A noodle in a haystack: determining the conservation status of the rare and Data Deficient Ravensthorpe Range slider, Lerista viduata

Luke R. Bonifacio; Jules E. Farquhar; Arman N. Pili; Jessica C. Walsh; David G. Chapple

doi:10.1071/PC24048

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Next Contents Vol 30(6)

A noodle in a haystack: determining the conservation status of the rare and Data Deficient Ravensthorpe Range slider, Lerista viduata

Luke R. Bonifacio

^A ^* , Jules E. Farquhar ^A , Arman N. Pili ^B , Jessica C. Walsh ^A and David G. Chapple

^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic, Australia. Email: Jules.Farquhar@monash.edu, Jessica.Walsh@monash.edu, David.Chapple@monash.edu

^B Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany. Email: armannorciopili@gmail.com

^* Correspondence to: Luke.Bonifacio1@monash.edu

Handling Editor: Mike Calver

Pacific Conservation Biology 30, PC24048 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC24048

Submitted: 10 July 2024 Accepted: 6 November 2024 Published: 21 November 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

One-seventh of the ~157,000 species assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are Data Deficient (DD), with insufficient information to assess their extinction risk. Such a statistic is concerning from a conservation perspective because more than half are predicted to be threatened by extinction, yet they are generally neglected from conservation priority.

Aims

Here, we aimed to improve ecological knowledge, and inform the conservation status of, the DD Ravensthorpe Range slider (Lerista viduata), a historically rare skink confined to Western Australia’s Ravensthorpe Range.

Methods

A detailed framework was developed to improve data on attributes integral to the species’ IUCN Red List assessment (e.g. distribution, threats, population size): collation of historical records, fieldwork within and around its known range, preserved specimen analysis, on-ground and spatial analysis of threats, and inference from ecologically similar species.

Key results

We found that L. viduata is threatened under multiple IUCN Red List criteria (B1ab[i,ii,iii,v], B2ab[i,ii,iii,v], C2ab[ii], D2), and overall should be considered Critically Endangered. This status is based on its Extent of Occurrence (32 km²) being <100 km², occurrence at one location (defined by the threat of fire), and an inferred continuing decline in its distribution and habitat parameters. The species’ small estimated population size (3,514–9,276 mature individuals) also renders it extinction prone.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that L. viduata, long perceived as DD, should be reclassified as Critically Endangered, and is of the utmost conservation concern.

Implications

Our study reiterates the need for DD species to receive greater consideration in conservation research and action.

Keywords: Critically Endangered, ecological knowledge, extinction risk, IUCN Red List, reptiles, skink, threatened, Western Australia.

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