Fauna Spotters logo

Ravensthorpe Range Slider (Lerista viduata)

The Ravensthorpe Range slider is a small skink recorded from the Ravensthorpe Range in Western Australia, where it is associated with loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs. It is poorly known and listed as DBCA Priority 1, so works in potential habitat warrant careful searches and cautious, staged clearing.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal planning

Species-specific activity and breeding months have not been documented. Use the full works period as a planning window and apply careful searches whenever suitable habitat is disturbed.

Breeding: Oviparous; timing is not recorded.

Activity: Seasonal activity and detectability are not recorded.

Do not infer a seasonal period of low risk from the available information.

  • Precautionary survey and clearing checks: Planning window only. Species-specific seasonal activity information is unavailable; search carefully whenever suitable habitat is disturbed.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification information is limited. Treat small skinks found in suitable ground cover as potential records until checked by a qualified person.

The species is a small skink. Reported snout-to-vent length is approximately 45 to 47 mm.

The Reptile Database notes five digits and five toes. Detailed field marks have not been documented.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

No comparisons with similar species or diagnostic field signs have been documented. Do not identify the species from size or locality alone.

As general skink-search practice, look carefully through loose soil, plant matter and beneath rocks or logs, and photograph or record any suspected animal for expert identification.

Distribution: Known range

The species is very poorly known. The named locality is the Ravensthorpe Range.

The Reptile Database gives the type locality as Ravensthorpe Range, Western Australia, at 33°33′S, 119°06′E. The species is also described as occurring in the Ravensthorpe Range near Ravensthorpe.

Atlas of Living Australia records show 21 name-matched records at five distinct 0.1-degree locations, but give a longitude range extending to 149.4°E. Treat these aggregate records cautiously, as no individual localities are available to resolve the apparent mismatch.

Distribution: WA regions and status

The DBCA list flags the South Coast region. The species is WA Priority 1, poorly known and known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. Priority 1 is a DBCA priority-list category, not a threatened-species listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The species has no national listing.

Habitat: Reported habitat

Habitat descriptions are limited to the Ravensthorpe Range and nearby ground-level cover.

The species is associated with loose soil and plant matter, including beneath rocks and logs. Vegetation types, soil profiles and broader landscape associations have not been documented.

Habitat: Site implications

Where works are near the known range, treat loose soil and areas with plant matter, rocks or logs as potential habitat for precautionary planning. The extent of this habitat beyond the named locality is unknown.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding

The species' diet, feeding behaviour and specific foraging habitat have not been documented.

Diet and prey have not been documented. Do not assume a particular food source or feeding location when assessing a site.

Foraging habitat: Precaution during site checks

As general skink-search practice, inspect suitable ground cover and loose surface material carefully for animals before it is moved. This is a precaution, not a documented feeding method for this species.

Breeding habitat: Known breeding information

The species is reported to lay eggs, but its breeding biology is poorly known.

The Reptile Database records the species as oviparous. Breeding months, nest sites, clutch size and incubation details have not been documented.

Breeding habitat: Works precautions

Do not schedule works on the assumption that there is a known safe breeding season. During habitat disturbance, have a fauna spotter-catcher check suitable ground cover and any exposed soil for animals or signs requiring further assessment.

Sheltering habitat: Reported cover

Loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs are the reported cover associations. Specific sheltering behaviour has not been described.

The species is associated with loose soil and plant matter and is reported beneath rocks and logs. Whether these are permanent shelters, daytime refuges or seasonal sites is unknown.

Sheltering habitat: Search with care

As general skink-search practice, check beneath cover objects and within loose surface material without crushing or unnecessarily disturbing them. Replace moved cover carefully where safe and practical, and do not leave exposed animals or habitat unattended.

Threats: Reported risks

The species is poorly known, and possible habitat-loss risks have been identified.

A 2024 study identifies fire as a major risk to habitat and reports mining as a significant habitat-loss risk. These are reported concerns; no site-specific assessment is available.

Threats: Uncertainty

The species is listed as DBCA Priority 1 and is known from few locations. Its threats are not fully documented, and the effects of any proposed development have not been established.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Species-specific survey methods and detectability are unknown. Use targeted, careful searches of the reported cover types and document uncertainty.

Check current DBCA priority fauna information, project records and available biodiversity databases for records around the Ravensthorpe Range and South Coast region. Verify coordinate systems and review record precision before drawing conclusions from mapped points.

Map areas containing loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs. A reliable survey radius around known records has not been defined.

Survey methodology: 2. Field search

As general practice for small skinks, conduct slow, systematic searches of suitable ground cover and surface materials. Check likely cover carefully, with minimal disturbance, and have suspected animals photographed and assessed by a qualified herpetologist.

Record survey effort, weather and ground conditions, searched habitat, GPS tracks and any detections. No species-specific season, survey duration, trapping protocol or detection probability has been established.

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: Friable or loose soil for burrowing

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

The Ravensthorpe Range slider is a small skink recorded from the Ravensthorpe Range in Western Australia, where it is associated with loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs.

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. Define and assess the footprint

Plan works on the basis that suitable ground cover near the known range may be used, while recognising that the limits of suitable habitat are unknown.

Before clearing, map the development footprint and nearby loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs. Review records and commission a suitably qualified ecologist to assess whether targeted searches are warranted.

Do not assume the species is absent because no records are mapped or because a single search is unsuccessful.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Prepare the work team

Brief clearing crews on the species' small reported size, limited known range and the need to stop work if a suspected animal is found. Confirm the fauna spotter-catcher's authority, response arrangements and suitable holding or release procedures before works begin.

Where practicable, avoid unnecessary disturbance of loose soil, plant matter, rocks and logs, and retain suitable habitat outside the approved footprint.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Clear carefully

Use staged, supervised disturbance and respond promptly to any suspected animal or unexpected habitat feature.

Have the fauna spotter-catcher inspect suitable cover ahead of clearing. As a general precaution, move materials slowly and in manageable stages so animals can be detected before machinery disturbs them.

Avoid crushing or rapidly turning rocks and logs. Keep workers and machinery out of areas being checked until the spotter-catcher confirms the search is complete.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Stop and respond

If a suspected Ravensthorpe Range slider or other fauna is found, stop work in the immediate area, protect the animal from people and machinery, and contact the fauna spotter-catcher.

Do not handle or relocate the animal unless the authorised person determines it is necessary and acts under applicable approvals and procedures. Record the location, photographs, circumstances and action taken.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Complete records

After clearing, confirm that fauna checks and any incident responses are documented and that disturbed areas are managed as planned.

Document search effort, clearing stages, habitat affected, detections, non-detections and any fauna handling or relocation. Report suspected records through the project's agreed ecological and regulatory channels.

Have an expert review identification before treating an observation as a confirmed species record.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Check retained habitat

Inspect retained habitat beside the works for avoidable damage, waste or machinery encroachment. Keep protective fencing and no-go areas in place for the period set by the project ecologist.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore ground cover

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements have not been documented. Where feasible, restore appropriate ground-level cover without assuming habitat needs that have not been established.

Where rehabilitation is required, use locally appropriate materials and methods agreed with the project ecologist. Consider the reported association with loose soil and plant matter, and retain or reinstate rocks and logs only where safe and suitable.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Record rehabilitation areas and monitor them for stability, erosion and establishment of ground cover. Species-specific rehabilitation targets and monitoring periods have not been established, so set these through the project approval and ecological advice.

Sources