PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 93(2), 1980, pp. 350-356 A NEW LIZARD OF THE GENUS EMOIA (SCINCIDAE) FROM THE FIJI ISLANDS Walter C. Brown, John C. Pernetta, and D. Watling Abstract. — A new species of Emoia from the Fiji Islands is described, with notes on its ecological niche relative to other species of the genus occurring in that group of islands. Recent fieldwork in the Fiji Islands by several zoologists (the junior au-thors, B. Goldman, W. Beckon) has provided examples of a previously undescribed, relatively small Emoia, comparable in size to E. cyanura and E. caeruleocauda, which also occur in this island group along with several other skinks (Brown, 1956; Pernetta & Watling, in press). The Fiji collec-tions in the British Museum (Natural History) provide three additional spec-imens of this heretofore undescribed species. The earliest specimen, acces-sioned in 1855, and one other were identified as E. samoensis. These were presumably regarded as juveniles, since the condition of the sex organs had not been examined. The third, accessioned in 1938, was labeled Emoia n. sp. in H. W. Parker's handwriting. We take pleasure in naming this species for Dr. Parker. Emoia parked, new species Figs. 1-3 Holotype. — California Academy of Sciences registry number 146960, ma-ture female, collected at Naleboleba, Sigatoke Valley, Viti Levu Island, Fijis, by D. WatHng, 16 March 1978. Paratypes.—¥ ISLANDS: Ovalou Island: BMNH 55.8.2.11; Taveuni Island: AM 71706, BMNH 1938.8.2.11; Viti Levu Island: AM 71707-08, CAS 146961-64; Kadavu Island: USP 4111-12, CAS 146965-66; specific island not recorded: BMNH 63.5.11.16, AMNH 117700. See acknowledge-ments for abbreviations. Diagnosis. — A small Emoia, approximately 50 mm in snout-vent length for available mature specimens. This species differs from the two other small species of Emoia {caeruleocauda and cyanura) known from the Fijis and the Central Pacific Region in: (1) the distinct interparietal (Figs. 1 and 2); (2) the larger prefrontals which are usually in contact, separating the frontal from the frontonasal; (3) color pattern (Fig. 3); and (4) from E. cyanura in the less thinned and smaller number of subdigital lamellae. Other species of Emoia {E. nigra, and the E. samoensis-concolor complex)
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