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Yampi Blind Snake (Anilios yampiensis)

The Yampi Blind Snake is a slender blind snake known from Yampi Sound in the Kimberley. Very few specimens or records are known. Its habitat, ecology and detectability are poorly understood, so works involving ground disturbance should use cautious, staged survey and clearing practices. It is listed as Priority 2 on the WA DBCA Threatened and Priority Fauna List.

Conservation status

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

Seasonal planning

Seasonal activity and breeding months are not recorded. Use the following as a general planning window, not as a statement of species phenology.

Breeding: Oviparous; timing is not recorded.

Seasonal activity: Not recorded.

Month values use the available month codes; this row does not identify a preferred season for the species.

  • Survey and disturbance planning: Planning window only. No species-specific seasonal activity data are available; apply survey and clearing precautions at any time of year.

Identification: Appearance and size

Identification is based on morphological characters. The species is poorly known, and no field description of live animals or field signs is recorded.

The species is described as a slender blind snake with a rounded snout. It has 18 midbody scale rows and a nasal cleft that proceeds from the preocular and completely divides the nasal scale.

No body length, total length, mass or colour description is recorded.

Identification: Similar species

The species is distinguished from Anilios diversus by its more numerous ventral scales. An older Western Australian key also distinguishes it by the nasal cleft proceeding from the preocular and the eye being larger than the nostril.

Identification should be confirmed by a suitably experienced person using diagnostic characters. Do not rely on general appearance alone.

Identification: Field signs

No species-specific tracks, surface signs, calls or other field signs are described. No reliable field sign for locating this species is known.

Distribution: Known range

The known distribution is very restricted and poorly documented in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The species is recorded from Western Australia. Its type locality is Koolan Island in Yampi Sound, north-west Kimberley.

It is reported as known from a single specimen. A later Western Australian Museum paper also identifies it among Kimberley endemics described from a single specimen, with few or no additional specimens collected since description.

Distribution: WA records and status

The WA priority list flags the Kimberley region. Atlas of Living Australia records show one Western Australian record at one distinct 0.1-degree location, around latitude -16.1 and longitude 123.8.

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. No national listing is recorded.

Habitat: Habitat information

The habitat occupied by this species is not described. Do not infer site suitability from the type locality alone.

Specific vegetation types, landforms, soils and other habitat preferences are not recorded.

Habitat: Works-site interpretation

As habitat requirements are unknown, do not treat a lack of obvious surface signs as evidence that the species is absent. Seek advice from a qualified fauna ecologist when assessing potential impacts in the Kimberley.

Foraging habitat: Diet and foraging

The species' diet and foraging habitat have not been documented.

No prey, feeding observations or foraging locations are recorded for Anilios yampiensis.

Foraging habitat: Precaution

For site assessment, retain uncertainty about where the snake may forage. Do not treat any particular soil, vegetation or ground-cover type as unimportant to the species.

Breeding habitat: Reproduction

The species is oviparous, but its breeding dates and breeding habitat are not described.

Anilios yampiensis lays eggs. Clutch size, egg-laying sites, incubation period and breeding months are not recorded.

Breeding habitat: Planning implication

There is no evidence-based breeding season for scheduling works. Apply survey and clearing precautions throughout the year where works may affect ground habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Known information

Sheltering locations and seasonal sheltering behaviour are not described.

Burrows, refuges, soil depths and other shelter sites used by this species are not recorded.

Sheltering habitat: Precaution

As a general precaution for a blind snake, treat ground and concealed refuges within the work area as potential fauna habitat. Do not claim that the species uses a particular refuge type unless this is confirmed by survey.

Threats: Recorded threats

No species-specific threats are identified. The limited records mean that potential impacts should be assessed cautiously.

No specific threats, population trends or causes of decline are recorded for Anilios yampiensis.

Threats: Potential works risks

As a general precaution for fauna that may be concealed in ground habitat, clearing, excavation and vehicle movement could injure or kill an animal if one is present. This is a potential works risk, not a documented species-specific threat.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

No species-specific survey method or detectability information is known. Use a qualified ecologist and document the limits of any survey.

Check current DBCA information, project records and available fauna databases for the proposed works area and its surroundings. Do not assume the species is absent because no records are mapped.

Survey methodology: 2. Field inspection

Have a suitably experienced reptile ecologist assess the site before disturbance. As a general blind-snake survey practice, inspect accessible ground refuges and surface cover carefully, and avoid destructive searching unless appropriately authorised and supervised.

Survey methodology: 3. Record and report

Record survey dates, conditions, areas searched, methods, effort and limitations. Photograph and accurately locate any suspected individual or relevant evidence, and arrange expert identification.

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. Review the work area

Plan works around uncertainty in the species' distribution, habitat and detectability. Confirm applicable approvals and fauna handling requirements before starting.

Review DBCA priority information and available records, and ask a qualified ecologist to assess the proposed disturbance footprint. Give particular attention to the limited known distribution in the Kimberley.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Set controls

Mark approved clearing limits and establish no-go areas where required by approvals or ecological advice. Brief crews on the possibility of encountering a small, concealed snake and on the stop-work and reporting procedure.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Prepare fauna response

Confirm who is authorised to handle fauna, how an animal will be identified and recorded, and where it can be safely held or transferred if required. Do not begin disturbance until the response arrangements are clear.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Clear in stages

Use controlled, staged work practices and respond promptly to any fauna encounter.

Keep disturbance within the approved footprint and proceed in manageable stages under the agreed ecological controls. Avoid unnecessary vehicle movements and ground disturbance outside the active work area.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Respond to an encounter

Stop work in the immediate area if a suspected blind snake is found. Keep people and machinery clear, do not handle it unless authorised, and contact the nominated fauna ecologist or handler for identification and direction.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Document the event

Record the location, time, circumstances and actions taken. Photograph the animal only where this can be done without causing further disturbance, and report the encounter through the project and approval processes.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Check and report

After works, close out fauna records and review whether site controls were effective.

Have the ecologist review any fauna observations, handling events or unexpected ground conditions. Submit records and incident reports to the relevant project contacts and agencies where required.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Review controls

Record whether the planned survey and clearing controls were followed and note any limitations. Use the findings to improve controls for later stages or nearby work areas.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore disturbed areas

Species-specific rehabilitation requirements are not recorded. Follow project approvals and ecological advice without assuming an unverified habitat preference.

Reinstate disturbed ground and surface cover in accordance with the approved rehabilitation plan. Keep rehabilitation within the agreed footprint and avoid introducing materials or altering drainage without ecological and project approval.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Monitor outcomes

Monitor rehabilitation against the project's approved objectives and record any fauna observations. Do not treat a lack of observations as evidence that the species is absent.

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