Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey REPTILES D. Armstrong1 Summary of Records Available Prior to 2008 As the first two of these surveys occurred during the Prior to the major systematic survey effort of the development stages of the Biological Survey of SA Marqualpie Land System carried out by a combined program the site sampling and trapping effort which Department of Environment and Natural Resources was later adopted as a standard was not then in place. (DENR) and Scientific Expedition Group (SEG) team Records were collected using either differing trap in 2008 reptile records were available for the area from numbers, trap nights or over multiple visits to the sites. the DENR Biological Databases of South Australia As such, the results from these sites cannot be directly (BDBSA). These records had been collected during compared with the 2008 sites. Although the three three earlier surveys of sections of the north-eastern Stony Deserts Survey sites were sampled using the quarter of SA, all of which had some sample sites current DENR standard sampling methods (Owens within the boundaries of the Marqualpie Land System 2000), they are included in this separate discussion of (MLS). all earlier records due to their minimal number of both sites and records and different timing to the majority These surveys were:- sampling effort of 2008. • BS3 – Cooper Creek Environmental Association Survey (1983): 8 sites. Due to the extreme An additional 24 records were provided from the SA variability in sampling effort this is simply the Museum specimen collection, and one from the DENR number of locations for which reptile records were general Opportunistic Sightings records. These available. combined sources produced a total of 512 reptile • BS41 – Della and Marqualpie Land Systems’ records providing evidence of the presence of 38 Fauna Monitoring Program (1989-92): 10 sites. reptile species within the survey area (Table 36). • BS69 – Stony Deserts Survey (1994-97): 3 sites. The location of all sites sampled on these and the 2008 Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey are shown in Figure 103. Table 36. Sources of reptile records for the Marqualpie Land System. Cooper Della and Stony 2008 2008 General SA Source Creek Marqualpie Deserts Survey Survey Total OP Museum (Sites) (Sites) (Sites) (OP) (Sites) Records 29* 436 22 1 24 49 485 1,046 Species 18 26 7 1 12 11 35 42 Note: * = includes one opportunistic sighting record. Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey Between 19th and 27th September 2008 32 sites were sampled using the standard survey effort recommended by the Biological Survey of South Australia (Owens 2000). Reptile records were obtained at all 32 sites. The 485 records at these sites represent 35 of the total of 42 reptile species known for the survey area. A list of all reptile species recorded at sites on this survey is provided in Appendix 15. Another 49 records were collected opportunistically during the survey, but the 11 species they represented Figure 102. Eastern Desert Ctenotus (Ctenotus were also caught at one or more of the survey sites. regius) was recorded at more sites on this survey All 17 Eremiascincus fasciolatus (Narrow-banded than any other reptile species (Photo: A. Robinson). 1 Science Resource Centre, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide SA 5001. 81 Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey Figure 103. Location of survey sites where reptiles have been sampled in the Marqualpie Land System. Sandswimmer) recorded opportunistically were found The six lizard species recorded at more than 10 sites in trenches dug to monitor Marsupial Mole activity, as accounted for almost half (49.7%) of all reptile records were three other individual species records. Therefore at survey sites (Table 37). These were: four skinks - 20 of 49 (41%) opportunistic records were the result of Ctenotus regius (Eastern Desert Ctenotus), these trenches. Eremiascincus fasciolatus (Narrow-banded Sandswimmer), Ctenotus leae (Centralian Coppertail) The average number of site records per reptile species and Ctenotus taeniatus (Eyrean Ctenotus); one dragon was 13.9. By far the most frequently recorded species - Ctenophorus nuchalis (Central Netted Dragon); and was Ctenotus regius (Eastern Desert Ctenotus), which one gecko - Nephrurus levis (Smooth Knob-tailed accounted for 67 (or 13.8%) of all 485 site records and Gecko). was present at 25 (or 78%) of the 32 sites (Table 37). Table 37. Most frequently recorded reptile species at survey sites during the 2008 Survey. Species Name Common Name No. of Sites No. of Records Ctenotus regius Eastern Desert Ctenotus 25 78% 67 13.8% Ctenophorus nuchalis Central Netted Dragon 17 53% 39 8.0% Eremiascincus fasciolatus Narrow-banded Sandswimmer 12 38% 63 13.0% Ctenotus leae Centralian Coppertail 11 34% 30 6.2% Ctenotus taeniatus Eyrean Ctenotus 11 34% 27 5.6% Nephrurus levis Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko 11 34% 15 3.1% Total 241 49.7% 82 Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey At the other end of the scale there were six species were BLO00101 in Eucalyptus coolabah (Coolibah) with only one or two records. These least frequently Low Woodland in a flood-out area on clay soil, recorded species were: two skinks - Ctenotus ariadnae KEN00601 in Eucalyptus coolabah (Coolibah) Low (Pin-striped Ctenotus) and Cyclodomorphus venustus Open Woodland swamp on loamy clay soil and (Saltbush Slender Bluetongue); two legless lizards - KES00101 in Atriplex holocarpa (Pop Saltbush) Pygopus nigriceps (Black-headed Scaly-foot) and Herbland on a floodplain on clay loam soil. Lialis burtonis (Burton’s Legless Lizard); one dragon - Tympanocryptis tetraporophora (Eyrean Earless Dragon); and one goanna - Varanus eremius (Desert Pygmy Goanna). Figure 105. The Narrow-banded Sandswimmer (Eremiascincus fasciolatus) was one of the most frequently recorded reptile species on the 2008 survey, being found at most dune sites (Photo: A. Figure 104. The Saltbush Slender Bluetongue Robinson). (Cyclodomorphus venustus) was recorded at two sites in Coolibah Low Woodlands in floodouts near The average number of reptile records per site was the Cordillo Downs boundary (Photo: A. 15.2. Nine of the 32 sites had 20 or more reptile Robinson). records, whilst the highest was 38 records representing 11 species at MON00701 in Crotalaria eremaea ssp. The average number of reptile species recorded per eremaea (Downy Loose-flowered Rattle-pod), site was 7.1. There were 10 or more species recorded Zygochloa paradoxa (Sandhill Canegrass) Open at seven of the 32 sites (Figure 106). The highest Shrubland on a consolidated sand dune. However, 18 number of species recorded at a site was 15 at of these records were of two species, 11 KEN00801. This was in Atalaya hemiglauca Eremiascincus fasciolatus (Narrow-banded (Whitewood) Very Low Open Woodland on a low Sandswimmer) and seven Ctenotus leae (Centralian sand dune. The lowest number of species at a site was Coppertail). The lowest number of records at a site three at three run-on sites with heavy soils. These was three individual records of three separate species at KEN00601, described above. 6 5 4 3 2 Number ofSites 1 0 123456789101112131415 Number of Species Figure 106. Reptile species diversity at sites for the 2008 survey. 83 Marqualpie Land System Biological Survey Species Summary Significance of pre 2008 Data The combination of all available reptile data provides a It is unusual for an area where a DENR systematic total of 1,046 records representing 42 species within survey is carried out to have so much pre-existing data, the Marqualpie Land System (Appendix 16). Amongst particularly in isolated arid areas. Of the total these species are members of all seven of the currently available records for the Marqualpie Land System recognised Australian lizard families and two of the survey area 512 of 1,046 (48.9%) come from sources six Australian snake families. other than the large scale DENR/SEG survey of 2008. This is largely the result of work carried out by a small The lizard families are: number of biologist contractors working for Santos. • Agamidae (Dragons) six species Most of this earlier data was provided by their survey • Carphodactylidae (Knob-tailed Geckos) one work repeated annually over four years from 1989-92, species which accounted for 436 of 512 (85%) pre-2008 • Diplodactylidae (Ground Geckos) seven species records. Although sampling effort at sites during this • Gekkonidae (Climbing Geckos) two species and other early surveys in the Marqualpie Land • Pygopodidae (Legless Lizards) three species System differs from current standards, preventing its • Scincidae (Skinks) 17 species use in a comparable analysis with the 2008 survey, the quantity and variations in the data make it highly • Varanidae (Goannas) two species. valuable in presenting a more complete picture of the biodiversity of the area. The snake families are: • Elapidae (Elapid Snakes) - generally described as front-fanged venomous land snakes - three species Discussion of Combined Records When all records are combined, the average number of • Typhlopidae (Blind Snakes) one species. records per species is 24.9. The most frequently recorded species is still Ctenotus regius (Eastern Note: It is probable that the number of skink species Desert Ctenotus), probably because it is not a habitat recorded for the survey area will change pending a specialist, being found in a wide variety of vegetation current taxonomic review of a group of similar larger associations and on most soil types. Of the 42 reptile Ctenotus species (M. Hutchinson, pers comm, 2010). species, the five most frequently recorded (Table 38) These include two species recorded for the MLS, account for 41.2% of all records. However, there are Ctenotus brachyonyx (Brown Ctenotus) and Ctenotus still 13 species with five or fewer records from the saxatilis (Centralian Striped Skink). survey area. Appendix 16 provides a complete list of all reptile species and their sources recorded in the Marqualpie Land System.