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Pilbara Barking Gecko (Underwoodisaurus seorsus)

The Pilbara Barking Gecko is known from mid elevations in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara, Western Australia. It is poorly known and has a small known distribution, so works in its range warrant careful checks. It is listed as Priority 2 on the WA DBCA Priority Fauna List.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal information

Seasonal activity, breeding and movement months are not known for the Pilbara Barking Gecko.

Known seasonal timing: Not recorded.

Planning: Do not treat any month as a confirmed low-risk period for this species.

Month-specific activity and breeding periods are unknown; the planning row does not indicate a confirmed seasonal pattern.

  • Survey and works planning: General planning window only. No species-specific seasonal timing is known, so plan surveys and safeguards for the actual site and proposed works.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identify the gecko using its body form, scalation and colour pattern. No call or other distinctive field sign is known.

A moderately sized, gracile gecko, with adult snout to vent length reaching about 100 mm. The ground colour is reddish brown, the head is relatively plain, and the back has sparsely scattered small pale tubercles and a narrow band across the nape.

Compared with Underwoodisaurus milii, it has a longer snout, limbs and digits, and smaller, more numerous fine dorsal scales. Its dorsal tubercles are relatively small and numerous; tubercles on the original tail tend not to form transverse rows.

Adult size: Up to about 100 mm snout to vent length

  • Transverse lamellae beneath the digits.
  • Minute anterior loreal scales and larger posterior loreal scales.
  • Labial scales larger than neighbouring scales.

Identification: Similar species

Underwoodisaurus milii is a close comparison. The Pilbara Barking Gecko is distinguished by its more gracile build, longer snout, limbs and digits, plainer head and dorsal pattern, and tail tubercles that tend not to form transverse rows.

Identification: Field signs

Distinctive calls, tracks, droppings and other field signs have not been described. Identification should be made by a suitably experienced observer examining the animal.

Distribution: Known range

The known range is restricted to the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with records centred on the Hamersley Ranges.

The species has been recorded at mid elevations in the Hamersley Ranges, including the Packsaddle Range. Few specimens are known, and the distribution is small and potentially relictual.

WA region on the DBCA list: Pilbara

Distribution: Records and limits

Atlas of Living Australia records show 16 Western Australian records at 13 distinct 0.1 degree locations, between latitude -23.2 and -22 and longitude 116.7 and 118.9. These records do not establish continuous occupancy across that area.

  • Named specimen localities include Packsaddle Range, West Angelas and an area 60 km north of Tom Price.

Distribution: Conservation listing

The species is Priority 2 on the DBCA Threatened and Priority Fauna List dated 1 July 2025. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. It has no national listing.

Habitat: Recorded setting

Habitat information is limited to the regional setting and elevation of known records.

The species has been encountered at mid elevations in the Hamersley Ranges, in the southern Pilbara. The type locality is Packsaddle Range.

Habitat: Information gaps

Vegetation types, geology, soil, landform, surface cover and precise microhabitats used by the species have not been recorded. Do not assume a particular habitat feature is required or that apparently different ground is unoccupied.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding

Foraging habitat and feeding ecology have not been documented.

Prey, diet, feeding behaviour and foraging locations are unknown.

Foraging habitat: Site assessment

Do not use assumed prey or feeding habitat to rule out the species. Where it could occur, assess the site with a qualified fauna ecologist and record direct observations.

Breeding habitat: Reproduction

The species lays eggs, but its breeding sites and timing are not known.

The species is oviparous. Its breeding season, clutch size, egg-laying site, incubation period and juvenile season have not been recorded.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Do not assume any particular month or site is free of eggs or young. If potential animals or eggs are encountered during works, pause activity in the immediate area and seek advice from the project ecologist.

Sheltering habitat: Known information

Sheltering behaviour and shelter sites are not known.

It is not known where the gecko shelters, whether it uses rock crevices or other cover, or how it responds to disturbance.

Sheltering habitat: Field precaution

As a general gecko survey precaution, check potential cover and crevices carefully where safe and authorised, and avoid damaging or needlessly dismantling them. This is a precautionary search approach, not a documented shelter preference for this species.

Threats: Conservation concern

Rarity and a small known distribution are conservation concerns, but specific threats have not been documented.

The gecko is known from few specimens and has a small, potentially relictual distribution, which may be of conservation concern. The DBCA lists it as Priority 2, describing it as poorly known and known from few locations, with some locations on conservation lands.

Threats: Threat information

No particular development impact, habitat loss process or other species-specific threat has been identified.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Species-specific survey methods and detectability are not known. Plan surveys around the known range and treat non-detection as inconclusive.

Check the proposed disturbance footprint against the known Pilbara range, including the Hamersley Ranges and named specimen localities. Review current DBCA information and available records, noting that records are sparse and do not define continuous occupancy.

Survey methodology: 2. Field survey

Use an appropriately qualified herpetologist to conduct systematic searches of the footprint and nearby areas that may be affected. General reptile survey practice can include careful visual searches of potential cover and crevices where safe and authorised; this method has not been specifically validated for this gecko.

Survey methodology: 3. Recording and interpretation

Record the date, location, coordinates, survey conditions, search effort, photographs and identification confidence for any observation. No species-specific survey season or detection rate is known, so a non-detection should not be treated as proof of absence.

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 risk area

Because the species is poorly known and has a small known range, use conservative planning where works may affect its Pilbara range.

Have a fauna ecologist review the footprint, proposed access and indirect disturbance areas against known records and the Hamersley Ranges setting. Seek current advice from DBCA where the species may be affected.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the work crew

Explain the species' appearance, its Priority 2 status and the stop-work process. Make clear that similar geckos may require expert identification and that no seasonal clearance window is established.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Prepare controls

Set out disturbance boundaries, identify areas to avoid where practicable, and agree how fauna observations will be reported and assessed before clearing begins.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Check before clearing

Proceed carefully and keep a clear response process in place for any gecko encountered.

A suitably qualified fauna spotter catcher should inspect the immediate work area using safe, authorised search methods. Do not assume that a site is clear solely because earlier searches found no animals.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to an observation

If a possible Pilbara Barking Gecko is found, pause work in the immediate area, protect the animal from further disturbance and contact the project ecologist for identification and next steps. Do not handle or relocate it unless authorised and directed by a suitably qualified person.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Keep records

Document the observation, identification basis, location and actions taken. Resume work in the affected area only after the ecologist has assessed the situation and confirmed the agreed controls.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Close out records

After works, retain a record of fauna outcomes and respond to any new observations.

Compile survey effort, observations, photographs, locations, any fauna handling records and incidents. Report records through the relevant project and regulatory channels.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

Review whether the agreed boundaries and work procedures were followed. If an animal is found after disturbance, protect the immediate area and seek advice from the project ecologist.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed areas

Habitat requirements and successful rehabilitation measures for this species are not known.

Rehabilitate affected areas in line with the project plan and applicable approvals. Do not claim that a particular planting, substrate or shelter feature is suitable for this gecko without supporting site-specific evidence.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Record rehabilitation work and monitor outcomes using the project's agreed methods. Seek ecologist advice if the species is recorded in or near a rehabilitation area, and use those observations to review management measures.

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