Cyrtodactylus discovered in Western Australia, though there are five species known in Queensland. Interestingly Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis appears to be more closely related to the Bent-toed Geckos of Timor and the Banda Arc than it is to those of Victoria and New Guinea, suggesting a separate Australian colonization event. Bauer & Doughty note that most species discovered in the forests of the coast and islands of Kimberly are related to species in the interior dry-grasslands of the region, and speculate about finding Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis or related species on the mainland. They note that despite being a biodiversity hotspot the fauna of the area is not well studied, so other links with Timor and the Banda Arc may emerge with further study.

The Kimberly Coast of Western Australia, showing East Montalivet Island where Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis was found. Bauer & Doughty (2012).

The individual discovered was gravid with a single egg. If this is typical then this is another way in which Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis is distinctive, since small Geckos, like most small Lizards typically produce clutches of two eggs.

The hind foot of Cyrtodactylus kimberleyensis, showing why it is called a 'Bent-toed' Gecko. Scale bar is 2 mm. Bauer & Doughty (2012).

See also New Miniature Chameleons from Madagascar, An Early Jurassic Pliosaur from Normandy, A Pregnant Plesiosaur, The Weymouth Pliosaur, and Reptiles on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.