Disjunct populations of spinifex-obligate reptiles revealed in a newly described vegetation community near Broken Hill, far-western New South Wales

• Published in: Australian zoologist Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 781 - 787
• Main Authors: Sass, Steve, Gerry Swan, Brooke Marshall, Tim Browne, Nick Graham-Higgs
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Royal Zoological Society of NSW 2011
• Subjects: Barrier Ranges; biodiversity; Broken Hill Bioregion; Cyclodomorphus; Delma; grasses; habitat; mallee; microhabitats; plant communities; reptile; reptiles; spinifex; surveys; western NSW; New South Wales
• ISSN: 0067-2238
• DOI: 10.7882/az.2011.030

Recent biodiversity surveys of the Barrier Ranges in far western New South Wales resulted in the discovery of an undescribed vegetation community dominated by spinifex grass growing on rocky ranges. Reptile surveys within this vegetation community revealed the presence of three reptile species not known to, or predicted to occur in the Broken Hill Complex Bioregion. These were the Spinifex Snake-lizard Delma butleri, Marble-headed Snake-lizard Delma australis and Southern Spinifex Slender Blue-tongue Cyclodomorphus melanops elongatus. The conservation value of these populations is regarded as regionally significant. All three species were detected by hand-searches of the spinifex grass highlighting the need to use experienced herpetologists when conducting reptile surveys in complex microhabitats. Their presence in the study area on a rocky substrate provides additional information on their habitat requirements in New South Wales.