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Lake Disappointment Ground Gecko (Diplodactylus fulleri)

The Lake Disappointment Ground Gecko is a robust gecko known from Western Australia. Its type locality is Lake Disappointment, and it has been reported in shrubs near the salt lake. It is listed as DBCA Priority 1, so works in suitable areas should account for its poorly known distribution and the possibility of undetected animals.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Priority 1.

Seasonal information

Seasonal activity and breeding information are not documented. The row below is a planning window only, not a statement of when the gecko is active.

Breeding: Oviparous; breeding months are not recorded.

Activity: Seasonal activity is not recorded.

No months are established as a species-specific breeding, activity or low-risk period.

  • Precautionary survey and works planning: Planning window only. Seasonal activity is unknown; plan checks around the work programme and site conditions.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification information is limited. Treat geckos encountered in suitable habitat as possible records and seek expert confirmation where needed.

The species is described as a large, robust member of the Diplodactylus stenodactylus group. It has very small apical plates and a rostral scale that enters the nostril.

No body measurements, colour pattern or detailed field description are available.

Identification: Similar species

Diplodactylus maini is identified as the most similar species. Diplodactylus fulleri is larger and shorter-tailed, with more loreal granules and postanal tubercles, and fewer subdigital and interorbital granules.

These distinctions may require close examination. Do not rely on an unverified field identification.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific tracks, scats, calls, burrows and other field signs have not been documented.

Distribution: Known range

The species is poorly known, and its known range is very restricted.

The species is recorded from Western Australia. Lake Disappointment is the type locality, and the species is reported as known only from that locality.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 16 WA records at three distinct 0.1-degree locations, between latitude -23.4 and -23.3 and longitude 122.7 and 122.8. These records are in the Lake Disappointment area but do not provide exact site coordinates.

Distribution: WA regions and status

The DBCA Priority Fauna List dated 1 July 2025 flags the Pilbara and Goldfields regions for this species. These are list-region flags and do not confirm occurrence at a particular development site.

Its WA status is Priority 1: poorly known, known from few locations, none on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. No national listing is recorded.

Habitat: Reported habitat

The species has been associated with vegetation near a salt lake.

The preferred natural habitat is reported as shrubs near the salt lake. Soil, plant species, landform and vegetation structure have not been further described.

Habitat: Site context

When assessing a site, record shrub cover and its position relative to salt-lake margins. Do not assume that all shrubland or all salt-lake margins are occupied.

Foraging habitat: Diet and foraging

The species’ diet and foraging behaviour have not been documented.

Diet, prey and foraging locations are unknown. Do not infer a species-specific diet from its genus or family.

Foraging habitat: Precaution

During site inspection, note the distribution of shrubs and any nearby intact ground cover without assuming these features are feeding habitat. Retain observations for ecological assessment.

Breeding habitat: Reproduction

The species lays eggs, but its breeding biology is poorly known.

The species is oviparous. Laying sites, clutch size, incubation period, breeding season and juvenile timing have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Works planning

Do not assign a breeding season or assume that a particular month is free of breeding risk. Use pre-clearance checks and staged works as precautions where suitable habitat may be affected.

Sheltering habitat: Known information

Specific shelter sites and sheltering behaviour have not been documented.

Refuges such as hollows, cracks, burrows, logs or particular ground materials have not been identified for this gecko.

Sheltering habitat: Inspection approach

As general gecko survey practice, inspect accessible ground-level cover carefully and return displaced cover to its original position where safe and appropriate. This is a precautionary method, not a documented species-specific shelter association.

Threats: Evidence limits

Specific threats to this species have not been identified.

No species-specific threats or responses to disturbance are documented. Its DBCA Priority 1 status reflects that it is poorly known and known from few locations, with none on conservation lands.

Threats: Works-site risk

Where proposed works overlap the known area or reported salt-lake shrub habitat, account for the possibility of an undetected animal as a precautionary planning consideration. This is not evidence of a known threat.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Species-specific detectability and validated survey methods are not established. Use a cautious, documented approach suited to geckos and the reported habitat.

Check the proposed footprint and surrounding area against available records, the Lake Disappointment type locality and the DBCA region flags. Confirm whether records are precise enough to inform the site assessment.

Map salt-lake margins and nearby shrubland within and adjoining the survey area. The habitat description is broad, so do not use it alone to rule out potential habitat.

Survey methodology: 2. Field search

As general gecko survey practice, search suitable ground-level cover and vegetation carefully, and consider night-time visual searches by experienced personnel. The species’ activity period and detectability are unknown, so a non-detection should not be treated as proof of absence.

Use trapping only where authorised, appropriate to the site and supervised by suitably experienced personnel. Record methods, effort, conditions, search areas and any limitations.

Survey methodology: 3. Record and verify

Photograph potential animals where this can be done safely and without unnecessary handling. Record the location, habitat and identification features, and arrange expert verification for uncertain records.

Report handling, capture or relocation only through the applicable approvals and project procedures.

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: Saline flats and salt pans

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

Its type locality is Lake Disappointment, and it has been reported in shrubs near the salt lake.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

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. Plan and brief

Plan around the limited distribution information and do not assume the species is absent because no records are mapped.

Have an ecologist review records, site habitat and the proposed disturbance footprint before clearing. Brief crews on the gecko’s reported association with shrubs near the salt lake, its limited identification information and the stop-work process.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Mark and check

Clearly mark approved work areas and any habitat to be retained. Complete pre-clearance checks in potentially suitable habitat as close as practicable to disturbance, consistent with approvals and project procedures.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Control clearing

Use staged, controlled works and respond promptly to any possible gecko encounter.

Keep machinery within marked limits and clear vegetation progressively under ecological supervision where required. Avoid unnecessary disturbance to retained shrubs and adjacent ground cover.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to encounters

If a possible gecko is found, pause work in the immediate area, prevent handling by unauthorised personnel and contact the project ecologist. Resume only when the animal has been assessed and the response is consistent with approvals and site procedures.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check the work area

Close out disturbance carefully and retain records to support adaptive management.

Where required by the project procedure, have the ecologist inspect affected and adjoining areas for animals or signs before the work area is released. No species-specific post-disturbance checks are documented.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Document outcomes

Record survey effort, encounters, actions taken, cleared areas and habitat retained. Share verified records through the appropriate project and fauna-reporting channels.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore site structure

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements have not been documented.

Where rehabilitation is required, use the approved site plan to re-establish locally appropriate shrubs and ground cover near the salt-lake setting. No particular plant species or restoration method has been identified as necessary for this gecko.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Track rehabilitation progress and any verified fauna observations. No species-specific recovery period or monitoring interval is established, so set these through the project’s approvals and ecological advice.

Sources