21 assessments had been undertaken that did Recent taxonomic changes and additions not result in an application for an agreement or to the snake fauna of New South Wales a statement. 24 assessments were currently being Steve Sass1,2 undertaken, of which: 1EnviroKey, PO Box 7231, Tathra NSW 2550 5 would definitely result in an application 2Ecology & Biodiversity Group, Charles Sturt University, 9 would definitely not result in an application Thurgoona, NSW 2541 10 were undecided/not sure [email protected] To a significant degree, the future of the BioBanking program is in our hands. As Assessors, it is our role to Since the ‘Complete Guide to the Reptiles of introduce the idea to our clients and sell the concept. Australia‛ was first published in 2003, more than 80 No matter how cynical you might be about the reptile species have been added to the list of described modelling, the data upon which it is built, access to reptile species in Australia, bringing the total number the program, the cost of training or the unusual to 923 in the third and most recent addition (Wilson application of the program in part of western Sydney: and Swan 2010). These additions being the result of you must admit that it provides a mechanism to get newly discovered species, naming of previously important privately-owned pieces of country into a undescribed species, and taxonomic reviews of perpetual reserve network. If it is not achieving that, various species and genera. This has resulted in then it is partly our fault and we need to work at it. significant changes to the reptile fauna in NSW previously detailed within the most recent NSW field The part over which we have less control however is very worrying – the political response. I know little of guide ‘A field guide to reptiles of New South what the new Coalition State Government thinks of Wales’ (Swan et al. 2004). A recent paper provided an this program. The OEH team could not shed light on overview of these changes for lizards (Sass 2011) yet to the Government’s position at the Forum. Given that date, there has been no such synthesis provided from one of the Government’s first responses to cost-saving snakes. is to slash the scientific staff at Forestry, I do not hold out much hope that they understand the value or have The objective of this short paper is to provide an a long-term view of the contribution of long-term outline of these changes to snakes in NSW with the conservation planning. exception of sea snakes, to provide clarity to ecologists with identification and nomenclature for future So it is imperative that, as practitioners, we make sure biodiversity surveys and assessments. our elected representatives do understand its potential value. Write to your local member, email them and ring them up. When a BioBanking Agreement or The Families: Statement is in place – brag about it. Use it in your Typhlopidae marketing and get your clients to do the same. The Southern Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops australis) no longer occurs in NSW: these individuals are now Unless a public profile is given to BioBanking (or any of the other innovative ways of getting better known as Dark-spined Blind Snake (Ramphotyphlops conservation on private lands), I fear it will go the bicolor) (Rabosky et al. 2004). way of many of the esoteric things that the public Pythonidae service does: into the redundancy bucket. There have been no changes to Pythons in NSW. 26 Colubridae References There have been no changes to Colubrids in NSW. Greer A. E. (2006) Encylopedia of Australian Reptiles. Australian Museum Online http://www.amonline.net.au/ Elapidae herpetology/research/encyclopedia.pdf. Version date: 7 August 2006. A number of changes have occurred within this family since Swan et al. (2004). Rabosky D. L., Aplin K. P., Donnellan S. C. & Hedges S. B. (2004) Molecular phylogeny of blindsnakes Eastern Small-eyed Snake is no longer part of the (Ramphotyphlops) from western Australia and Rhinoplocephalus genus. It is now known as Cryptophis resurrection of Ramphotyphlops bicolor (Peters, 1857). nigrescens. Rhinoplocephalus are known from only WA. Australian Journal of Zoology 52, 531-48. A review of the Demansia torquata complex in 2007 Sass S. (2011) Taxonomic changes and additions to the resulted in a revision of its status in NSW. The species lizard fauna of New South Wales: A synthesis. Consulting Ecology 24. formerly known as Demansia torquata is now regarded as D. rimicola, with D. torquata only occurring in Shea G. & Scanlon J. (2007) Revision of the small tropical coastal QLD (Shea and Scanlon 2007). This species is whipsnakes previously referred to Demansia olivacea (Gray, 1842) and Demansia torquata (Gunther, 1862) (Squamata: listed as Vulnerable on the TSC Act and is still listed Elapidae). Records of the Australian Museum 59, 117-42. on the DECCW website as the former. Skinner A. (2009) A multivariate analysis and systematic review There has been a great amount of instability of the of Pseudonaja (Serpentes, Elapidae, Hydrophiinae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 155, 171-97. nomenclature of the smaller Elapidae, particularly with members of the now Parasuta genus. Many of Swan G., Shea G. & Sadlier R. (2004) Field guide to the reptiles these species originated in the genus Denisonia (1964), of New South Wales. Reed New Holland, Sydney. then moved to Unechis and Suta, until 2006 when they Wilson S. & Swan G. (2010) A Complete Guide to Reptiles of shifted into Parasuta (Greer 2006). Swan et al. (2004) Australia, 3rd edition. Reed New Holland, Sydney. documented five species of the Suta genus. Only one of these, the Curl Snake (Suta suta), remains with the Port Stephens Comprehensive Koala Plan other four regarded as Parasuta. This includes the of Management threatened Little Whip Snake - now known as Parasuta Ray Williams flagellum, although it remains listed as Suta flagellum Ecotone Ecological Consultants on the DECCW website. ECA Council Member The finally change to the Elapidae comes from the As reported previously in Consulting Ecology, I am a Western Brown Snakes. One species of Western member of the Port Stephens CKPoM Steering Brown Snake (Pseuodonaja nuchalis) was formerly Committee representing the Ecological Consultants known to occur in NSW. P. nuchalis is no longer Association (as well as being a resident of Port considered to occur in NSW with its current Stephens and a wildlife rescuer/carer for the Native distribution confined to northern NT and north- Animal Trust Fund *NATF+). western QLD. The individuals from NSW are now considered two separate species: Strap-snouted Brown The steering committee is currently chaired by Snake (Pseuodonaja aspidorhyncha) and Western Councillor Geoff Dingle and is made up of Brown Snake (Pseuodonaja mengdeni) (Skinner 2009). representatives from Port Stephens Council, OEH, Hunter Water Corp, Hunter Koala Protection Society, 27 .