A western range extension for the skink Saiphos equalis

1 Pages·2002·0.28 MB·

by  R Johnson

92 MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
AWESTERN RANGEEXTENSIONFORTHESKINK elements more typical ofSE Australia. Examples known to
SAIPHOSEQUALIS. MemoirsoftheQueenslandMuseum occur in the Carnarvon Ranges are the frogAdelotis brevis,
48(1): 92. 2002:-ThefossorialskinkSaiphosequalisoccurs the skinks Cafyptotis scutirostrum, Ctenotus arcanus and
onthecoastandadjacentrangesofsouthernNSW northward EgerniacunninghamiiandtheelapidsnakeNotechisscutatus
to extreme SE Queensland (Cogger, 2000). Wilson & (CraigEddie,QPWS,pers.comm.).Saiphosequaliscouldbe
Knowles (1992) defined theQueensland rangeasextending anothersuchrelictspecies,buttodatehasnotbeenlocatedin
to Kroombit Tops and noted that the species becomes fauna surveys ofthe national parks ofthe area. It would be
increasingly altitude-dependent in the north of its range. useful to confirm Saiphos equalis in the Chinchilla area.
SpecimenrecordsfromtheQueenslandMuseumindicatethat Some faunasurveyshavebeencarriedout in Barakula State
the specimens were collected at locations on the Great Forest,whichstraddlestheGreatDividingRangetothenorth
Dividing Range, its spurs and associated subcoastal ranges. ofChinchilla(M.Mathieson,L.Hoganpers.comm.).Todate,
The majority of records arc from the Border Ranges and the specieshasnotbeen foundthere. More surveys,perhaps
GraniteBeltregions,buttheyextendasfarnorthasKroombit targeting the more mesic habitats, are needed to define the
TopsandwesttotheBunyaMountains. TheDeptofNatural western limitsoftherangeofthiscryptic lizard.
SRteastoeuFrocreesstF,oroensttrhyeGdarteaabtaDsievciodnitnaginRsanregceorNdsWfoorfDthieamBounndyya Acknowledgements
Mountains (M. Mathieson pers. comm.). Sorley (1997) IthankBruceCosh,'Oakwells1.forallowingaccesstohis
urenfaebrlreedtotofitnhdetshpeecoireisgiinnalthseoCuhricnecohifltlhaisarreeac,orbdut-Ithheavsepebceieens pcroomppearntyy,. fAonrdrsehawriAngmehyisaknndowMlicehdageelaMnadthfioersohniskignodoldy
maybepresentin forestson the nearbyranges. provideddistributiondatafromtheQueenslandMuseumand
IcapturedaSaiphosequalison9March2001 duringflora Department of Natural Resources (Forestry) databases,
andfaunasurveysofaproposednaturerefugeon 'Oakwells*, respectively.
westofInjune. 'Oakwells'isacattlegrazingpropertylocated LiteratureCited
ocvainpntetuhrefeorGseristetea,twoaDnsivatinhdeianrsgetaeReoapfngbuaeps,paeljtrusstsclroNeep,eosvfeogMfettaMtHaeuidtntwoinTt.ohpTdhraeyt COGGE6*R.ed.H.(R2e0e0d0:.SRyedpnteiyl)e.s and Amphibians ofAustralia.
25°45'05"S, 148°16,29"E and approximately 840m altitude. NIX, H.A.1993. Birddistributionsinrelation to imperatives
TmQuhueelecnshsklianaknnddwMahsuusmleuosuca.mte(TdQhMueJn7dse6rp3e0lc5o)io.mseenroicsklionfdigleledd wwiitthh ltehaef TCfaaortptlheiarnba,iltLaAtC.Pc.oB,nisrDerdrisvsactoailnlod,nPit.nhVe.Qi,urHeueHnlassblmiatanandt,.sK:.P,pS.Mtua1it2ru-,s21D.a.nI&dn
'Oakwells* is about 270km NW ofChinchilla and about Conservation in Queensland. (Qld Ornithological
320kmWT^WofDiamondyState Forest,thusrepresentinga Society: Brisbane).
cskoinnski.deTrhaeblqeueexstteinosniaornisweesswthweatrhderofthtihserkencoorwdnrreapnrgeeseontfsthains SORLERY.,&J.H1a9n97d.o,ReVp.til(eedss.o)f.tGheoianrega.BPups.h77w-i8t2h.CIhninHcahnidlol,a
isolatedpopulationorwhetherthedistributioniscontinuous Nats. 2"d ed. (Chinchilla Field Naturalists' Club:
alongtheGreat Dividing Range. Tothenorth ofInjune, the Chinchilla).
Great Dividing Range meets the extensive uplands of the WILSON, S.K. & KNOWLES, D.G. 1992. Australia's
CarnarvonandExpeditionRanges.Theseuplandshavebeen Reptiles. A Photographic Reference to theTerrestrial
described as 'islands* in the mesotherm archipelago ofNix ReptilesofAustralia.(CornstalkPublishing:Pymble).
(1993). More temperateconditions here are associated with RichardJohnson, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service,
outlier or relict populations of Bassian herpetofaunal PC)Box 981, Roma4455, Australia: 30August2001.