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Timid Slider (Lerista timida)

The Timid Slider is a small terrestrial skink recorded in open woodland and woodland habitats in Queensland and Western Australia. Records from Poplar Box grassy woodland, the Toowoomba local government area and the Lake Wells study area show that it can occur on developed or proposed development sites, where ground disturbance, clearing and loss of cover may affect individuals and local habitat.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

Timid Slider breeding timing is poorly documented. The available species record indicates egg laying in late spring, with a clutch of two eggs. Plan clearing to avoid late spring where practicable, and inspect ground cover and loose soil at all times because refuge and incubation sites are unknown.

Reproductive mode: Oviparous, females produce eggs.

Clutch size: Two eggs per clutch.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Not stated. Ground cover and shallow or loose soil should be inspected as potential sites.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works, because rainfall and temperature may influence activity, breeding and egg laying across the species' range.

  • Mating: Species-specific mating months are not recorded. Spring breeding is reported for other members of the Lerista muelleri species group, so mating may occur from September to November.
  • Gravid females: Gravid females have not been documented. The indicative period is October to November, before the documented late spring egg-laying period.
  • Egg laying: Egg laying is documented in late spring. For an Australian month bar, this is represented as October to November, with November treated as the likely peak month.
  • Active period: No seasonal activity months are documented. The species normally emerges at night, may be active on the surface in cool sunny weather, and shelters in shade or around low vegetation in hot conditions.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from October to December, centred on late spring egg laying and the likely presence of eggs in or near ground cover and loose soil. Exact nest sites, incubation and hatchling timing are unknown, so ground refuges require inspection throughout the year.

Identification

The supplied documents confirm the species identity and habitat associations but do not provide a diagnostic description, measurements or sex-based characters. Identification should therefore be confirmed against current regional keys by an experienced herpetologist, particularly where other Lerista species occur.

The Timid Slider is a skink in the genus Lerista. It was recorded as Lerista timida in surveys and fauna databases from open woodland habitats, including Poplar Box grassy woodland and the Lake Wells study area.

Body length: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Weight: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Colour and pattern: Not described in the supplied documents.

  • Treat a small, fast-moving or partly concealed skink as a provisional Lerista until it has been identified from clear photographs or examined by a qualified reptile ecologist.
  • Record the exact substrate, ground cover, vegetation type and capture location because these details assist with separating similar sliders and interpreting habitat use.

Identification: Similar species

Other Lerista species recorded in the supplied material include the eastern mulch slider, eastern robust slider, ribbon slider, desert slider and other regional sliders. Several of these species occur in the same broad woodland or sandy habitats, so a field identification based only on size, colour or a brief sighting is unreliable.

  • Do not use the common name alone for an identification. Confirm the scientific name and retain diagnostic photographs where possible.
  • Check the current state or regional reptile key, especially in Queensland localities where Lerista fragilis and Lerista punctatovittata are also recorded.

Identification: Field signs

The supplied documents do not describe Timid Slider tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine. Small skinks may be detected visually, by hand searching suitable ground cover, or during active searches, but species-level identification normally requires a captured animal or high-quality images.

  • Inspect leaf litter, fallen timber, loose bark, grass tussocks and the edges of ground disturbance without destroying potential refuges.
  • Photograph the dorsal and lateral surfaces, head, limbs and underside where safe and permitted.
  • Record whether the animal was found on the surface, beneath cover or in loose soil, and note the time and weather conditions.

Distribution

The supplied records show a disjunct set of localities in Queensland and Western Australia. They do not provide a complete national range, confirmed Victorian locality data, bioregion-wide population estimates or a mapped set of strongholds.

Lerista timida is listed from Poplar Box Grassy Woodlands on Alluvial Plains and from the Toowoomba local government area in Queensland. It was also recorded in the Lake Wells Level 2 Vertebrate Fauna Survey in Western Australia, where records occurred in a study area containing sandplain, clay-loam dune, sand dune, gypsum dune, samphire and mulga woodland habitats.

States with records in supplied documents: Queensland and Western Australia

Queensland localities or regions: Toowoomba local government area and Poplar Box grassy woodland on alluvial plains

Western Australian locality: Lake Wells study area

Bioregional information: Poplar Box grassy woodland on alluvial plains in eastern Australia, and the Great Victoria Desert region at Lake Wells

Known strongholds or subpopulations: Not identified in the supplied documents

  • Use the Queensland records as evidence of occurrence in the Brigalow Belt and adjoining eastern Queensland woodland region, but do not treat the supplied documents as a complete bioregional range assessment.
  • Use the Lake Wells record as evidence of occurrence in the Great Victoria Desert region of Western Australia, subject to confirmation from the original survey tables and current taxonomic databases.

Distribution: Records and trend

The Queensland table classifies the species as stable. The supplied documents do not give a total population size, density, area of occupancy, generation length, number of subpopulations or a quantified trend for the Australian population.

Queensland population trend: Stable in the supplied Queensland table

Population size: Not reported

Population density: Not reported

Generation length: Not reported

  • Do not infer abundance from the presence of a record. The Lake Wells survey notes that records can represent the same individuals on successive days, so repeated detections should not automatically be counted as separate animals.
  • Map each capture and release location separately and retain survey effort, dates and methods for project-level interpretation.

Habitat: Vegetation and substrate

The documented habitat association is terrestrial open woodland, with records spanning different soil and vegetation settings. Habitat suitability should be assessed at ground level because the supplied documents provide little information about canopy requirements or elevation.

The Timid Slider is recorded from open woodland in the Queensland habitat table and from Poplar Box grassy woodland on alluvial plains. At Lake Wells it was recorded among a survey fauna assemblage sampled across sandplain, clay-loam dune, sand dune, gypsum dune, samphire and mulga woodland sites.

Documented broad habitat: Open woodland

Named vegetation community: Poplar Box Grassy Woodlands on Alluvial Plains

Other recorded survey settings: Sandplain, clay-loam dune, sand dune, gypsum dune, samphire and mulga woodland

Elevation limit: Not reported

Climate limit: Not reported

  • Retain areas of open woodland and native ground cover where they occur within the clearing footprint.
  • Assess sandy, clay-loam, alluvial and stony ground separately because the available records span more than one substrate type.
  • Treat remnant woodland patches, road verges, stock routes and uncleared margins as potential habitat until surveyed.

Habitat: Habitat structure

The supplied documents do not identify a required canopy height, tree size, litter depth, grass cover or patch size. As a ground-dwelling skink, it should be managed as a species potentially affected by removal of surface cover and disturbance of shallow soil, even where trees are retained.

  • Before clearing, inspect leaf litter, grass tussocks, fallen timber, loose bark, compacted margins and loose soil within and beside the work area.
  • Stage clearing so that a fauna spotter catcher can inspect newly exposed ground and cover objects before they are removed.
  • Keep retained habitat connected to uncleared ground where practicable, and avoid unnecessary storage of spoil, plant or materials on native ground cover.

Foraging habitat

The supplied documents do not report the Timid Slider's diet, prey species, feeding technique or home range. Management should therefore protect the ground layer and associated soil fauna rather than targeting a particular food plant or prey taxon.

The Timid Slider is a terrestrial skink recorded in open woodland and woodland survey sites. No supplied document identifies its food plants, invertebrate prey, foraging distance or daily activity pattern.

Diet: Not reported in the supplied documents

Foraging method: Not reported in the supplied documents

Foraging range: Not reported in the supplied documents

Key food plants or prey: Not reported in the supplied documents

  • Retain leaf litter, native grasses, low vegetation, fallen timber and undisturbed soil that may support small invertebrate prey.
  • Limit unnecessary clearing of adjoining ground cover, because foraging habitat may extend beyond the immediate capture location.
  • Avoid broad-spectrum chemical use in retained habitat unless it has been assessed for effects on reptiles and their invertebrate prey.

Breeding habitat

Species-specific breeding information is not provided in the supplied documents. The breeding values below should be treated as information gaps, not as evidence that breeding does not occur on a project site.

No supplied document reports mating months, egg laying or birth, clutch size, incubation, gestation, age at maturity or lifespan for Lerista timida. No breeding refuge or nesting substrate is identified.

Breeding season: Not reported in the supplied documents

Clutch or litter size: Not reported

Gestation or incubation: Not reported

Age at maturity: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported

Breeding habitat: Not specifically described; retain suitable woodland ground cover and undisturbed soil pending further advice

  • Assume that suitable ground cover and shallow soil may support breeding until targeted advice or current species literature confirms otherwise.
  • During clearing, have the fauna spotter catcher inspect ground cover, loose soil and debris for animals or concealed eggs before disturbance.
  • Escalate any gravid female, juvenile, eggs or suspected nest to the project ecologist and relevant state authority.

Sheltering habitat

The supplied material does not describe Timid Slider refuges or burrow dimensions. The species should be managed as a small ground-dwelling skink that may use surface cover and shallow soil refuges in woodland and sandy or alluvial settings.

No source identifies a Timid Slider burrow, nest, hollow, refuge depth or preferred cover object. The Lake Wells survey sampled sites including sandplain, dunes, samphire and mulga woodland, while the Queensland records are associated with open woodland.

Tree hollows: No use documented for Timid Slider in the supplied documents

Burrow dimensions: Not reported

Known refuge types: Not reported specifically; ground cover and loose soil should be inspected as potential refuges

Roosting behaviour: Not applicable or not reported for this terrestrial skink

  • Search beneath removable cover objects, including fallen timber, bark, leaf litter, grass tussocks and loose debris, before clearing.
  • Replace natural cover objects in their original position where they are retained and safe to do so.
  • Do not assume that bare ground is unsuitable habitat. Inspect loose soil, dune margins, alluvial surfaces and disturbed woodland edges before earthworks.
  • Keep excavations, trenches and spoil areas managed under the project's reptile rescue procedure because small skinks can enter or become trapped in open works.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific threat assessment. On development sites, the main foreseeable risks are direct mortality during clearing and earthworks, removal of woodland ground cover, fragmentation and changes to fire or soil conditions.

Clearing of Poplar Box or other open woodland can remove habitat and ground refuges. Grading, trenching, vehicle movement, spoil placement and removal of fallen timber can kill or displace small skinks even where some canopy is retained.

  • Complete pre-clearance searches of all ground cover and loose soil within the approved disturbance footprint.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher during staged clearing and earthworks, with a documented process for capture, release and incident reporting.
  • Keep the approved clearing footprint, avoid parking or laydown areas in retained habitat, and maintain exclusion fencing where practical.

Threats: Fragmentation, roads and fire

The supplied documents do not quantify the effects of fragmentation, roads or fire on this species. These pressures can nevertheless remove ground cover, create barriers or increase the risk of vehicle strike during movement between habitat patches.

  • Retain connected woodland and ground-cover patches where practicable rather than isolated remnants.
  • Apply low-speed vehicle controls and inspect roads, drains and construction areas for reptiles during active works.
  • Plan burns and vegetation slashing with the project ecologist, retaining unburnt refuge areas and avoiding unnecessary loss of litter and coarse woody debris.

Threats: Predators, disease and hydrology

No supplied document identifies a predator, disease or hydrology threat specific to Lerista timida. Inappropriate waste, introduced predators, contaminated soil and changes to drainage can reduce habitat quality or increase direct risk to reptiles and their prey.

  • Control food waste and avoid actions that attract feral cats, foxes or other predators to retained habitat.
  • Prevent sediment, hydrocarbons, chemicals and wash water from entering retained woodland or drainage lines.
  • Avoid changing surface drainage across sandy, alluvial or woodland habitat unless the effects have been assessed.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and hand searches

No species-specific survey guideline or detection protocol for the Timid Slider is included in the supplied documents. It is a small terrestrial skink recorded in open woodland and Poplar Box grassy woodland, so surveys should target ground cover, surface shelter and suitable connected habitat rather than tree hollows.

Map open woodland, Poplar Box grassy woodland, grassy ground layers, leaf litter, fallen timber, loose bark, rocks and other ground shelters before selecting survey locations.

Search suitable ground cover by carefully lifting loose logs, bark, rocks and litter, then replace each item in its original position.

Use experienced herpetologists or fauna spotters familiar with small, ground-dwelling skinks, because the supplied records do not provide a species-specific detection probability or standard search effort.

Recorded habitat: Open woodland

Taxon: Scincidae, reptile

Survey methodology: 2. Active searches and trapping design

Use repeated active searches during suitable weather, including searches beneath ground shelters and along edges between retained woodland and disturbed areas.

Where permitted and justified by the project risk assessment, combine active searches with terrestrial pitfall and funnel trapping, using drift fencing and escape measures suitable for small skinks.

Set the number of survey nights, trap nights, transect lengths and search hours from the habitat area, season, weather and approval conditions, because the supplied documents do not specify Timid Slider effort requirements.

Inspect traps at the frequency required by the relevant state approval and animal ethics conditions, and close traps during unsafe heat, cold, flooding or other conditions that could harm captured animals.

Survey methodology: 3. Timing, weather and detection records

Schedule surveys when the species is likely to be active, avoiding cold, very hot, wet or otherwise unsafe conditions for small terrestrial reptiles.

Record date, start and finish time, weather, temperature if measured, recent rainfall if known, search method, effort, habitat, microhabitat and GPS location for every detection and non-detection.

Photograph the animal or its microhabitat where this can be done without delaying release, and retain enough identifying information for an experienced herpetologist to confirm the record.

Treat a failure to detect the species as inconclusive where suitable ground shelter and open woodland habitat remain present.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a site-specific survey design that states the area searched, transect lengths, search hours, trap nights, weather conditions and observer qualifications.
  • Survey all habitat that may be cleared, excavated, compacted or isolated, including connected retained patches that may be used during relocation.
  • Record every Timid Slider detection and each relocation, injury, mortality and release location with coordinates and photographs where appropriate.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records required by the project approval, land manager and fauna management plan.
  • Check the current state conservation status and permit requirements before fieldwork, because the supplied material identifies the species as Endangered in Victoria but does not provide a national listing for it.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the work around the species' known use of open woodland and grassy woodland ground habitat. The supplied records do not identify a particular breeding season, shelter density or required buffer, so these must be set through the project assessment and relevant state advice.

  • Retain areas of open woodland and Poplar Box grassy woodland that contain continuous ground cover, leaf litter, fallen timber, loose bark, rocks and other potential ground shelters.
  • Keep retained habitat connected wherever practicable, particularly where clearing would otherwise divide woodland patches or remove links between occupied areas.
  • Keep construction access, stockpiles, spoil, vehicle parking and drainage works out of retained ground habitat.
  • Set exclusion areas and buffers around retained habitat from the project footprint, using the ecological assessment, construction risk and approval conditions to determine their width.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

EPBC Act status in supplied species information: Not listed

Victorian status in supplied species information: Endangered

  • Confirm whether the action requires an EPBC Act referral or approval, noting that the supplied species record states the Timid Slider is not listed under the EPBC Act.
  • Obtain the relevant state wildlife permits, scientific licences, animal ethics approvals and relocation authorities before survey, trapping, handling or clearing.
  • Confirm the current Victorian requirements because the supplied species information lists the Timid Slider as Endangered in Victoria.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey methods, stop-work triggers, handling authority, relocation habitat, injured animal treatment, records and reporting.
  • Stage clearing so that pre-clearance surveys, fauna exclusion, habitat removal and follow-up searches occur in separate, supervised steps.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before works in all suitable open woodland and grassy woodland habitat within the disturbance area.
  • Mark retained vegetation, ground shelters, relocation areas, exclusion zones and access routes on plans and on the ground before machinery enters.
  • Install fauna exclusion fencing only where it can be checked regularly, does not trap animals within the work area and has suitable escape points or supervised removal.
  • Brief machinery operators and supervisors on the Timid Slider's ground-dwelling habit and on the requirement to stop when fauna, shelter features or unsearched habitat is encountered.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence from habitat removal to inspection, with machinery working only in areas released for clearing. Small ground-dwelling skinks can be missed if logs, rocks, bark and litter are moved quickly or mixed with spoil.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, gates, sediment controls and the approved work area before clearing starts each day.
  • Release only the section that has been searched and marked, and keep machinery outside uncleared or fauna exclusion areas.
  • Direct machinery to clear slowly in short sections while the fauna spotter catcher remains in a position to inspect exposed ground and shelter features.
  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher calls a fauna stop, when a shelter feature is unexpectedly exposed, or when the operator cannot see the released work area.
  • Do not allow workers to chase, handle or remove a Timid Slider unless they are authorised under the project fauna management plan and relevant permits.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and animals

  • Inspect and carefully replace logs, rocks, loose bark, leaf litter and other ground shelters after searching them, unless their approved removal is required.
  • Treat burrows, soil cracks and dense ground cover as potential shelter until inspected by the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Do not place cleared timber, rocks or spoil across retained habitat or relocation sites.
  • If a Timid Slider is found, stop nearby works, allow the authorised fauna handler to identify and contain it using a low-stress method, and keep handling to the minimum needed for safety and relocation.
  • Release an uninjured animal only at a nearby approved retained habitat area with suitable ground cover and shelter, and record the release point and conditions.
  • Send injured animals to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian through the fauna management chain, and do not release an animal that is unable to move normally.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if the species is found outside the searched area, if additional suitable habitat is exposed, or if the spotter catcher cannot maintain visual control of the clearing front.
  • Stop work if an animal is injured or killed, if exclusion fencing fails, or if machinery enters a retained or uncleared area.
  • Resume only after the fauna spotter catcher has searched the affected area, managed the animal or incident, repaired controls and authorised recommencement.
  • Record the date, time, location, activity, personnel, weather, animal condition, photographs, handling, relocation or treatment and the name of the person who authorised the response.
  • Report injuries, deaths, repeated captures and any unplanned clearing to the project environmental officer and the approval authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no Timid Sliders remain in the disturbance area and that retained habitat and control measures are functioning. Monitoring intensity should reflect the area cleared, habitat retained, detection results and approval conditions.

  • Complete a final systematic inspection of the cleared footprint, stockpile areas, access tracks and edges before demobilising the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Recheck retained ground shelters and exclusion fencing after the first major construction disturbance, heavy rain or fence repair.
  • Search any habitat that was not cleared during the original release process before it is entered by machinery or used for storage.
  • Document all post-clearance detections, mortalities, injuries, escapes and corrective actions.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained open woodland and grassy woodland where the project has removed or isolated surrounding habitat, using the approved monitoring design.
  • Compare monitoring records with the pre-clearance survey, including effort and weather, rather than treating differing effort as a population change.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, access controls and no-go markers until the environmental officer confirms that the relevant construction risk has ended.
  • Provide a completion report covering cleared area, retained habitat, survey effort, captures, relocations, injuries, deaths, incidents, photographs, coordinates and any corrective actions.
  • Submit confirmed records and incident information to the relevant state wildlife database or authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and corrective action

  • Check whether residual impacts require an offset, restoration commitment or other measure under the state approval or project conditions.
  • Investigate additional habitat protection or restoration if clearing has reduced connectivity, removed ground shelter or caused repeated fauna incidents.
  • Do not rely on an offset to replace practicable retention of occupied or suitable habitat within the project area.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild ground habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild the ground structure used by this terrestrial skink and reconnect retained open woodland habitat. The supplied documents identify open woodland and Poplar Box grassy woodland as relevant habitat, but do not prescribe a Timid Slider restoration recipe or success threshold.

  • Use locally appropriate native woodland and ground-layer species consistent with the pre-clearing community and approved rehabilitation plan.
  • Re-establish leaf litter, low ground cover and undisturbed soil surfaces rather than leaving compacted, bare corridors through retained habitat.
  • Place suitable cleared logs, loose bark and rocks back into rehabilitation areas where they are free of weeds, pathogens and safety hazards.
  • Use locally sourced hollow logs or other approved shelter structures where ground shelter was removed, and keep them partly shaded and stable on the ground.
  • Avoid creating continuous bare strips that could increase exposure between retained habitat patches.

Rehabilitation actions: Weeds, predators and fire

  • Control weeds that replace native ground cover or alter the structure of Poplar Box grassy woodland, using methods approved for the site and nearby retained habitat.
  • Prevent construction waste, domestic animals and introduced predators from entering rehabilitation areas.
  • Plan fire management with the land manager so that fuel reduction does not remove all litter, logs, rocks or low shelter at once.
  • Use staged disturbance where fire or weed treatment is needed, and retain untreated refuge habitat nearby.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitation after establishment, heavy rain, fire, weed treatment and construction maintenance to confirm that shelter features remain in place.
  • Measure survival of planted native species, ground-cover recovery, weed cover, soil stability, retained shelter features and connectivity with surrounding woodland.
  • Repeat targeted Timid Slider searches using the approved project method and record effort, weather, habitat and detections in a consistent format.
  • Set completion criteria before works begin, including acceptable native ground cover, weed control, shelter retention, fencing condition and evidence that the rehabilitation area is functioning as connected open woodland habitat.
  • Adapt planting, shelter placement, weed control or access controls if monitoring shows poor ground cover, erosion, loss of shelter or continuing fauna mortality.

Sources