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Dampierland Plain Slider (Lerista separanda)

The Dampierland Plain Slider is a small, slender skink known from Western Australia, with its type locality at Coulomb Point and records across the Kimberley and Pilbara regions. Its habitat and ecology are poorly documented, so careful pre-clearance checks and a response plan for any individual found are appropriate. It is listed as DBCA Priority 2 in WA, a priority category rather than a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. No national listing is identified.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 2.

Seasonal planning

Activity and breeding months are not recorded for this species. The row below is a planning window only, not evidence of year-round activity.

Breeding months: Not recorded.

Seasonal activity: Not recorded.

Seasonal information for L. separanda is insufficient to identify breeding, young, movement or activity periods.

  • Survey and work planning: Planning window only. No species-specific seasonal activity is documented; apply survey and fauna precautions whenever works are planned.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identify the species using its combination of body form, eyelid and scale features.

The Dampierland Plain Slider is a small, slender Lerista. It has four digits on each forelimb and hindlimb, an immovable eyelid with a large transparent disc, and 18 midbody scale rows.

The back is pale, without dark spots or an olive tone, and has a wide, faint vertebral stripe at the front. No species-specific length or mass data are recorded.

Identification: Similar species

Lerista elegans is a named comparison in the original diagnosis. Lerista separanda has 18 midbody scale rows, compared with 16 in L. elegans.

The diagnosis distinguishes L. separanda from L. distinguenda by the nasals forming a median suture. The pale, unspotted back and faint anterior vertebral stripe are also distinguishing features described in comparison with both species.

Identification: Field signs

No species-specific tracks, shed skins, scats, calls or other indirect field signs are described. Identification relies on a suitable view of the animal and its diagnostic features. Seek expert confirmation where needed.

Distribution: Known range

The species is known from Western Australia. Records are limited and should not be treated as a complete map of its distribution.

The Reptile Database gives the distribution as Western Australia. The type locality is Coulomb Point, at 17°21′S, 122°09′E.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 20 WA records at 11 distinct 0.1-degree locations, between latitude -20.8 and -16.6 and longitude 119.9 and 124. Records outside WA were excluded as likely errors.

Distribution: WA regions

The DBCA priority list flags the Kimberley and Pilbara regions. The species is listed as Priority 2, meaning poorly known and known from few locations, with some on conservation lands.

No national listing is identified.

Habitat: Habitat information

The species’ habitat and the environmental conditions at its known records are not documented.

No specific vegetation type, soil, landform or other habitat association is recorded. Coulomb Point is the type locality, but no habitat description accompanies it.

Habitat: Site assessment

Do not infer that a development site is unsuitable because a particular habitat feature is absent. Record site conditions and assess potential fauna values against the project’s survey and approval requirements.

Foraging habitat: Diet and foraging

Species-specific feeding information is not documented, so foraging habitat cannot be identified.

The diet, prey, foraging behaviour and foraging locations of L. separanda have not been documented.

Foraging habitat: Precaution during searches

Do not target or dismiss particular prey or feeding sites based on assumptions about the species. During general skink searches, check accessible ground and any potential cover present at the site without treating those features as confirmed habitat for this species.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

The species is egg-laying, but its breeding habitat and timing are poorly known.

Lerista separanda is oviparous. Nest location, clutch size, incubation period, breeding season and the habitat used for egg-laying are not recorded.

Breeding habitat: Work planning

Do not schedule works on the assumption that breeding is confined to particular months or that nests occur in a particular substrate. Apply the project’s fauna procedures throughout the work period.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter information

Species-specific shelter sites and sheltering behaviour are not documented.

The genus Lerista is generally characterised as cryptozoic or fossorial. This genus-level description does not establish the particular shelter sites or behaviour of L. separanda.

Sheltering habitat: Search considerations

As general practice when searching for skinks, check accessible ground and potential cover carefully where present, using approved methods and avoiding unnecessary damage. Do not assume that any particular cover type is used by this species.

Threats: Known information

The species has a WA priority category, but specific threats are not documented.

The DBCA list describes this Priority 2 species as poorly known and known from few locations, with some on conservation lands. Species-specific threats and population trends are not documented.

Threats: Works-related precautions

Clearing and vehicle or machinery movement can harm fauna encountered on a work site. Treat these as general work-site risks, not documented species-specific threats, and follow the project’s fauna management procedures.

Survey methodology: 1. Review records and plans

Species-specific detectability and survey methods are not documented. Use competent personnel and methods suited to a small skink, while noting the limits of each survey.

Check current DBCA information, survey records, the project footprint and planned disturbance. Give particular attention to the Kimberley and Pilbara regional context, without assuming the species is confined to recorded locations.

Survey methodology: 2. Search systematically

As general skink survey practice, use systematic visual searches of accessible ground and potential cover where present. Use only approved search methods, and avoid damaging potential shelter features.

The best season, time of day, survey duration and detection probability for L. separanda are not known. Record conditions, effort, search areas and any limits on access.

Survey methodology: 3. Record and verify findings

Record the location, date, identification features and relevant photographs where permitted. Seek expert confirmation if the diagnostic features cannot be assessed confidently, and follow applicable fauna handling and reporting requirements.

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 approvals and responsibilities

Because habitat and detectability are poorly documented, use a precautionary process before clearing rather than relying on an assumed habitat profile.

Review project approvals, the fauna management plan, work boundaries and stop-work procedures. Ensure the fauna spotter catcher and crew understand how to report and respond to a small skink.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Inspect the footprint

Complete the required pre-clearance assessment using competent personnel. Map the area to be disturbed and record site features and survey limitations.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Brief the crew

Explain how to pause work, keep people and machinery clear of an animal, and contact the fauna spotter catcher. Confirm that the work crew knows the approved handling, relocation and reporting arrangements before disturbance starts.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Work in a controlled sequence

Maintain active fauna oversight during disturbance and respond cautiously to any small skink found.

Follow the approved clearing sequence and keep the fauna spotter catcher in a position to observe the active work area. Avoid unnecessary disturbance outside the approved footprint.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Pause for an animal

If a suspected L. separanda or other fauna is found, pause work in the immediate area, keep machinery and personnel clear, and alert the fauna spotter catcher. Do not attempt unapproved handling.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Identify and record

Allow the authorised fauna handler to assess the animal and follow project procedures. Record the location and observation details, and seek identification support where diagnostic features are not clear.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check the work area

After disturbance, close out fauna observations and check that follow-up actions are complete.

Complete any post-clearing inspection required by the project plan. If fauna is detected, injured or relocated, follow the approved escalation and reporting procedures.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Document outcomes

Record survey effort, detections, identification confidence, handling or relocation actions, and any changes to the work area or schedule. Share relevant records with the project ecologist and the responsible environmental contact.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Reinstate disturbed areas

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements are not documented. Restore disturbed areas in accordance with the approved project plan.

Rehabilitate the work footprint using the approved site-specific approach, including reinstatement of retained or temporarily disturbed ground features where required by the plan.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Complete monitoring required by approvals and record rehabilitation outcomes. If the species is detected, pass the information to the project ecologist so future site management can be reviewed.

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