Allan's lerista
Common name: Allan's lerista, Allan's skink, Retro slider
Scientific name: Lerista allanae
Conservation status: Allan's lerista is 'Endangered' in Queensland (Nature Conservation Act 1992) and 'Endangered' nationally (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Description: Lerista allanae is a burrowing skink. Its general appearance is grey or grey-brown above, with darker-edged individual scales forming five longitudinal lines of dark spots. Its sides are paler with the individual scale finely spotted with dark brown. Its ventral surface is whitish, while the scales on the throat (and sometimes the chest and belly) are dark spotted. Fore limbs are absent, but there is a faint groove on each side marking their position. Each hind limb has a single digit. The snout-vent length is 90mm. There are no photographs of a living Allan's lerista.
Habitat and distribution: It is found in the root systems of grass tussocks on black soils. Data from the registers, correspondence and literature on the habitat of L. allanae are scant.
Thirteen museum specimens comprise the total knowledge base of Lerista allanae. All 13 individuals were collected in three locations (Retro, Logan Downs and Clermont) in close proximity to one another, between 1929 and 1960. The species is confined to the undulating, black soil downs of the central Brigalow Belt North Bioregion.
Behaviour and life history: Very little is known of the behaviour of L. allanae. It is known to burrow and reside in black soil under tussocks of grass.
Threatening processes: Virtually all of Allan's leristas' preferred habitat has been cultivated and no longer support natural vegetation. Not until an extant population is located can current known threats be assessed. The likely reasons for the decline of L. allanae probably include a combination of overgrazing by stock, pasture improvement and intensive cropping.
Recovery actions:
- Survey known and potential habitat within the species known range.
- Develop and promote guidelines and provide incentives for landowners to reduce the impact of current land use practices on the species outside reserves.
- Establish appropriate reserves to secure the survival of the species.
- Develop community awareness within the species' known range. Encourage schools participating in reptile educational programs to adopt a local reptile species as their school icon. Encourage local governments participating in recovery actions to adopt a local reptile species as the shire icon.
- Negotiate management agreements for the protection of priority areas and key habitat areas in line with management guidelines.
- Work with local governments to protect habitat on the stock route network and shire roadsides and reserves.
Further information:
A draft recovery plan is being prepared for Brigalow Belt Reptiles that includes this species: Richardson, R. (in prep). Draft Queensland Brigalow Belt Reptile Recovery Plan 2007-2011. Report to the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra. WWF, Australia.
Last updated: 05 September 2006