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West Coast Mulga Slider (Lerista eupoda)

The West Coast Mulga Slider is a small, fossorial skink recorded from the Meekatharra to Cue area of Western Australia, where it is associated with open mulga woodland and leaf litter. It may be affected by clearing of suitable habitat. In Western Australia it is listed as DBCA Priority 1, a priority category rather than a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal guidance

Species-specific seasonal activity and breeding months have not been documented. Use year-round precautions and plan surveys around site conditions and project requirements.

Breeding: Oviparous, but breeding months and nesting timing have not been recorded.

Activity: Cathemeral activity is reported, with uncertainty noted in the account.

Seasonal categories have not been established for this species.

  • Survey and disturbance planning: Planning window only. No species-specific seasonal timing is available, so maintain survey and disturbance precautions throughout the year.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification information is limited, so use this description as a guide and allow for uncertainty.

The species is described as pale brown with a sharp-edged stripe along the vertebral area and an upper lateral stripe.

Reported size figures differ: a clearing report gives a length of up to 87 mm, while a species database gives a maximum snout-to-vent length of 90 mm. Treat these as reported figures, not definitive field measurements.

Identification: Similar species

Diagnostic differences from similar skinks have not been documented. Do not identify the species from colour or size alone. Record clear photographs and seek confirmation from a suitably experienced herpetologist if identification is uncertain.

Identification: Field signs

Species-specific tracks, burrow forms and other field signs have not been documented. Its fossorial habit and recorded use of leaf litter can guide searches, but neither is diagnostic on its own.

Distribution: Known range

Records place the species in a restricted part of inland Western Australia, but its distribution is poorly known.

The species has been recorded between Meekatharra and Cue. Atlas of Living Australia records show 13 Western Australian records at seven distinct 0.1-degree locations, spanning latitude -27.4 to -26.8 and longitude 117.6 to 118.4. Records outside Western Australia are excluded as likely errors.

Distribution: Regional status

DBCA flags the Midwest region. The species is listed as Priority 1, meaning it is poorly known and known from few locations, with none on conservation lands. This is a DBCA priority category, not a listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. No national listing is recorded.

Distribution: Records near works

A clearing decision report describes one individual recorded in mulga woodland about 8 km south of the application area discussed in that report. This is a site-specific record, not a coordinate or evidence that every development site in the region is occupied.

Habitat: Recorded habitat

The species is associated with open mulga woodland on loamy soils, but its full habitat range remains uncertain.

The species is reported to prefer open mulga woodland on red loams and sandy loam soils. One individual was found in mulga woodland during a survey.

Habitat: Habitat limits

Use of other vegetation types or soil conditions has not been established. Its poor documentation means that apparent differences from the described habitat should not alone be used to rule out its presence.

Foraging habitat: Food

Specific foraging sites and feeding behaviour are poorly documented.

The species is described as carnivorous, with small invertebrates reported as food. Prey types and capture methods have not been documented.

Foraging habitat: Search areas

Open mulga woodland on red loams or sandy loams is the habitat most directly associated with the species. It is also recorded in leaf litter. No separate foraging microhabitat has been identified.

Breeding habitat: Reproduction

Breeding habitat and timing are poorly known.

The species is reported to be oviparous. Breeding months, nesting locations, clutch size, incubation period and information about young have not been recorded.

Breeding habitat: Precaution

Do not assume a season when eggs or young are absent. Where suitable mulga woodland or leaf litter will be disturbed, plan precautionary checks and staged works without relying on an unverified breeding calendar.

Sheltering habitat: Burrowing and cover

The species is described as fossorial and has been recorded in accumulated leaf litter.

A species account classifies the slider as fossorial, and a clearing report notes its occurrence in accumulated leaf litter. Burrow entrances, burrow depth and specific shelter structures have not been described.

Sheltering habitat: Retain uncertainty

For field checks, consider both loose surface cover and below-ground refuges in suitable habitat. This precaution reflects the reported fossorial habit; no particular refuge type has been confirmed.

Threats: Clearing risk

A species-specific threat assessment is lacking, but clearing suitable habitat may pose a risk.

A clearing decision report notes that the species may still be affected by proposed clearing because it is poorly understood, even where the likelihood of occurrence was considered low based on known habitat. The report identifies directional clearing as a mitigation measure.

Threats: Limits of knowledge

Other species-specific threats, population trends and impact thresholds have not been documented. Do not infer that an area is unimportant solely because no slider is detected during a survey.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

No species-specific survey protocol or detectability estimate has been established. Use targeted, careful searches and clearly document survey limitations.

Review current DBCA and other relevant records, previous survey reports, and mapped vegetation and soil information. Check for open mulga woodland, red loams or sandy loams, and patches with accumulated leaf litter. Record nearby known records, and do not assume the species is absent because no records are mapped.

Survey methodology: 2. Habitat search

As general skink survey practice, search suitable habitat systematically and inspect leaf litter and other surface cover carefully. Where permitted and safe, examine shallow soil or loose cover with minimal disturbance and replace material as found. Do not use a lack of visible animals or obvious burrows as proof of absence.

Survey methodology: 3. Timing and records

Cathemeral activity is reported, but the account also notes an observation of inactivity during the day and compares likely activity with a close relative. Do not rely on a single time of day for detection.

Record survey dates, effort, conditions, searched habitat, photographs and any identification uncertainty. Detectability and effective survey methods have not been quantified.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

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

The species is reported to prefer open mulga woodland on red loams and sandy loam soils.

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.

Vegetation associations: Acacia, mulga or brigalow

The species is reported to prefer open mulga woodland on red loams and sandy loam soils.

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.

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: Sandy soils or sand

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

The species is reported to prefer open mulga woodland on red loams and sandy loam soils.

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.

Soil and substrate associations: Loamy soils

The species is reported to prefer open mulga woodland on red loams and sandy loam soils.

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. Check records and habitat

Plan works for the possibility that this inconspicuous, fossorial skink occurs in suitable habitat.

Have an ecologist review available records and site conditions, with particular attention to open mulga woodland on red or sandy loam soils and accumulated leaf litter. Identify areas where the species may occur and confirm any required approvals or management conditions.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Brief the crew

Brief clearing crews and fauna spotter catchers on the described appearance, fossorial habit and limited identification information. Establish a clear stop-work and escalation process for any suspected slider.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Mark and stage

Clearly mark approved disturbance limits and retained habitat. Where clearing proceeds, plan a staged, directional approach consistent with site approvals and the ecologist's advice, and keep suitable adjacent habitat undisturbed where practicable.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Clear progressively

Keep disturbance controlled and ensure a trained observer can respond promptly to fauna encountered during works.

Use the approved staged and directional clearing sequence. Avoid unnecessary movement of machinery outside marked limits, and check that the spotter catcher can safely observe the active work area.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to an animal

If a suspected West Coast Mulga Slider is found, pause work in the immediate area, keep people and machinery clear, and ask the fauna spotter catcher or ecologist to confirm identification and advise on the next step. Handle or relocate an animal only where authorised and by a suitably qualified person.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Record and escalate

Photograph the animal where this can be done safely, record the location and habitat, and document the response. Follow project approval conditions and the agreed incident process before resuming work in the affected area.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check the work area

After clearing, document outcomes and ensure disturbed areas and retained habitat are managed as planned.

Have the ecologist or spotter catcher inspect the affected area for fauna encountered during works and confirm that any required response has been completed. A post-clearing check does not establish that the species was absent before disturbance.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Close out records

Document survey effort, observations, photographs, any fauna response, clearing limits and departures from the approved sequence. Report records through the applicable project and regulatory channels.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Protect retained habitat

Rehabilitation should protect retained habitat and avoid unsupported assumptions about the species' habitat requirements.

Prevent avoidable damage to retained mulga woodland, soils and existing leaf litter during rehabilitation and ongoing site works. Keep vehicle movements and material storage within designated areas.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Restore disturbed ground

Rehabilitate disturbed areas in line with the approved site plan, using locally appropriate vegetation and soil treatments where specified by the project ecologist. Species-specific rehabilitation prescriptions and evidence about recolonisation have not been documented.

Sources