A new species of Mabuya (Sauria : Scincidae) from the British Virgin Islands

Mabuya macleani, new species, is a pallid, drab, almost patternless skink w hich is abundant on Carrot Rock, British Virgin Islands. Mabuya sloanii sho ws character divergence in pattern from the new species concordant with geo graphic approach to within 400 m. On Puerto Rico, M. sloanii has a broad mi ddorsal bronzy area on the anterior dorsum. On most of the smaller islands of the Puerto Rico Bank, as well as the Mona and Desecheo Banks to the west , this middorsal area is much narrowed by the presence of well-developed da rk dorsolateral stripes stretching from the head to behind the forelimbs. T hese two pattern types, which apparently intergrade in the vicinity of nort heasternmost Puerto Rico, are recognized as M. s. nitida Carman and M. s. s loanii Daudin, respectively. The specific name " mabouya" Lacepede, formerl y applied to Antillean skinks, is shown to be unavailable. The presence of M. macleani and another endemic lizard (Anolis ernestwilliamsi) on such a s mall (1.3 ha), poorly isolated, and young (<3000 y) island as Carrot Rock m ay be a striking case of rapid divergence of insular populations.