Bartle Frere Bar-sided Skink (Concinnia frerei)

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Breeding season

The supplied documents provide no species-specific reproductive calendar for the Bartle Frere Bar-sided Skink. Treat mating, pregnancy, births, sheltering and surface activity as possible throughout the year, and plan clearing as a year-round risk in retained rainforest habitat.

Reproductive mode: Not recorded.

Clutch size or litter size: Not recorded.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Not recorded. No nest, egg-laying site or birthing shelter is described.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing with local surveys and records, and review whether rainfall or temperature triggers produce seasonal activity or breeding in the project area.

• Mating: No mating months are recorded for this species. As a conservative approach for a rainforest skink with no known low-risk season, treat mating as possible in every month and do not assign a peak.
• Gravid females: The documents do not record when females carry embryos or eggs. Treat gravid females as possible throughout the year because the species has low mobility and uses rainforest habitat.
• Births: The reproductive mode and timing of births are not recorded. Treat births as possible in every month until local records establish a seasonal pattern.
• Hatchlings: No information is provided on hatching, newborn emergence or juvenile abundance. Check ground cover and potential shelters for young animals in every month.
• Active period: No species-specific activity calendar is available. Treat adults as potentially surface active year round, while recognising that animals may shelter in leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks, root bases and dense ground cover.
• Highest clearing risk: No species-specific low-risk months are known. Treat clearing as a year-round risk because breeding animals, young and low-mobility skinks may be present in rainforest ground cover and shelters.

Identification

The supplied documents provide the species name, habitat and range information, but do not provide a diagnostic description, measurements or photographs. Field identification should therefore be confirmed by an experienced herpetologist where the species is suspected.

Concinnia frerei is a bar-sided skink in the family Scincidae. The available records identify it as a narrow endemic of the Wet Tropics mountain rainforests and classify it as a low-mobility species.

No reliable body length, weight, colour pattern or scale-character description is provided in the supplied documents.

Body size: Not provided

Weight: Not provided

Sex differences: Not provided

• Photograph the animal in dorsal, lateral and ventral views where this can be done without handling it.
• Record the exact location, elevation if available, vegetation type, microhabitat and time of observation.
• Retain a voucher-quality photographic record and seek expert confirmation before treating an unconfirmed sighting as this species.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

Other Concinnia species occur in Queensland, including the northern bar-sided skink, bar-sided skink and yellow-blotched forest-skink. The supplied documents do not provide a field key separating these species from C. frerei.

No species-specific information is supplied for tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine. Small skink signs are unlikely to provide a reliable identification without the animal or clear photographs.

• Do not identify the species from habitat alone, because several other rainforest Concinnia species are recorded in Queensland.
• Use close photographs of the head, flanks, back, limbs and tail to support identification.
• Avoid unnecessary capture or handling, particularly where the record is from a narrow-range population.

Distribution: National range

The species is recorded from Queensland and is associated with the Wet Tropics bioregion. The supplied material describes it as a narrow endemic restricted to the Bartle Frere mountain area.

The available information supports a Queensland-only distribution. No records from other Australian states or territories are identified.

The species is listed in the Wet Tropics bioregion and is associated with the Bartle Frere mountains. The expert panel describes Concinnia frerei as restricted to these mountains.

State: Queensland

Bioregion: Wet Tropics

Known stronghold: Bartle Frere mountain area

Subpopulations: Not described in the supplied documents

Population estimate: Not available

Population trend: Unknown

• Treat upland rainforest on and around the Bartle Frere mountain area as potential habitat until desktop and field checks show otherwise.
• Do not assume that the absence of a database record means the species is absent from a project site.

Distribution: Project interpretation

The species has low mobility and a narrow range. Clearing a small area of suitable rainforest may therefore have a greater local effect than clearing the same area within a widespread, mobile species' range.

The WetlandInfo extract contains a Concinnia frerei record row with six and three in two record fields, but the supplied extract does not define those fields. They should not be treated as population counts.

• Check Queensland species databases and local records before finalising the survey area or clearing footprint.
• Map all retained rainforest, drainage lines, rock features and proposed access routes within and beside the work area.
• Escalate any confirmed record to the project ecologist and relevant Queensland authority before disturbance continues.

Habitat: Rainforest habitat

The available habitat information identifies rainforest as the principal habitat and places the species in the wet, mountainous Wet Tropics region. The documents do not define a precise elevation band or microhabitat profile.

Concinnia frerei is recorded as a rainforest species in the supplied species table. The Wet Tropics expert panel identifies it as a narrow endemic associated with the Bartle Frere mountains.

The broader Bartle Frere mountain area contains rainforest and other upland vegetation communities, with high levels of endemic and low-mobility fauna.

Primary habitat: Rainforest

Geographic setting: Wet Tropics mountains, including the Bartle Frere area

Elevation limit: Not provided

Climate limit: Not provided

• Retain intact rainforest and connected strips between rainforest patches.
• Include forest edges, temporary work areas, laydown areas and access tracks in the habitat assessment.
• Inspect both disturbed rainforest margins and apparently intact forest, because the supplied documents do not define a single preferred microhabitat.

Habitat: Structural features

The supplied documents do not identify required tree sizes, canopy heights, litter depths, rock dimensions, moisture conditions or stream distances for this skink.

The Bartle Frere area is described as supporting many endemic, low-mobility species and as containing habitat that can provide climate refugia.

• Record leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks, buttress roots, dense ground vegetation and moist shaded areas during habitat checks.
• Avoid removing ground cover or altering drainage where potential rainforest habitat is retained.
• Keep machinery and spoil outside retained habitat unless the project ecologist has assessed the area.

Foraging habitat: Feeding information gaps

The supplied documents do not state the diet, prey, food plants, feeding height or foraging range of Concinnia frerei. Field controls should therefore protect the rainforest floor and connected cover used by small terrestrial skinks generally.

No species-specific information is provided on whether this skink feeds mainly on insects, other invertebrates, plant material or a combination of these foods.

No food plants, prey densities, daily activity period or foraging distance are given.

Diet: Not provided

Foraging range: Not provided

Foraging height: Not provided

• Do not clear or strip ground vegetation from retained habitat solely because no feeding sign is visible.
• Avoid pesticide use, sediment deposition and changes to leaf litter or soil moisture in and beside retained rainforest.
• Record visible prey-rich microhabitats, including damp litter, fallen timber and dense ground cover, during the site assessment.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

The supplied documents contain no breeding observations or measurements for this species. Until local information is available, retain connected rainforest and avoid disturbing potential ground shelters during the full clearing period.

No breeding season, mating behaviour, clutch size, gestation period, age at maturity or lifespan is provided.

No nest, egg-laying site or birthing shelter is described for Concinnia frerei.

Breeding season: Not provided

Clutch or litter size: Not provided

Gestation or incubation: Not provided

Age at maturity: Not provided

Lifespan: Not provided

• Treat all potential rainforest habitat as capable of supporting breeding animals unless survey information demonstrates otherwise.
• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher during clearing where the species may occur.
• Stop work and obtain ecological advice if an adult, juvenile, egg or suspected breeding shelter is found.

Breeding habitat: Habitat controls

The species' low mobility and narrow distribution increase the importance of retaining suitable habitat around any confirmed record. The documents do not identify a breeding-site buffer or a minimum habitat area.

• Retain linked rainforest rather than isolated small remnants wherever the project design allows.
• Keep construction materials, spoil, washdown water and vehicle movements out of retained habitat.
• Schedule any unavoidable clearing only after project-specific surveys and breeding-risk review.

Sheltering habitat: Potential refuges

No species-specific refuge, burrow, nest, hollow or shelter dimensions are provided. As a small, low-mobility rainforest skink, it should be managed as an animal that may shelter within ground-level rainforest cover during clearing.

The supplied information confirms rainforest habitat but does not identify the exact shelter sites used by Concinnia frerei.

No measurements are provided for burrows, crevices, logs, litter beds, root cavities or rock shelters.

Known refuge type: Not specified

Known refuge dimensions: Not specified

Hollows or roosts: Not relevantly documented for this skink

• Inspect leaf litter, fallen timber, rocks, root bases, buttress cavities and dense ground cover before and during hand clearing.
• Move debris slowly and allow the fauna spotter catcher to check each item before it is removed or repositioned.
• Retain moist shaded ground cover and connected rainforest beside the construction footprint.

Sheltering habitat: Clearing procedure

Because the species is low mobility, rapid machine clearing can remove shelter before an animal can escape. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific clearing protocol.

• Use staged clearing from the retained habitat towards the cleared area where practicable.
• Have a fauna spotter catcher inspect ground cover and debris before mechanical removal.
• Keep a record of all captures, releases, injuries and confirmed observations.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The supplied documents identify a narrow endemic, low-mobility rainforest skink in a highly distinctive mountain fauna assemblage. They do not provide a species-specific threat assessment, so project controls should focus on avoiding direct habitat loss, isolation and disturbance.

Clearing rainforest within the species' restricted mountain range can remove habitat directly. Fragmentation can also isolate a low-mobility species and reduce movement between retained patches.

The supplied expert panel material identifies the Bartle Frere area as supporting threatened and narrow-range fauna, including Concinnia frerei.

• Avoid clearing rainforest wherever practicable.
• Minimise the width of tracks, powerline corridors and construction footprints through potential habitat.
• Maintain connections between retained rainforest patches and avoid creating isolated habitat islands.
• Fence and mark no-go habitat before machinery enters the site.

Threats: Construction disturbance

Roads, vehicle movements, vibration, night lighting, spoil placement and uncontrolled access can disturb or injure small reptiles and degrade retained rainforest. The supplied documents do not quantify the effect of any of these pressures on this species.

• Use fauna speed limits and restrict vehicle movements to approved routes.
• Prevent machinery from tracking through retained rainforest or depositing spoil on its margins.
• Control artificial lighting directed into retained rainforest.
• Use washdown and hygiene procedures to avoid transferring weeds, pathogens or contaminated soil.

Threats: Fire, predators and environmental change

No species-specific evidence is supplied on fire response, introduced predators, disease or hydrology change. These pressures should still be assessed where they alter rainforest ground cover, shelter or moisture conditions.

The expert panel identifies climate refugia and climate change risk as important considerations for several narrow-range Wet Tropics species. It does not assign a specific climate-change threat statement to Concinnia frerei.

• Prevent unplanned fire from entering retained rainforest and avoid unnecessary burning of ground cover.
• Control domestic animals and limit opportunities for feral predators to enter work areas.
• Keep drainage, runoff and water quality changes away from retained rainforest.
• Monitor retained habitat after construction for weed invasion, erosion, altered moisture and loss of ground cover.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and targeted searches

Concinnia frerei is a Queensland Endangered, narrow endemic skink associated with upland rainforest in the Wet Tropics. Survey design must account for its restricted distribution and low mobility, particularly on the Bartle Frere mountain area. [No survey guideline or species-specific effort standard is provided in the supplied documents.]

Confirm whether the project occurs within the species' known Wet Tropics range, especially upland rainforest and mountain habitat associated with Bartle Frere. Inspect retained rainforest, forest edges, rocky areas, deep leaf litter, fallen timber and other damp ground cover before selecting survey methods.

• Map all suitable and potentially suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and in retained habitat nearby.
• Search systematically beneath suitable ground cover, including loose rocks, logs, bark and leaf litter, and replace each item carefully after inspection.
• Record the search area, search time, weather, ground conditions, habitat features inspected and the identity of each person undertaking the search.

Survey methodology: 2. Visual searches and spotlighting

Use diurnal visual searches and nocturnal spotlighting as supplementary methods for this low-mobility rainforest skink. The supplied documents do not specify the best season, nightly duration or number of survey nights.

• Undertake searches during periods when the ground and shelter features can be inspected safely and detection is not reduced by heavy rain, strong wind or excessive surface water.
• Walk fixed transects through suitable habitat and scan leaf litter, logs, rocks, tree bases and low vegetation with headlamps or spotlights at night.
• Repeat searches on more than one suitable occasion when the project may affect potential habitat, with the final effort set by a qualified ecologist and any applicable Queensland guidance.
• Record all animals seen, including exact location, date, time, habitat feature, behaviour and whether the animal was captured or photographed.

Survey methodology: 3. Capture and shelter searches

Use hand capture only where a qualified person considers it safe and necessary for identification, measurement or relocation. The supplied documents do not provide a trap type, trap density, trap-night requirement or species-specific handling protocol.

• Use shelter inspection and hand-search effort first where the habitat contains abundant cover and the work area can be searched without damaging retained habitat.
• Do not place traps, turn heavy rocks or disturb unstable terrain unless the method has been assessed, approved and supervised by a suitably qualified ecologist.
• If trapping is authorised, specify trap type, spacing, checking frequency, weather limits, welfare controls and total trap nights in the fauna management plan before deployment.
• Release captured animals promptly at the approved nearby release site unless a veterinarian, wildlife carer or wildlife authority directs otherwise.

Survey methodology: 4. Habitat and survey conditions

Treat upland rainforest and associated mountain habitat as high-priority survey habitat because the species is a narrow endemic and is recorded as restricted to the Bartle Frere mountain area.

• Do not rely on a single negative search to clear potential habitat where suitable rainforest, ground cover or rocky shelter remains.
• Suspend searches or trapping when conditions could expose animals to heat, cold, flooding, dehydration or other welfare risks.
• Use experienced reptile ecologists and fauna spotter catchers familiar with Wet Tropics rainforest reptiles.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

• Obtain the current Queensland survey, animal welfare and protected wildlife requirements before finalising the method, because the supplied documents do not state species-specific survey effort.
• Document the extent of suitable habitat assessed, all methods used, dates, personnel, weather, effort, negative results, incidental records and any limitations.
• Submit verified records to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and provide records required by the project approval or permit.
• Report any Concinnia frerei record promptly to the project environmental officer and revise the work exclusion and fauna management arrangements before disturbance continues.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan works around the species' restricted upland rainforest habitat and Queensland threatened-species status. Avoid disturbance first, then reduce the area, duration and intensity of any unavoidable impact. [The supplied documents do not define a species-specific buffer or breeding season.]

Retain intact rainforest, damp ground cover, rocky shelter, fallen timber and continuous connections between retained habitat patches. These features are relevant to a low-mobility skink recorded from narrow endemic mountain habitat.

• Redesign access tracks, work pads, drainage and easements to avoid suitable rainforest and mountain habitat wherever practicable.
• Keep retained habitat connected to nearby rainforest and avoid creating isolated pockets surrounded by cleared ground.
• Use existing disturbed areas for site compounds, stockpiles and vehicle access where this avoids suitable habitat.
• Do not specify a fixed buffer without a site assessment and approval condition; set no-go areas from the mapped habitat, construction method and advice from a qualified ecologist.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and permits

The species is listed as Endangered in Queensland and is identified in the Wet Tropics expert panel report as Vulnerable under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act assessment used in that report. It is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied species information.

• Check the current Queensland threatened wildlife listing, Nature Conservation Act requirements, protected wildlife permits and any local approval conditions before survey, capture, handling or relocation.
• Assess whether the project requires an EPBC Act referral for other listed matters or changed species information, even though Concinnia frerei is not identified as nationally listed in the supplied species information.
• Confirm that every person who will capture, handle or relocate the skink is authorised for that activity.
• Keep copies of approvals, permits, ecologist instructions and the fauna management plan at the work front.

Before habitat disturbance: Work planning and site preparation

Prepare a fauna management plan before clearing. The plan should reflect the species' restricted range, low mobility and upland rainforest habitat.

• Stage clearing so that retained rainforest and escape areas remain available while each work area is searched and cleared.
• Schedule high-risk ground disturbance outside periods identified by the qualified ecologist as unsuitable for reptile welfare or detection.
• Complete a pre-clearance search immediately before disturbance and repeat it after any delay that allows animals to re-enter the work area.
• Mark no-go habitat, retained logs, rocks, leaf-litter areas and access routes on the ground and in construction drawings.
• Install exclusion fencing only where it will not trap animals in the disturbance area and where the fauna spotter catcher can inspect and maintain it.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use active supervision during all clearing and ground disturbance in potential habitat. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work and must remain able to see the work area and machinery interface.

Before work starts each day, inspect the exclusion fence, retained habitat and disturbance boundary for animals, fence failures and changed site conditions.

• Hold a daily pre-start briefing with the supervisor, machinery operators and fauna spotter catcher.
• Keep machinery outside marked no-go areas and use the smallest practical disturbance footprint.
• Clear vegetation and ground cover in stages, moving slowly enough for the fauna spotter catcher to inspect exposed habitat before machinery advances.
• Stop machinery immediately when the fauna spotter catcher gives the agreed stop signal, and do not resume until the spotter catcher releases the stop.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Handle ground shelter features as potential reptile habitat in upland rainforest. The supplied documents do not identify a particular hollow, log or rock feature as essential for this species.

• Inspect logs, rocks, bark, leaf litter, root masses and other ground cover before moving them.
• Move suitable logs, rocks and leaf litter into retained nearby habitat where this can be done safely and without damaging the release site.
• Do not crush, burn or bury habitat features before they have been inspected by the fauna spotter catcher.
• Treat tree hollows, root cavities and rock crevices as potential fauna shelter and inspect them before removal or filling.
• Control sediment, runoff and stockpiled soil so that retained damp rainforest habitat is not buried, drained or polluted.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, injury and stop-work response

If Concinnia frerei is found, stop the activity that could affect it and allow the authorised fauna handler to assess the animal.

• Do not allow untrained workers to chase, catch, photograph at close range or handle the skink.
• Capture and handle the animal only under the relevant permit and the fauna management plan, using methods that minimise restraint time, overheating and injury.
• Relocate a healthy animal only to nearby retained habitat selected by the qualified ecologist, with suitable rainforest cover and shelter and no immediate construction risk.
• Place an injured or distressed animal in a secure, temperature-appropriate container and transfer it to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as directed by the permit holder.
• Stop work and obtain ecological advice if the animal cannot be safely captured, if more animals are found than anticipated, or if the work area contains substantially more suitable habitat than mapped.
• Record the location, time, condition, photographs where appropriate, handler, action taken, release location and outcome for every animal.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance controls must confirm that animals were not left in the work area and that retained Wet Tropics rainforest habitat remains protected. The project environmental officer should review results before releasing the site from fauna controls.

Complete a final systematic inspection of the disturbed area, retained habitat edge, exclusion fencing and accessible shelter features after clearing and before earthworks progress.

• Search exposed logs, rocks, leaf litter, root cavities and other suitable shelter for animals missed during staged clearing.
• Check that no animals are enclosed by fencing, trenches, stockpiles, drainage structures or temporary buildings.
• Keep fencing, gates and fauna escape arrangements in place until the environmental officer and fauna spotter catcher confirm that the area is safe.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Use post-construction monitoring where habitat was retained beside the works, where an animal was relocated, or where approval conditions require it. The supplied documents do not specify monitoring duration or survey effort.

• Set monitoring locations and frequency with the qualified ecologist, using repeat visual searches and shelter inspections suited to the retained rainforest habitat.
• Record all sightings, mortalities, injuries, relocations, fence breaches, habitat damage and corrective actions.
• Compare monitoring results with the approved fauna management plan and report non-compliance promptly to the project environmental officer and relevant authority.
• Maintain weed, erosion, sediment and access controls around retained habitat for the life of the project or as required by approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Assess residual impacts after avoidance, mitigation and rehabilitation measures have been applied. The supplied documents do not specify an offset requirement for this species.

• Obtain project-specific advice on offsets or other compensatory measures if suitable habitat is cleared or its condition is materially reduced.
• Do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining narrow endemic upland rainforest habitat at the work site.
• Document the area and condition of habitat lost, retained, restored and placed under long-term protection.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat reinstatement

Rehabilitation should recreate damp, connected rainforest ground habitat rather than only replacing canopy cover. This is appropriate for a narrow endemic skink associated with Wet Tropics mountain rainforest, but site actions must be designed for the local elevation, substrate and regional ecosystem.

Use locally appropriate Wet Tropics rainforest plants and local genetic material where available, following advice from the Queensland Herbarium or project ecologist. The supplied documents do not identify a plant species used specifically by Concinnia frerei.

• Reinstate continuous native ground, shrub and canopy cover around retained rainforest rather than leaving isolated planted strips.
• Replace suitable logs, rocks, bark and leaf litter in stable, shaded positions that provide damp ground shelter.
• Reopen or remove temporary barriers that prevent movement between restored and retained rainforest once construction risks have ended.
• Do not install nest boxes as a default measure for this skink, because the supplied documents do not identify nest-box use.

Rehabilitation actions: Threat and site management

Protect restored habitat from the pressures identified for the Wet Tropics region and from project-related degradation. The supplied documents identify high biodiversity value and refugial value in the species' mountain habitat.

• Control weeds before they dominate ground cover and continue follow-up treatment without allowing herbicide to enter retained shelter habitat.
• Stabilise exposed soil and manage drainage so that sediment, altered runoff and erosion do not cover or dry suitable ground habitat.
• Prevent domestic animals, introduced predators and unnecessary vehicle access from entering retained and restored habitat.
• Follow the approved fire regime and do not burn rainforest or accumulated shelter features unless required by a competent fire authority and ecological assessment.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor rehabilitation until the project ecologist confirms that the site is stable and supports connected native rainforest ground habitat. The supplied documents do not provide species-specific rehabilitation targets or monitoring periods.

• Measure survival and cover of planted native vegetation, persistence of logs, rocks and leaf litter, weed cover, erosion, drainage condition and connectivity with retained rainforest.
• Repeat targeted visual and shelter searches for Concinnia frerei at monitoring sites where the species was recorded, relocated or considered likely to occur.
• Investigate absent detections, deaths, habitat drying, weed spread or failed plantings and implement corrective actions promptly.
• Report rehabilitation outcomes, fauna records and unresolved risks to the approval authority where required.

Sources

• Reptiles of Far North Regional Plan - WetlandInfo, Queensland Government: https://wetlandinfo.detsi.qld.gov.au/wetlands/facts-maps/wildlife/?AreaID=regional-plan-far-north&Kingdom=animals&Class=reptiles
• [PDF] Wet Tropics Bioregion Expert Panel Report, Version 1.1, Queensland Government: https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/113317/bpa-wet-tropics-expert-panel-report.pdf
• Table S1, Queensland Government: https://era.dpi.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/8305/5/WR20194_AC_Table_S1.xlsx