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Cape Range Slider (Lerista allochira)

The Cape Range Slider is a small, terrestrial skink recorded from the North West Cape area of Western Australia. Its habitat and ecology are poorly documented, so works in the known range should use cautious survey and clearing practices. It is listed as Priority 3 on the WA DBCA Priority Fauna List.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 3.

Seasonal activity and planning

Activity and breeding months are not known for this species. The general planning row below is not a claim about its seasonal biology.

Breeding months: Not recorded.

Activity months: Not recorded for this species.

The month values represent a general year-round planning window, not documented seasonal activity or breeding.

  • Survey and clearing precautions: General planning window only. No species-specific seasonal activity data are available, so apply survey and fauna-management precautions whenever works occur.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identify the species by its small size and the reported digit and scale characters. Fine-scale appearance and field signs are not documented.

This is a small slider skink with reduced limbs. Its maximum recorded snout-to-vent length is 40 mm.

It is distinguished from other members of the Lerista muelleri complex by having two fingers rather than three, and one presubocular rather than two.

  • It also has three toes.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

Other members of the Lerista muelleri complex may require close examination to distinguish. The digit and presubocular characters described above are the only field comparison documented.

Tracks, shed skins and other reliably diagnostic field signs have not been documented. Habitat alone is not sufficient for identification.

Distribution: Known range

Records place the species in Western Australia around the North West Cape. Mapped records cover a restricted set of locations, but do not establish its full range.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 31 Western Australian records at nine distinct 0.1-degree locations, spanning approximately latitude -22.4 to -21.8 and longitude 113.8 to 114.1. Records outside Western Australia were excluded as likely errors.

The type locality is the bed of Yardie Creek Gorge, North West Cape, 1.5 km upstream from the ocean.

Distribution: WA region and status

The DBCA list flags the Pilbara region. The list dated 1 July 2025 assigns Priority 3, described as poorly known, known from several locations, and not under imminent threat.

No national listing is given. The DBCA priority category is not a threatened-species listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Habitat: Reported habitat

The species is reported from rocky habitat and leaf litter. Confirm suitable habitat at the work area rather than assuming all nearby ground is occupied.

The species is terrestrial and associated with rocky habitat; leaf litter is also recorded as a place where it lives.

Vegetation communities, soil types, landforms beyond the type locality, and habitat preferences within the mapped range have not been documented.

Habitat: Site assessment

During site inspection, note rocky areas and leaf-litter patches in and near the proposed disturbance footprint. Record their extent and condition without treating these features as proof of the species' presence.

The type locality is in the bed of Yardie Creek Gorge, but creek-bed habitat has not been established as representative of the species' broader habitat.

Foraging habitat: Diet and activity

The species is reported to eat small invertebrates. Specific prey, hunting technique and foraging microhabitat have not been documented.

The species is carnivorous and eats small invertebrates. Its activity is described as cathemeral and partly diurnal, but no seasonal activity pattern is known.

Where it takes prey, or whether it forages in leaf litter, among rocks or in another setting, has not been documented.

Foraging habitat: Survey implications

As general skink survey practice, inspect suitable surface cover and leaf litter carefully, and search relevant rocky habitat in a controlled manner. These are survey precautions, not confirmed species-specific foraging behaviours.

A brief search or a survey conducted at only one time of day may not detect the species.

Breeding habitat: Known breeding information

The species is egg-laying, but its breeding season and nest-site information are not known.

The species is oviparous.

Clutch size, egg dimensions, incubation period, breeding timing and egg-laying locations have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Precaution during works

Do not assume that any month is outside the breeding period. If an animal or suspected egg-laying site is encountered, pause disturbance locally and seek advice from the project ecologist or a relevant fauna specialist.

No species-specific nest-search method is known.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Specific shelter sites have not been documented. Rocky habitat and leaf litter are recorded, but how the species uses either for shelter is unknown.

Burrows, refuge depths, sheltering substrates and daily retreat behaviour have not been documented for this species.

Treat suitable rocky areas and leaf litter as features requiring careful inspection, not as confirmed shelter sites.

Sheltering habitat: Careful inspection

As general practice when searching for small skinks, check accessible surface cover methodically and minimise disturbance. If rocks or other cover are moved for inspection, replace them carefully in their original position.

Avoid creating additional refuges or leaving cover displaced after the search.

Threats: Known status

Specific threats to the Cape Range Slider have not been identified. Its DBCA Priority 3 category reflects that it is poorly known, not that it is listed as threatened.

The DBCA list dated 1 July 2025 records the species as Priority 3 and flags the Pilbara region. It is described as poorly known, known from several locations, and not under imminent threat.

No national listing is given, and no species-specific threat assessment or population trend has been documented.

Threats: Works risk

The effects of clearing, vehicle movement or habitat alteration on this species have not been quantified.

Where works overlap the known range and suitable habitat, use precautionary site controls and record any observations so uncertainty can be managed rather than treated as evidence of absence.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

No species-specific survey or detection protocol is known. Use a documented, cautious skink search focused on the reported habitat features.

Check current project records and occurrence data for the work area, including the reported Western Australian range around North West Cape. Atlas of Living Australia records identify locations between approximately -22.4 and -21.8 latitude and 113.8 and 114.1 longitude.

Map rocky habitat and leaf-litter patches in the footprint and adjacent areas. The reported occurrence envelope is not a precise boundary of occupancy.

Survey methodology: 2. Field search and records

As general practice for small terrestrial skinks, search methodically through suitable surface cover and leaf litter, and inspect rocky areas carefully. Limit handling and disturbance, and replace moved cover promptly.

Record date, time, weather, searched area, habitat features, effort and any animal or sign observed. Photograph an animal where practical and safe, and have uncertain identifications checked by a suitably experienced person.

Vegetation associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific vegetation association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific soil association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Confirm the work area

Because occurrence and ecology are poorly known, plan works to identify and avoid suitable habitat where practicable, and establish clear response arrangements before clearing begins.

Have the project ecologist review mapped records, the work footprint, and rocky and leaf-litter habitat. Where uncertainty remains and the work may affect suitable habitat, seek advice on whether further survey or avoidance is appropriate.

Mark approved clearing limits and any areas to be retained so operators can distinguish them in the field.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the crew

Brief fauna spotter catchers and clearing crews on the species' small size, reported habitat, limits of current identification information, and the stop-work and reporting process.

Agree who can pause work, who will assess an animal found, and how the observation and any handling or relocation will be recorded.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Controlled clearing

Work slowly and keep disturbance within the approved footprint. A small skink may be difficult to detect, and no species-specific capture or displacement method is known.

Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect the active work area and accessible surface cover as works proceed. Avoid unnecessary movement of rocks and leaf litter, and do not leave inspected cover displaced.

Keep machinery and personnel within marked limits and stop if an animal is detected or if an unexpected concentration of suitable habitat is encountered.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal encountered

Pause work in the immediate area and allow the spotter catcher or ecologist to assess the situation. Avoid handling unless the responsible fauna professional considers it necessary and is authorised to do so.

Record the location and circumstances, and follow project approvals and the agreed fauna-management procedure before work resumes.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check and report

After works, confirm that disturbance stayed within approved limits and retain observations to inform site management and future surveys.

Inspect the completed work area and boundaries for unauthorised disturbance, displaced cover, and any fauna observations requiring follow-up.

Record survey and clearing effort, findings, incidents, and any animal handling or relocation under the project reporting process.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Follow up

Refer any identification uncertainty, injury, mortality or repeated observations to the project ecologist and follow applicable approvals and reporting requirements.

Post-disturbance monitoring has not been prescribed for this species. Set any monitoring requirements through project approvals and ecologist advice.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore site features

No species-specific rehabilitation method is known. Rehabilitation should aim to retain or restore the reported habitat features where required by project approvals.

Where rehabilitation is required, follow the approved site plan and use locally appropriate methods to restore disturbed ground and retain suitable rocky features and leaf litter where practicable.

These actions cannot be assumed to re-establish the species; its habitat requirements and response to rehabilitation have not been documented.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Review outcomes

Document rehabilitation actions and any subsequent fauna observations. Keep records of habitat condition and survey effort distinct from conclusions about species presence.

Seek ecologist advice on monitoring objectives where rehabilitation overlaps mapped records or potentially suitable habitat.

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