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Hunter Valley Delma (Delma vescolineata)

The Hunter Valley delma is a small, endangered, legless lizard known mainly from grasslands and sparse box-gum or ironbark woodland in the Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains of New South Wales. It uses ground-layer cover and small surface refuges, so clearing, soil disturbance, removal of rocks or rubble, fire, grazing and construction activity can affect it on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

The Hunter Valley delma has no confirmed species-specific breeding calendar. Timing used here is based mainly on the related striped legless lizard, with mating from November to December, egg laying from December to January and hatching from January to February. Avoid clearing during this period where practicable, and check shelters before disturbing ground or surface refuges.

Reproductive mode: Not explicitly recorded for the Hunter Valley delma. Egg laying is inferred from the related striped legless lizard.

Clutch size: Not recorded for the Hunter Valley delma. The related striped legless lizard is thought to lay up to two eggs annually.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Likely 2 to 3 years for males and 3 to 4 years for females, based on the related striped legless lizard.

Nest or egg sites: Eggs are expected to be laid under rocks and in soil cavities, based on the related striped legless lizard.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded for the Hunter Valley delma. The related striped legless lizard is thought to produce up to one clutch of up to two eggs annually.

Confirm timing locally with targeted surveys and current weather information, because rainfall and temperature may affect surface activity, breeding behaviour and shelter use.

  • Mating: Based on the related striped legless lizard, mating occurs from November to December. This timing has not been confirmed for the Hunter Valley delma.
  • Gravid females: The period when females carry eggs has not been recorded for the Hunter Valley delma. On the related striped legless lizard cycle, females may carry eggs between mating and egg laying, mainly in December and possibly late November to January.
  • Egg laying: Based on the related striped legless lizard, egg laying occurs from December to January. Eggs are thought to be laid under rocks and in soil cavities.
  • Incubation: Incubation length is not recorded. The inferred egg period extends from egg laying in December to hatching in January and February, so eggs may be present in refuges across these months.
  • Hatchlings: Hatching is inferred to occur from January to February from the related striped legless lizard cycle. Only one juvenile Hunter Valley delma has been recorded, and the period when young are most abundant is unknown.
  • Active period: The species has been found active during the day, including on roads, but no seasonal activity period has been recorded. Treat surface activity as possible throughout the year, including around grass, roadside verges, rocks, rubble and cow pats.
  • Winter inactivity: The species is reported to go below ground or shelter under rocks or logs over winter. June to August is used as a general temperate winter guide, but exact inactivity months are not recorded for this species.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing risk is highest from November to February because mating, egg laying and hatching may occur during this period. Winter sheltering from June to August also increases the chance that animals cannot escape machinery, so inspect soil, rocks, logs, rubble, metal, organic waste and dried cow pats before disturbance.

Identification

The Hunter Valley delma is a small, slender, legless or flap-footed lizard that can be mistaken for a snake. It is generally brown above, pale below and has a tail longer than the body.

The species lacks forelimbs and has very reduced hind limbs, visible as small flaps on either side of the vent. Unlike a snake, it has external ear openings, a fleshy undivided tongue and a tail longer than the body. The head is dark grey to light brown, sometimes with darker streaks or spots. The body is light brown, often with dark flecks and usually a pale line extending from behind the ear along the side. The underside is white.

Total length: Approximately 250 mm

Maximum snout to vent length: 101 mm

Hind limbs: Reduced to small flaps beside the vent

Tail: Longer than the body

Identification: Similar species

The most likely confusion species is the leaden delma, Delma plebia. The Hunter Valley delma is distinguished by mid-body scale counts and its pale body stripe along the upper edge of the side. It can be separated from the striped legless lizard, Delma impar, by facial scalation and colour patterning. D. plebia is not currently known to be sympatric, although it has been recorded within 2 km of a Hunter Valley delma site.

  • Check for external ear openings, the fleshy undivided tongue and reduced hind-limb flaps before treating a slender reptile as a snake.
  • Use a qualified herpetologist or approved identification method where field identification is uncertain, because the species is poorly represented by specimens and photographs.

Identification: Sexes and field signs

Sexual dimorphism has not been established because too few Hunter Valley delmas have been collected or observed. No species-specific information is provided on tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine. A single juvenile had a dark head extending onto the neck, with an otherwise brown, unpatterned body.

  • Record photographs of the head, ear region, side stripe, vent and hind-limb flaps where this can be done without handling or harming the animal.
  • Do not rely on absence of tracks, scats or other signs to rule out the species. Targeted surveys are recommended because detection is difficult.

Distribution: Known range

The species is restricted to New South Wales. Most records are from a narrow Hunter Valley corridor, with a separate known record on the Liverpool Plains.

The Hunter Valley delma is known almost entirely from a corridor about 25 km wide between Maitland and Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. One additional specimen was identified just north of Parraweena on the Liverpool Plains, about 80 km north-west of Muswellbrook. The species may be more widespread in these regions.

Known state range: New South Wales only

Main corridor: Approximately 25 km wide, between Maitland and Muswellbrook

Additional known locality: Just north of Parraweena on the Liverpool Plains, about 80 km north-west of Muswellbrook

Elevation guidance in NSW profile mapping: Known and predicted areas are generally below 700 m above sea level, subject to regional mapping restrictions

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Important populations are known from Muswellbrook, Jerrys Plains, Ravensworth and Parraweena. The Hunter Valley records are currently treated as one subpopulation in the NSW profile, while the isolated Parraweena record is treated as a separate subpopulation. Genetic data are insufficient to confirm connectivity or population substructure.

Named important areas: Muswellbrook, Jerrys Plains, Ravensworth and Parraweena

Protected areas: No detected sites were reported within a protected area

Population size: No population census has been undertaken, so the number of mature individuals is unknown

Population trend: Not quantified; habitat loss and fragmentation are ongoing and increasing

  • Treat all detected sites as important for conservation because the species has a restricted area of occupancy and extent of occurrence.
  • Check both known and predicted areas before clearing, including rehabilitated mine sites, pastoral land and grassland remnants between Maitland and Muswellbrook.

Distribution: Regional mapping

The NSW profile identifies known or predicted areas in the Sydney Basin, Nandewar, Brigalow Belt South and NSW North Coast IBRA regions or subregions. These indicative mapping areas do not mean the species occurs throughout every mapped subregion.

  • Use current BioNet, threatened species mapping and project-specific survey results rather than relying on broad regional mapping alone.
  • Confirm the current state and Commonwealth approval requirements before works, because the species is Endangered under both the NSW and EPBC frameworks.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Habitat is mainly open grassland with a diverse ground layer, sometimes beneath sparse box-gum or ironbark woodland. The species can persist in disturbed agricultural and rehabilitated mine settings where suitable cover remains.

The species occurs in secondary native grassland left after removal or dieback of woody canopy vegetation, often associated with sparse yellow-box gum, Eucalyptus melliodora, or narrow-leaved ironbark, Eucalyptus crebra. It is also found in Natural Temperate Grassland and in grasslands with a high exotic component.

Key canopy species: Eucalyptus melliodora and Eucalyptus crebra

Recorded land uses: Rehabilitated mine sites and cattle-grazed pastoral land

Ground layer: Diverse native grass cover, sometimes with substantial exotic grass cover

  • Look for a diverse ground layer containing speargrasses, Austrostipa species, beardgrasses, Bothriochloa species, and finger grasses, Chloris species.
  • Do not exclude disturbed paddocks, rehabilitated mine sites or exotic grasslands without assessing ground cover and available refuges.

Habitat: Structure and site condition

A diverse grass ground layer provides refuge from predators and habitat for foraging and breeding. Suitable sites may contain sparse trees, surface rocks, logs, rubble, metal, organic waste, roadside verges or dried cow pats.

  • Retain native grass cover, surface refuges, logs and rocks within and adjoining work areas where practicable.
  • Avoid ploughing, rock removal, intensive prolonged grazing, pasture improvement and planting trees or shrubs into open grassland habitat.
  • Maintain links between grassland remnants and avoid isolating small patches.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents do not define a species-specific temperature or rainfall limit. NSW profile mapping applies an elevation restriction of below 700 m above sea level in the listed known or predicted areas. The species is likely to be affected by drought through loss of grass cover, reduced arthropod prey and increased fire exposure.

Mapped elevation limit: Below 700 m above sea level in the NSW profile mapping restrictions

  • Assess grass cover and refuge availability after drought, fire or heavy grazing rather than assuming that a previously suitable site remains suitable.
  • Use project-specific habitat assessment and targeted surveys within the known Hunter Valley and Liverpool Plains range.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Hunter Valley delma probably eats small invertebrates and uses both active searching and ambush feeding. Direct diet information for this species is limited, so the best available diet evidence comes from the closely related striped legless lizard.

The closely related striped legless lizard feeds mainly on crickets, spiders, lepidopteran larvae and cockroaches. The Hunter Valley delma is expected to use similar prey, but its species-specific diet has not been confirmed.

Likely prey: Crickets, spiders, lepidopteran larvae and cockroaches, based on the closely related striped legless lizard

Diet certainty: Species-specific diet has not been confirmed

  • Retain structurally diverse grass cover because it supports the arthropod prey and concealment used by the lizard.
  • Avoid broad herbicide application in suitable habitat where it would reduce prey or ground-layer cover; use direct weed control methods where possible.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour

Legless lizards actively forage and also use sit-and-wait ambush feeding. Hunter Valley delmas have been collected while active during the day, indicating diurnal activity and possible crepuscular or nocturnal activity.

Activity: Observed active during the day; activity may also include crepuscular or nocturnal periods

Foraging range: Not known; no species-specific home-range estimate is available

  • Avoid assuming that the species is absent during daylight searches, but do not treat a daytime search as sufficient evidence of absence.
  • Search habitat features across the grassland, including beneath rocks, rubble, logs, organic waste and dried cow pats, using methods approved for the project.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The breeding biology of the Hunter Valley delma is poorly known. Available guidance is inferred mainly from the related striped legless lizard, so breeding habitat should be protected where grass cover and secure ground refuges occur.

Adult females of the closely related striped legless lizard are thought to lay up to two eggs annually in December to January under rocks and in soil cavities. The Hunter Valley delma is likely to have similar breeding behaviour, but its eggs have not been described.

Breeding season: Likely mating in November to December, egg laying in December to January and hatching in January to February, based on the closely related striped legless lizard

Clutch size: Likely up to two eggs per female annually

Egg size: Hunter Valley delma eggs are undescribed; striped legless lizard eggs have a mean length of about 20 mm

Incubation: Not reported for the Hunter Valley delma

Age at maturity: Likely 2 to 3 years for males and 3 to 4 years for females, based on the closely related striped legless lizard

Lifespan: Possibly 10 to 20 years, inferred from the closely related striped legless lizard

Young: A single juvenile has been recorded; its dependence period is unknown

  • Avoid clearing or major ground disturbance from November to February where practicable, to reduce risks during mating, egg laying and hatching.
  • Before clearing, identify and protect grassland with surface refuges, soil cavities, rocks, rubble and other features that could support breeding.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

Likely breeding habitat includes secondary native grassland with a diverse ground layer, especially where rocks or soil cavities provide secure egg-laying sites. The species has also used highly disturbed grazing land where dried cow pats provide shelter, but the value of such sites for breeding is not confirmed.

  • Retain grass cover and avoid compacting, grading, filling or removing rocks and other surface refuges.
  • Keep construction plant, stockpiles and vehicle movements out of retained grassland and potential refuge areas.
  • Record any eggs, juveniles or occupied refuges and obtain project-specific advice before relocation or disturbance.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

The species shelters close to the ground and may use both natural and artificial refuges. Shelter is important for predator avoidance, foraging, breeding and persistence through dry or burnt periods.

Hunter Valley delmas have been found under rocks and discarded rubbish, including building rubble, metal and organic waste. They have also been detected under dried cow pats in heavily disturbed cattle paddocks without natural surface refugia, and in roadside verges. The NSW profile also notes that they go below ground or under rocks or logs over winter.

Refuge types: Rocks, logs, soil cavities, building rubble, metal, organic waste, dried cow pats and roadside verges

Refuge size: No species-specific refuge dimensions are reported

Winter behaviour: Likely to shelter below ground or under rocks or logs

  • Inspect rocks, rubble, metal, organic waste, logs, cow pats and dense grass cover before ground disturbance.
  • Do not remove bush rock or other potential shelter from occupied or suitable grassland.
  • Treat artificial debris as potential fauna habitat until it has been inspected by an appropriately qualified person.

Sheltering habitat: Ground cover and construction controls

Dense and diverse grass cover provides concealment from predators and supports prey. Soil disturbance, understorey removal and machinery movement can displace or injure ground-dwelling reptiles.

  • Mark no-go areas around retained grassland, rocks, logs and other refuges before clearing.
  • Use a staged, fauna-sensitive clearing approach that allows animals to move away without being driven into machinery or isolated habitat.
  • Stop machinery if a delma or other fauna is found, allow self-relocation where safe, and contact a suitably qualified wildlife professional if removal is required.
  • Maintain fencing around retained habitat to reduce domestic animal entry, rubbish dumping and post-construction disturbance.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risk is loss and fragmentation of grassland habitat across a restricted range. Construction can add direct mortality, soil disturbance, refuge removal, altered fire and grazing pressure, weeds, domestic animals and predator access.

More than 90 percent of the area where the species is known to occur has been modified by open-cut mining or agriculture. Further mining, energy, urban and industrial development can remove or degrade remaining habitat and isolate local populations.

Existing modification: More than 90 percent of the known occurrence area has been modified by open-cut mining or agriculture

Development risk: Habitat clearance, fragmentation and disturbance are assessed as ongoing, likely, major and increasing across the range

  • Survey suitable grassland before clearing, particularly in the Maitland to Muswellbrook corridor and other mapped areas.
  • Avoid clearing native grassland and retain both small and large habitat patches.
  • Maintain or restore links between remnants using appropriate grassland species rather than trees and shrubs.
  • Do not assume that exotic or heavily grazed grassland is unsuitable, because the species has been detected in disturbed pastoral land.

Threats: Fire, drought and grazing

Frequent or severe fire may reduce vegetation cover, prey availability and shelter, and may increase exposure to cats and foxes after fire. Burning more often than once every five years is considered detrimental to the related striped legless lizard, but the Hunter Valley delma response is not known. Drought can reduce grass cover, arthropod prey and egg or juvenile survival, and can increase fire risk. Intensive prolonged grazing also degrades habitat.

Fire evidence: Fire mortality is documented for the related striped legless lizard; Hunter Valley delma impacts remain poorly known

Fire frequency guidance: Burning more often than once every five years is considered detrimental for the related striped legless lizard, not confirmed for this species

Drought effects: Likely loss of grass cover, reduced arthropod prey, increased fire exposure and possible egg desiccation

  • Avoid burning known or suspected habitat until species-specific fire responses are better understood.
  • Keep delma habitat on hazard reduction burn maps and plan fire regimes adaptively with Traditional Custodians and fire managers.
  • Avoid heavy, prolonged grazing and retain sufficient grass cover and shelter.
  • Assess habitat after fire or drought and protect unburnt refuge patches.

Threats: Predators and other site impacts

Feral cats, European red foxes and dogs are likely predators of the species, although direct predation records for the Hunter Valley delma are not available. Fragmentation can increase predator exposure, and fire can concentrate predators in recently burnt areas. Development can increase domestic cat and dog access, rubbish dumping, weeds, lighting, noise, dust and sediment movement.

Predation evidence: Direct predation on Hunter Valley delmas has not been recorded, but cats and foxes are major predators of small Australian reptiles

Disease: No project-specific disease threat is identified in the supplied documents

  • Control feral cats, wild and stray dogs and foxes where predation is considered substantial.
  • Prevent domestic cats and dogs from roaming into habitat.
  • Fence retained habitat and exclude construction traffic, stockpiles, rubbish and machinery.
  • Use erosion, sediment, dust, chemical spill and weed controls to protect retained grassland and refuges.
  • Stop work and seek fauna advice if a delma is encountered during clearing or construction.

Survey methodology: 1. Active searches of refuges

Targeted surveys are required where suitable habitat may be disturbed. The available documents identify September to December as the recommended survey period, but do not prescribe a species-specific number of nights, trap nights, transect length or search hours. A suitably qualified ecologist should set effort for the site and record the basis for it.

Search suitable secondary native grassland, grassland with a high native groundcover component, roadside verges and sparse box-gum or ironbark woodland.

Inspect rocks, building rubble, metal, organic waste, logs, soil cavities and dried cow pats because the species has been found sheltering beneath these features.

Search during September to December, when surveys are specifically identified for this species, and include conditions that allow safe inspection of ground refuges.

Record the number of observers, search hours, area searched, refuge features inspected and weather conditions. No fixed species-specific effort is provided in the available documents.

Recommended survey period: September to December

Known body length: Up to approximately 250 mm total length

Known shelter features: Rocks, rubble, metal, organic waste, dried cow pats, roadside verges and soil cavities

  • Replace or secure each rock, log, piece of rubble or other refuge immediately after inspection.
  • Do not remove bush rock or other natural refuge features outside the approved survey process.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal visual searches

Undertake slow visual searches through diverse grass groundcover, including areas containing Austrostipa, Bothriochloa and Chloris grasses.

Include open paddocks and disturbed grazing areas because records include pastoral land, rehabilitated mine sites and heavily disturbed cattle pasture.

Search during daylight and document the start and finish time, observer effort, area covered, vegetation condition and any animals seen crossing roads or moving through verges.

  • Give particular attention to grassland with retained surface shelter and to transitions between native groundcover, roadside verges and woodland remnants.
  • Avoid trampling dense groundcover or collapsing soil cavities during searches.

Survey methodology: 3. Crepuscular and nocturnal searches

Include crepuscular or nocturnal observation where the site assessment indicates that daylight searches are unlikely to detect the species.

The species has been collected while active during the day, and its activity may also extend into crepuscular or nocturnal periods.

Record the number of nights, hours searched, observers, weather, moon or artificial lighting conditions and transect or search area. The source documents do not specify a minimum number of nights or hours.

  • Use low-impact lighting and avoid repeatedly disturbing occupied refuges.
  • Do not treat a failed night search as evidence that the species is absent.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a targeted survey design prepared by a suitably qualified reptile ecologist where clearing may affect suitable habitat.
  • State the survey period, observer qualifications, search methods, area covered, hours and nights, weather, habitat condition, refuge features inspected and detection limitations in the report.
  • Map all records, searched habitat, retained habitat and proposed clearing areas using reliable coordinates.
  • Submit confirmed records and negative survey results, where required by the project approval, to the relevant NSW wildlife database, including BioNet Atlas, and to the relevant state or territory database for projects elsewhere in Australia.
  • Treat the species as potentially present until targeted surveys and habitat assessment provide a defensible basis for absence.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoiding habitat loss is the first control because the species has a restricted range and most known habitat has already been modified. Confirm the species risk, approvals and survey requirements before machinery enters grassland or refuge habitat.

Retain secondary native grassland and diverse groundcover between Maitland and Muswellbrook, particularly where it contains surface refuges and sparse box-gum or ironbark woodland.

Retain small and large habitat patches and maintain links between them through design, exclusion areas and suitable grassland revegetation.

Avoid removing rocks, logs, rubble and other shelter features where they can be retained safely.

Avoid planting trees or shrubs in grassland habitat where shading or woody plant spread could reduce grass cover.

Do not plough, improve pasture, remove bush rock or introduce non-native pasture species into retained habitat.

Known distribution: Almost entirely within a 25 km wide corridor between Maitland and Muswellbrook, with a further record near Parraweena on the Liverpool Plains

Known important areas: Muswellbrook, Jerrys Plains, Ravensworth and Parraweena

Protected-area status: No detected sites were within a protected area in the conservation advice

  • Keep the disturbance footprint as small as practicable.
  • Use fencing to protect retained habitat and conservation areas from vehicles, people, rubbish dumping, domestic animals and construction materials.
  • Keep stock away from habitat where heavy or prolonged grazing would reduce groundcover.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Check whether the proposed action may significantly affect this EPBC Act Endangered species and obtain environmental advice before finalising the work footprint.

If targeted surveys confirm the species within the subject site, assess whether an EPBC referral to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment may be required.

Check the applicable state or territory threatened species, clearing, wildlife handling and development approvals before works begin.

Prepare a fauna management plan or construction environmental management plan that identifies survey results, habitat to be retained, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, fauna handling arrangements and reporting duties.

  • Identify the approval holder, project ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, site supervisor, wildlife carer and veterinary contact before mobilisation.
  • Include the species in inductions for machinery operators, supervisors and subcontractors.

Before habitat disturbance: Timing and site preparation

Schedule clearing outside November to February where practicable because breeding in the closely related striped legless lizard occurs across mating, egg laying and hatching during this period, and the project reports apply this precaution to the Hunter Valley delma.

Complete the targeted pre-clearance survey during the September to December survey period where the habitat and approval conditions require it.

Mark the approved clearing boundary, retained grassland, refuge features, access routes and exclusion zones before machinery arrives.

Use exclusion fencing where it can protect retained habitat without creating a trap or barrier for animals moving through the site.

Inspect the work area immediately before clearing for animals beneath rocks, rubble, logs, cow pats and other shelters.

  • Stage works so that retained grassland and connected habitat remain available while each work area is cleared.
  • Do not start clearing until the fauna management plan, wildlife contacts, handling equipment and stop-work process are in place.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

The fauna spotter catcher should control the interface between machinery and ground refuges. The species is small, cryptic and difficult to detect, so absence during a walkover does not remove the need for daily controls.

Conduct a daily pre-start inspection of the active work area, access tracks, retained habitat and exclusion fencing.

Keep machinery, spoil, stockpiles, waste and vehicles outside marked retained habitat and refuge features.

Maintain erosion, sediment and dust controls so runoff, sediment and dust do not degrade retained grassland.

Prevent domestic cats and dogs from entering habitat and keep construction waste from creating additional predator or shelter risks.

  • Stop work if fencing is damaged, the approved boundary is unclear, a refuge feature is unexpectedly encountered or an animal is detected.
  • Record the date, work area, weather, personnel, machinery, habitat disturbed, inspections, fauna observations and controls applied.

During habitat disturbance: Spotter catcher and machinery

The fauna spotter catcher should inspect the next work area before machinery begins and remain able to direct the operator away from detected animals or retained habitat.

Clear vegetation and groundcover in a manner that allows fauna to move away without being chased into machinery or unsafe areas.

Use a staged approach around rocks, logs, rubble, cow pats and soil cavities, with the spotter catcher checking each feature before it is disturbed.

Stop machinery immediately when fauna is detected in the construction footprint and allow the animal to self-relocate where this is safe.

  • Do not allow machinery to resume until the spotter catcher or project ecologist confirms that the animal has left the work area or has been lawfully managed.
  • Do not undertake early morning or evening clearing where the approved method requires this restriction.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found or injured

Only an appropriately authorised and experienced person should capture, handle or relocate a Hunter Valley delma.

Minimise handling time and keep the animal cool, shaded and secure in a suitable ventilated container while advice is obtained.

Relocate an animal only under the approved fauna management plan and to nearby suitable retained habitat that is safe, connected and outside the active work area.

If an animal is injured, stop work in the immediate area and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.

Record the location, time, condition, identification, action taken, release location and names of all people involved.

  • Do not handle the animal unnecessarily or attempt treatment on site.
  • Do not release an animal into unsuitable exotic grassland, an active work area, a road verge exposed to traffic or habitat outside the approved relocation arrangements.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and stop-work triggers

Retain rocks, logs, rubble, cow pats and intact grass cover wherever possible because these features can provide shelter in both natural and heavily disturbed pasture.

If a feature must be moved, inspect it first, move it carefully under the fauna management plan and replace or retain it in suitable habitat where approved.

Treat discovery of a Hunter Valley delma, repeated unconfirmed sightings, an occupied refuge, unexpected connected grassland or damage to an exclusion area as a stop-work trigger for the affected area.

Escalate any confirmed record, injury, death, unauthorised clearing or failure of a control to the project ecologist and approval holder.

  • Do not create artificial shelter piles or move habitat features into retained areas without ecological advice and approval.
  • Keep a photographic and spatial record of disturbed and retained habitat features.

After habitat disturbance: Close-out inspection and monitoring

Close-out checks should confirm that no animal or refuge feature has been left within the disturbance footprint and that retained habitat remains protected. Use the results to update the project record and any approval reporting.

Complete a post-clearance inspection of the footprint, retained grassland edge, access tracks, spoil areas and exclusion fencing.

Check disturbed ground and remaining refuge features for animals before demobilising the fauna spotter catcher.

Monitor retained habitat for damage, weed spread, rubbish, domestic animals, predator activity and loss of grass cover.

Where required by approval conditions or the fauna management plan, undertake follow-up targeted surveys during September to December and compare detections with the pre-clearance survey.

  • Repair exclusion fencing and erosion controls before the site is handed to the construction or operational team.
  • Maintain habitat protection until construction traffic and temporary facilities have been removed.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and compliance

Provide the approval holder with a clearance report stating the areas cleared, areas retained, survey effort, fauna observations, handling or relocation events, injuries, mortalities and incidents.

Map confirmed records and any relocation locations, subject to the data sensitivity requirements of the relevant database or authority.

Submit required records to BioNet Atlas in NSW or the relevant state or territory wildlife database.

Review the result against EPBC Act and state approval conditions, including any requirement for referral, offsets, rehabilitation or additional monitoring.

  • Report any confirmed presence, injury, mortality or unauthorised impact to the project ecologist and relevant authority within the timeframe set by the approval or management plan.
  • Retain photographs, GPS data, field sheets, permits, chain-of-custody records and correspondence with the project environmental records.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Determine whether residual clearing affects suitable or occupied habitat after avoidance and mitigation measures have been applied.

Obtain specialist advice on any offset, biodiversity credit, conservation agreement or other compensatory measure required by the applicable NSW or Commonwealth approval.

Do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining connected grassland and refuge features on or near the project site.

  • Document why any retained habitat, rehabilitation or offset measure is expected to support the species.
  • Review residual impacts if surveys later confirm the species within the disturbance footprint.

Rehabilitation actions: Grassland and shelter restoration

Rehabilitation should restore open grassland structure, ground cover and shelter rather than replace grassland with trees. The conservation advice identifies diverse grass cover, refuge sites, connectivity and control of fire, drought and predators as management priorities.

Re-establish native grassland groundcover using locally appropriate native grasses, with species selection informed by the existing site community and local provenance.

Prioritise a diverse ground layer that can provide refuge, foraging habitat and breeding habitat, including suitable Austrostipa, Bothriochloa and Chloris species where they are appropriate to the site.

Retain or reinstate suitable rocks, logs and other approved surface refuges in grassland areas after construction.

Do not plant trees or shrubs into restored grassland where they would shade the ground layer or spread into the open habitat.

Use artificial shelters such as tiles only where an ecologist confirms that they are suitable, safe and consistent with the management plan.

  • Prevent soil compaction and avoid repeated vehicle movements across revegetated areas.
  • Use erosion controls that do not cover or bury occupied refuge features.

Rehabilitation actions: Weed, grazing and predator control

Control weeds and escaped pasture species with methods that minimise harm to the lizard and its prey, such as targeted spot spraying or hand removal where practicable.

Avoid heavy or prolonged grazing that removes groundcover and shelter.

If grazing is used to control biomass, set the regime through adaptive management and avoid reducing cover needed for refuge and prey.

Control feral cats, wild and stray dogs and European red foxes where predation is considered substantial and where control is authorised.

Prevent domestic cats and dogs from roaming into rehabilitated or retained habitat.

  • Inspect rehabilitation areas for weed reinvasion, rubbish, predator activity, bare ground and excessive grazing.
  • Record pesticide use, grazing dates, predator control effort and any fauna observations.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire and drought management

Develop a fire management strategy that minimises severe or frequent fires and includes advice from people with fire management experience across the species range.

Consult Traditional Custodians and incorporate agreed Traditional Ecological Knowledge into fire planning and habitat management.

Avoid burning known habitat until the effects of fire on the species and its prey are better understood, unless an approved adaptive fire strategy requires otherwise.

Support drought resilience by maintaining drought-tolerant grass cover and consider additional shelter during prolonged dry periods.

Coordinate fire planning with predator control because fire can reduce shelter and increase predator activity.

Fire precaution from the NSW profile: Avoid burning known sites until research on impacts to the lizards and their prey has been undertaken

Fire frequency evidence from the related striped legless lizard: Burning more often than once every five years is considered detrimental to that related species

  • Mark known and potential habitat on maps used for hazard reduction planning.
  • Record fire timing, frequency, intensity, affected area, grass cover and post-fire refuge availability.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and review

Monitor native groundcover diversity, percentage of groundcover, retained and reinstated refuge features, weed cover, grazing pressure, predator activity and connectivity between habitat patches.

Use repeat targeted surveys during September to December to test whether rehabilitated areas are used by the species, while recognising that detection can be difficult.

Review rehabilitation methods if groundcover declines, refuges are lost, weeds increase, predators become more active or monitoring detects the species in an area at risk.

Maintain rehabilitation and protection measures for the period required by the approval and until agreed success criteria are met.

  • Set site-specific success criteria before works begin and report results against the same criteria at each monitoring event.
  • Share monitoring records with the relevant land manager, approval authority and state wildlife database where required.

Sources