# Kimberley Endemics Episode 1



## Nephrurus (Jul 25, 2007)

G'day all, 

I've been out and about and i've taken a few photos about the place of the various critters I've caught on surveys. One of the more spectacular critters is _Diporiphora superba_. I'd never seen them before this trip, so i was very excited when i caught the first two. Several more were subsequently found. They are incredibly slender, which is the first thing you notice (after the colour). I hope the photos give a fair idea of what they are like. 






















Enjoy the photos! Please excuse my name on the pics, but after an APS member had his rough scale photos stolen and used on another site, one cannot be too careful.

Look out for Episode II!

-H


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## Rocket (Jul 25, 2007)

Great Photos of what appears to be, a spectacular species! Does this species have a common name?

Hopefully, one of your 'episodes' involve Geckos. 
Enjoy the rest of your trip!


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## Nephrurus (Jul 25, 2007)

I'm back 

All my animals are fine, which is a plus. But it's cold down here.

-H


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## bredli84 (Jul 25, 2007)

looks like green beans with legs :shock:
great pics


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Jul 25, 2007)

Wow, great pics..I think they're called pindan two lined dragons.??.well done.


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## da_donkey (Jul 25, 2007)

i was talking today about these  how good are there tails  awsome pics 

thanks

donk


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## scorps (Jul 25, 2007)

they look like some exotic lol


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## Hetty (Jul 25, 2007)

I was just thinking that, bloody awesome tails.

And yeah, it's freezing


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## urodacus_au (Jul 25, 2007)

Great pics mate. Interesting critter, i really need to get up there.....soon 

Keep em coming...
Jordan


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## da_donkey (Jul 25, 2007)

Please tell me you found some _Diporiphora magna_


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## Nephrurus (Jul 25, 2007)

Nah, no _D. magna_ this trip. They have been picked up before, but i wasn't there! They have no gular fold! Insane!

-H


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## ad (Jul 26, 2007)

Great pics of a rarely seen species,
Thanks for sharing,
Cheers
Adam


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## viridis (Jul 26, 2007)

As allways Henry great pics,

Any elapids on this trip? Where about s in the Kimberley were you this time?

Nick


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## hornet (Jul 26, 2007)

love the Diporiphora superba. any idea if they are being bred in captivity?


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## JasonL (Jul 26, 2007)

C'mon Henry, I know you have a stack more pics your holding back, Oh' Are they the pair you said you'd bring me back


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## spongebob (Jul 26, 2007)

Hey Henry,
Are you sure you didn't mix up your photos? Look so much like anoles to me. So common in the pet trade in the USA and Europe.
Bob


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## MMAnne (Jul 26, 2007)

Look at the tail on those things!

Awsome photos!


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## zulu (Jul 26, 2007)

*re Kimberey*

Nice pictures henry,they used to have some of those at the reptile park when it was at wyoming near the gillens,really spectacular looking critters.


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## PhilK (Jul 26, 2007)

Beautiful tails!!! Probably a dmb question, but what's a gular fold? I know it has to do with the throat (hence gular)... but what is it and why is it so amazing they don't have one?


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## Nephrurus (Jul 26, 2007)

Philk: Well, the _Diporiphora magna_ doesn't have a gular fold. The various skin folds around the head of Diporiphora are diagnostic characteristics. The three folds are gular (throat), postauricular (behind ear) and scapular (shoulder). It's not so important in the ID of superba, but magna is the only sp. with no gular fold (that i was likely to find in the kimberley). 

Viridis: Same area as last time (North Kimberley), but i did spend a few days much closer to the coast, where i found a few critters, including the superba. 

JasonL: I have heaps of photos, but they'll be in the upcoming "episodes". I'll put one on later tonight...

-H


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## PhilK (Jul 26, 2007)

Superba doesn't have _any_ of the folds does it? This is opposed to magna that lacks only the gular fold? Are these just folds of skin?


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## krusty (Jul 26, 2007)

they are nice i dont think i have ever seen them before.keep the pics comeing.


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## Nephrurus (Jul 26, 2007)

PhilK said:


> Superba doesn't have _any_ of the folds does it? This is opposed to magna that lacks only the gular fold? Are these just folds of skin?



What i mean to say is superba is so different, so incredibly slender, that referring to the skin folds for ID is pointless as it is unmistakeable. Theres a bunch of species like D. lallilae, D. bennetti, D. albulabris and D. magna that all vary greatly in colour and are roughly the same shape (more of less). The skin folds are a good way to ID similar Diporophora species. Only D. magna lacks the gular fold, so this is a distinguishing characteristic. 

-H


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## hornet (Jul 26, 2007)

are they or magna in captivity?


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## Nephrurus (Jul 26, 2007)

Not at present, to my knowledge. I'm sure some zealous collector has tried for a collection permit at some stage. 

-H


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## Kratos (Jul 27, 2007)

Awsome pics, it would be great if these were in the hobby


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## bigguy (Jul 27, 2007)

These are called the Superb Dragons. John weigel of the ARP collected some from the Kimberlies nearly 20 years ago. They had them there for some years, and I seem to remember they had some sucsess breeding them.


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## hornet (Jul 28, 2007)

yes i spoke to john about them, he said he ended up with only males


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## oxyranus (Jul 28, 2007)

Great pics.Very interesting


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## Kenshin (Oct 10, 2007)

looks alot like a green ta ta dragon


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