taxonID	type	description	language	source
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	description	Figure 2 Synonomy	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	description	Cyclodina oliveri (in part?) Wells & Wellington, 1985 Cyclodina oliveri (in part) Patterson & Daugherty, 1997 Cyclodina oliveri (in part) Chapple et al. 2008 b Oligosoma oliveri (in part) Chapple et al. 2009	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: NMNZ RE 153, Poor Knights Islands, northern islet (= Tawhiti Rahi), 35 ° 28 S 174 ° 44 E, adult female. W. R. B. Oliver, February 1934.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. An Oligosoma with a squarish mid-body cross-section; opaque, divided palpebral disc; a prominent tear-drop mark beneath each eye; iris light brown to orange; mid-body scale rows 37 – 44; ventral scale rows 88 – 97; eye diameter <distance from the eye to mouth; adult SVL ≥ 90 mm; dorsal markings dominated by pale blotches or mottling; belly cream and markings form broad blotching. Distinguished from similar congeners (which share both the squarish body cross-section and the tear-drop subocular marking) as follows: alani (Robb) has a black iris, much larger dorsal blotches and is bulkier, up to 142 mm SVL; macgregori (Robb) has longitudinal streaks on the dorsum and a uniform belly; ornatum (Gray) is much smaller (SVL usually <80 mm), usually has a yellow belly and usually has a tapering pale dorso-lateral stripe; pachysomaticum has 32 – 36 mid-body scale rows, 72 – 88 ventral scale rows, dorsal and ventral patterns dominated by dark flecks, and a larger eye (diameter> distance from eye to mouth); roimata (Patterson, Hitchmough & Chapple) (sympatric) is much smaller at up to 65 mm SVL, has only 32 – 34 mid-body scale rows and 1 primary temporal scale (versus 2 in oliveri); townsi usually has only 1 primary temporal scale and few ventral markings; and whitakeri has a dark-brown iris, yellow-orange venter and dorsal and ventral patterns of dark flecks.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	etymology	Etymology. McCann named the species for Dr W. R. B. Oliver (1883 – 1957), former director of the Dominion Museum (now Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa) in Wellington, New Zealand. The established vernacular name ‘ marbled skink’ should ideally remain with this taxon as it is strongly associated with the name oliveri and aptly describes the characteristic colour pattern of this species.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Known only from the Poor Knights Islands off the east coast of Northland (Figure 1) where it has been recorded from seven islets including Tawhiti Rahi I., Aorangi I., Motu Kapiti I., Archway I., Stack ‘ A’, Stack ‘ B’, and Stack ‘ C’ (Table 1; Chapple et al. 2008 b).	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology. Lives primarily among leaf litter on the floor of coastal forest and scrub, utilizing a range of cover objects and sea bird burrows as retreat sites, and is crepuscular with peaks of activity after dusk and before dawn. Gravid females occasionally bask but the species is normally otherwise inactive by day. Co-exists in this habitat with two much smaller skinks, i. e. Oligosoma hardyi (Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty) (62 mm SVL) and O. roimata (65 mm SVL) (Towns 1999; Whitaker 1968; van Winkle et al. 2018). Biogeography. The Poor Knights Islands are the remnants of a ten million year old rhyolite volcano that has been separated from the mainland since the Pliocene, between 1 – 2 million years ago (Hayward 1991). Members of the Oligosoma oliveri species-complex are vulnerable to extremes of temperature and hydration, experiencing high levels of cutaneous body water loss (Towns 1999) and so are unlikely to be effective oversea rafters. This indicates that O. oliveri has likely been isolated on these islands for between 1 – 2 million years. Phylogeny. Chapple et al. (2008 a, b) present phylogenetic reconstructions based on analysis of the sequence differentiation observed among three mitochondrial genes (i. e. 600 base pairs of ND 2, 850 base pairs of ND 4, 700 base pairs of Cytochrome b). The calibration they employed indicated a split between Oligosoma oliveri and O. pachysomaticum of between 1.07 – 1.43 million years ago, which coincides with the estimated isolation of the Poor Knights Islands themselves (see ‘ Biogeography’, above).	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCCFF20FF59FF69630BF49C.taxon	discussion	Remarks. The taxonomic definition is returned to its original concept, i. e. that of McCann (1955), who provides a full morphological description.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	description	Figure 3 Synonomy	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	description	Cyclodina pachysomaticum (in part?) Wells & Wellington, 1985 Cyclodina oliveri (in part) Patterson & Daugherty, 1997 Cyclodina oliveri (in part) Chapple et al. 2008 b Oligosoma oliveri (in part) Chapple et al. 2009	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: AM H 538 (author’s number R 67), adult female, Ruamahua-nui Island, Aldermans group, November 1972, A. H. Whitaker.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. An Oligosoma with a squarish mid-body cross-section; opaque, divided palpebral disc; a prominent tear-drop mark beneath each eye; iris light brown to orange; mid-body scale rows 32 – 36; ventral scale rows 72 – 88; eye diameter> distance from eye to mouth; adult SVL ≤ 84 mm; dorsal markings dominated by fine black flecking; belly cream and marked with numerous individual fine dark flecks. Distinguished from similar congeners (which share both the squarish body cross-section and the tear-drop subocular marking) as follows: alani (sympatric) has a black iris, prominent dorsal blotches and is much larger at up to 142 mm SVL; macgregori has longitudinal streaks on the dorsum and a uniform belly; ornatum (potentially sympatric) is smaller (SVL usually <80 mm), usually has a yellow belly and usually has a tapering pale dorso-lateral stripe; oliveri has 36 – 44 mid-body scale rows, 88 – 97 ventral scale rows, dorsal and ventral patterns dominated by pale blotches, and a smaller eye (diameter <distance from eye to mouth); roimata is smaller at up to 65 mm SVL and has only 1 primary temporal scale (versus 2 in pachysomaticum); townsi usually has only 1 primary temporal scale and has few ventral markings; and whitakeri (sympatric) is larger at up to 101 mm SVL, has a dark-brown iris and a yellow-orange venter.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	etymology	Etymology. From the Greek pachys (thick) and soma (body). In the absence of an established vernacular name for Oligosoma pachysomaticum I suggest ‘ Coromandel skink’ to reflect the general location of the surviving populations.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	distribution	Distribution. Known from a total of eight islands in the Mercury Group (Middle, Green and Korapuki Is.), Alderman Group (Half, Hongiora, Ruamahuanui and Ruamahuati Is.) and the Ohinau Group (Old Man Rock), all off the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula (Figure 1; Table 1; Chapple et al. 2008 b).	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	biology_ecology	Ecology. The following information is based on a study of the species on Green Island in the Mercury group by Southey (1985). Lives primarily among deep leaf litter on the floor of coastal forest and scrub, being most abundant among regenerating scrub where the leaf litter is deepest. Nocturnal with peak activity in the first few hours of darkness, and only rarely sunbasks or forages by day. Co-exists in this habitat with two much larger skinks, Oligosoma alani (≤ 142 mm SVL) and O. whitakeri (≤ 101 mm SVL) and is significantly less abundant than these, i. e. O. pachysomaticum number 46 – 91 / ha, O. alani 277 – 779 / ha and O. whitakeri 161 – 903 / ha. Also co-exists with the smaller forest / coastal scrub species O. aeneum (Girard) (76 mm). Between 2 – 4 young are produced in April. A wide variety of invertebrates are preyed on as well as some fruit. Predators include centipedes and tuatara. Biogeography. The islands on which Oligosoma pachysomaticum occurs were connected to the New Zealand mainland during the Otira glacial maximum 18 – 20,000 years B. P., when sea-levels fell to 110 m below present levels (Haywood 1991; Kirkpatrick 1999). As such, O. pachysomaticum will likely have been present on the mainland until displaced by the introduction of predatory mammals by people, a process which began between 700 – 800 years ago (Wilmshurst et al. 2008). Subfossil remains attributable to the O. oliveri species-complex (but not O. whitakeri, which is distinguishable) have been found on the mainland in the nearby Bay of Plenty area (Chapple et al. 2008 b); based on proximity to extant populations these were most likely O. pachysomaticum. Phylogeny. The two sampled island groups of Oligosoma pachysomaticum (i. e. Alderman and Mercury) exhibit a similar level of divergence among mitochondrial DNA sequences as they each do to O. oliveri, which could indicate a split between 1.07 – 1.43 million years ago (Chapple et al. 2008 a, b). This is much earlier than the actual (<20,000 year) split between their islands and as such could point to cryptic speciation within O. pachysomaticum as it is here defined. However, there is yet no corroboration for such a timeframe and if anything, the biogeographic and morphological evidence must cast doubt on this interpretation. Alternative explanations to be considered including a mitochondrial split much older than the actual split of the skink populations, an accelerated rate of genetic drift in one or other population, and genetic introgression from an unknown and probably now extinct lineage. For this reason the age of the divergence between the Alderman and Mercury populations is best regarded as unresolved. Recognition. Oligosoma pachysomaticum is here reinstated as a species separate from O. oliveri because multiple lines of evidence suggest a geographical isolation that has precluded interaction for at least 1 – 2 million years (see ‘ Biogeography’ above and ‘ Phylogeny’ for O. oliveri), in combination with a distinct niche (as defined by their respective sympatric competitors, see ‘ Ecology’ for each species, above), and also morphological differentiation (Table 2) which demonstrates that during this isolation the two lineages have been evolving, to a significant degree, along separate evolutionary trajectories. O. pachysomaticum meets a number of the species definitions (e. g. ‘ Simpsons’, ‘ niche’, ‘ phylogenetic III’, ‘ phenetic’, ‘ genotypic’) within the encompassing ‘ general-lineage’ speciesconcept of de Queiroz (1998, 2007).	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
04197D19FFCDFF24FF59FB2E62F9F2EA.taxon	discussion	Remarks. Hardy’s (1977) decision to place Oligosoma pachysomaticum in the synonymy of O. oliveri was justified by the discovery of populations that appeared to be intermediate in phylogeny, morphology and biogeography. However, the decision by Chapple et al. (2008 b) to retain them as a singular entity, after removing all of the intermediate populations again as O. townsi, was less convincing because the phenotypic and biogeographic evidence now showed a substantial differentiation between the two. O. pachysomaticum is here returned to its original concept, i. e. that of Robb (1975), who provides a full morphological description.	en	Jewell, Tony R. (2019): New Zealand forest-dwelling skinks of the Oligosoma oliveri (McCann) species-complex (Reptilia: Scincidae): reinstatement of O. pachysomaticum (Robb) and an assessment of historical distribution ranges. Zootaxa 4688 (3): 382-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4688.3.5
