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Shark Bay Worm-lizard (Aprasia haroldi)

The Shark Bay Worm-Lizard is a limbless lizard endemic to the Shark Bay region of Western Australia. Its habitat and ecology are poorly documented, so works in the region should use cautious survey and clearing practices. It is listed as DBCA Priority 1 in Western Australia.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal guidance

Activity, breeding and survey months are unknown. Use year-round planning as a precaution, not as a species-specific seasonal finding.

Breeding timing: Not documented.

Survey timing: No species-specific survey season has been established.

No species-specific seasonal information is available. The months shown are a general year-round planning prompt only.

  • Precautionary works planning: Plan for fauna checks and cautious clearing throughout the year. These are general planning precautions, not documented activity or breeding months for this species.

Identification: Appearance and size

The species has a small set of diagnostic scale characters. Body measurements and field signs are not documented.

It is a limbless lizard with a narrow head and long snout. Body length, mass, colour and pattern are not documented.

Limbs: Absent

Size: Not recorded

Identification: Similar species

The Reptile Database places it in the Aprasia repens species group. It differs from A. repens by having 14 rather than 12 midbody scale rows, and from A. repens and A. rostrata by having four rather than five upper labials. It is also reported to have the prefrontal in contact with the subocular labial.

Identification: Field signs

Tracks, burrows, shed skins and other field signs have not been described. Treat unverified signs as unconfirmed records.

Distribution: Known range

The species is restricted to the Shark Bay region. Occurrence information is limited and may not represent its full range.

The Reptile Database gives its distribution as endemic to the Shark Bay region of Western Australia. A DBCA document records the species on Dirk Hartog Island. Atlas of Living Australia records show 27 Western Australian records at nine distinct 0.1-degree locations, spanning latitude -26.7 to -25.6 and longitude 113 to 114.2.

Distribution: WA region and status

DBCA lists the species in the Midwest region as WA Priority 1. Priority 1 is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The species has no national listing.

Habitat: Known habitat

Habitat associations have not been documented.

Vegetation types, soils, landforms and other habitat associations are unknown. Do not assume that a particular substrate or plant community is suitable or unsuitable.

Habitat: Site assessment

Assess and record actual conditions across the proposed works area and nearby undisturbed land. Do not use the absence of a presumed habitat feature to rule out the species.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding

Diet and foraging habitat have not been documented.

Prey, feeding behaviour and foraging locations are unknown.

Foraging habitat: Precaution on site

Do not infer feeding areas from the species' appearance or from information about other lizards. During assessment, note potential prey and ground conditions as site observations, not as confirmed species requirements.

Breeding habitat: Reproduction

The species lays eggs, but its breeding habitat and timing are poorly known.

The Reptile Database records the species as oviparous. Breeding months, egg-laying sites, clutch size and incubation details are unknown.

Breeding habitat: Works planning

Do not schedule works around an assumed breeding season. Where the species may occur, use a current site-specific fauna assessment and precautionary clearing procedures because breeding timing and egg-site requirements are unknown.

Sheltering habitat: Known shelter

Shelter locations and daily behaviour have not been documented.

Refuges, burrows, soil depth, sheltering substrates and periods of activity are unknown.

Sheltering habitat: Precaution

Do not assume that apparently bare or disturbed ground is free of fauna. Treat substrates and ground cover within the works footprint cautiously, and have a fauna spotter catcher check material as it is exposed or moved.

Threats: Information gaps

The species has a restricted regional range, but its threats and population trend are poorly known.

Specific threats, population trends and responses to disturbance have not been documented. Its DBCA Priority 1 category indicates a priority fauna listing.

Threats: Development risk

Where proposed works fall within the Shark Bay region, uncertainty about the species' habitat and detectability supports careful assessment and minimising unnecessary ground disturbance. This is a precautionary works approach, not a documented species-specific threat.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

No validated survey method or information on detectability is available. Design surveys cautiously and for the specific site.

Check current occurrence records, the proposed disturbance footprint and site information. The species is endemic to the Shark Bay region, and mapped records are geographically limited. Do not assume the species is absent because no records are mapped.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Use a suitably qualified ecologist to inspect the proposed works area and record ground conditions, vegetation, substrates and potential fauna observations. No species-specific search technique or survey season has been established, so do not present a general reptile search as a validated survey for this species.

Survey methodology: 3. Reporting and escalation

Record survey dates, methods, effort, conditions, observations and limitations. If a suspected specimen is found, stop work in the immediate area, have it assessed by a competent fauna professional and follow applicable approvals 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 scope and records

Plan for uncertainty before ground disturbance, particularly for works in the Shark Bay region.

Review the works footprint, nearby records and current approvals. Ensure the assessment recognises the WA Priority 1 listing and the limited information about habitat and survey detectability.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the crew

Brief clearing crews on the species' limbless form, regional range and the need to report any unusual lizard. Set out stop-work and fauna handling arrangements before clearing begins.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Reduce disturbance

Clearly mark the approved disturbance footprint and retain areas outside it. Avoid unnecessary vehicle movements, stockpiling and ground disturbance beyond the authorised work area.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Manage clearing

Use staged, controlled clearing and respond cautiously to any suspected fauna encounter.

Keep clearing within the marked footprint and proceed in a controlled sequence that allows the fauna spotter catcher to inspect the active area. These are precautionary procedures, not measures based on documented species-specific escape behaviour.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to an encounter

If a suspected Shark Bay Worm-Lizard is found, stop work in the immediate area, keep people and machinery clear, and contact the fauna spotter catcher or ecologist. Do not handle or relocate the animal unless authorised and carried out by a suitably qualified person under the applicable procedures.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Record the event

Record the location, time, circumstances, photographs where appropriate, and actions taken. Resume work in the affected area only when the responsible environmental representative confirms it is appropriate.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check the work area

After clearing, document the work and follow through on any fauna response.

Complete a post-clearing inspection of the disturbed area and any fauna handling or relocation sites, where applicable. Record observations, remaining hazards and outstanding actions.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Close out records

Document the cleared area, dates, personnel, observations, incidents and corrective actions. Pass confirmed records to the project ecologist for appropriate reporting and data submission.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed ground

Restoration requirements for this species are unknown. Where practicable, rehabilitation should restore the site's pre-disturbance conditions.

Rehabilitate temporary work areas in line with project commitments and site-specific ecological advice. Use suitable local materials and avoid introducing unapproved soil, vegetation or other material.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor and adapt

Record rehabilitation actions and inspect progress against project objectives. Claim a benefit to this species from a particular rehabilitation treatment only when supported by further evidence.

Sources