Abundance:=The abundance scoring system depends on the opinions of experienced observers who are familiar with the species and judgement that a species is abundant does not necessarily mean it appears to be so to the untrained person. In the abundance definitions, "locatable" means seen, heard, or judged to be present. "Appropriate times" may mean the time of day when the species is active or the time of year when its presence becomes obvious.
Abundant=In the case of reptiles: a species is considered abundant if it takes less than one hour to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and the appropriate times (year and day or night). In the general case for other \Pvertebrates\p: locatable at all appropriate times in all appropriate habitats; if trappable, well represented in any trap-line set at such times and places.
Aestivate=To pass (usually) the summer in a dormant condition/the act of aestivating.
Aestivation=A prolonged state of dormancy to minimise water loss and energy consumption during water shortages in dry conditions or seasons (usually hotter times of the year).
Agamid=Of or relating to the Agamidae, a widespread family of lizards, mostly terrestrial, but some arboreal or semi-aquatic, having acrodont dentition and roughened skin, as the bearded dragon or the frill-necked lizard.
Alluvial=Of or pertaining to alluvium, which is a deposit of sand, mud etc., formed by flowing water.
Alluvium=A deposit of sand, mud etc., formed by flowing water.
Amphibian=Able to live on land and in water.
Amphibious=Able to live on land and water.
Amphipods=Any of a type of small crustaceans, Amphipoda, lacking a carapace and having a compressed body, including beach fleas etc.
Anomalous=Deviating from the common rule, type or form; abnormal, irregular.
Anteriorly=Placed before, situated more to the front.
Anterior=Placed before, situated more to the front of an animal or structure.
Apical sensory pit=Also called a scale pit. A tiny pore at the apex of individual scales of lizards and snakes which appears to have a tactile function.
Apical=Of, at or forming the apex.
Aquatic=Living or growing in water.
Arthropod=A wide variety of animals with external skeletons and jointed bodies and limbs: e.g. crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, insects and spiders.
Calcareous=Of, coated with, containing or like calcium carbonate; chalky; calcareous earth.
Canopy=The upper foliage, usually dense, of a tree or forest.
Carapace=A shield, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal.
Carnivorous=Feeding on animals (usually \Pvertebrates\p).
Carrion=The bodies of dead animals.
Class:=Class is the classification level located below Phylum but above Order.
Climate:=The observed long term average variations in atmospheric processes such as air temperature, rainfall, windspeeds and directions which are predictable on a year to year or month to month basis (as opposed to \Pweather\p).
Cline=A gradual change in the characteristics of a species across its range - usually associated with an environmental gradient: north-south, wet-dry, lowland-mountain, etc. Contrast with \B\Psubspecies\b\p.
Cloaca=The terminal chamber in the posterior part of the digestive tract of a reptile through which faeces, urinary products and sperm (in males) and eggs or young in females pass out of the body. Sperms are conducted via copulatory organs which also evert out of the opening of the cloaca. This opening is called the vent or the anus.
Colluvial=Material transported to a site by gravity; as in rock deposits at the base of a scree slope.
Common=In the case of reptiles: a species is considered common if it takes more than one hour but less than 25 hours to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and at the appropriate times (year and day or night). In the general case for other \Pvertebrates\p: usually locatable at appropriate times in most appropriate habitats; if trappable, usually represented to some extent in most trap-lines set at such times and places.
Congeneric=Belonging to the same genus.
Conspecific=Belonging to the same species.
Convergent evolution=The evolution of similar body form (or other features) in animals of widely different ancestry: e.g. sharks and dolphins, bats and birds.
Corm=The short, swollen underground base of some plants (such as gladiolus).
Crepuscular=Active in the twilight or early evening.
Crustaceans=Belonging to the Crustacea, a phylum of (chiefly aquatic) arthropod animals, including the lobsters, prawns, crabs, barnacles, slaters etc., commonly having the body covered with a hard exoskeleton or carapace.
Curved Carapace Length:=A measurement taken of a turtles shell starting from the front of the shell, continuing over the curved section of the shell and ending at the conclusion of the shell, just above the base of the tail.
Cutaneous=Of, pertaining to or affecting the skin.
Dasyurid=A member of the family Dasyuridae (carnivorous Australian native mammals).
Diapause=A temporary halt in embryonic or larval development.
Distribution:=Distribution scores are based on distribution maps and, since such maps always include areas where the species does not occur, these figures are always overestimates. The smaller the area occupied by a species, the greater the significance of that area. The scale therefore expands exponentially, beginning with small increases and ending with large ones.
Diurnal=Active during the day.
Dorsal=Of, pertaining to or situated on the back, such as colour pattern, particular scales etc.
Dorsolateral=Referring to the regions of the body where the back area meets the side areas.
Endangered=In danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate. Included are taxa whose numbers have been reduced to a critical level or whose habitats have been so drastically reduced that they are deemed to be in immediate danger of extinction. Also included are taxa that may now be extinct but have definitely been seen in the wild during the past 50 years and have not been subject to thorough searching. See \PReptile Action Plan\p.
Endemic=Native to a designated area: e.g. the Platypus is endemic to Australia.
Ephemeral=Short lived, transitory.
Epidermis=The outer part of the skin of a vertebrate, composed of several layers of cells, the outermost ones are usually dead and horny (keratinised).
Epiphyte=A plant which grows upon another but does not get food, water or minerals from it.
Epiphytic=Being a plant which grows upon another but does not get food, water or minerals from it.
Extinct=Not definitely located in the wild in the past 50 years, or species that have not been found in recent years despite thorough searching. See \PReptile Action Plan\p.
family=A level of classification above genus and below order.
Femoral=Of or pertaining to the inner thigh or femur.
Ferruginous=Iron bearing, containing iron. Or of the colour of rusty iron.
Friable=Easily crumbled: descriptive of soils.
Genera=Plural of \Pgenus\p.
Genus=(plural genera) a level of classification above species but below family, usually comprising several closely related species but sometimes with only one. The scientific name of the species consists of the genus name (with a capital first letter), followed by the specific name, both in italics. For example, the Red Kangaroo is one of a number of kangaroos and wallabies placed in the genus \IMacropus:\i its specific name is \Irufus\i and the species is known as \IMacropus rufus\i.
gibber=An extensive area of ground covered by small smoothly rounded stones which are mostly embedded in the surface soil. Vast areas of gibber (stony) deserts occur in Australia. An individual stone is also called a gibber.
Gravid=Carrying eggs or young in reptiles and frogs.
Habitat=The area that provides the physical and biological requirements of a species.
Head and Body Length:=The length of the combined head and body of an animal, not including the tail
Heath=Vegetation which is dominated by low small-leaved shrubs (mostly Epacridacae) and sometimes low trees (mostly eucalypts) growing in poorly drained, acidic, low fertility sandy soils.
Hemipenes=In squamata (the order of snakes and lizards), the paired eversible copulatory organs of the male.
Herbaceous=Consisting of herbs, which are flowering plants with stems that are neither woody nor persistent.
Herbivore=An animal which feeds on plants.
Herbivorous=Feeding on plants.
Heterogeneous=Different in kind or size; unlike; incongruous.
Hibernaculum=The winter quarters of an animal which hibernates.
Hibernate=To be in a prolonged condition of sleep and diminished temperature control in mammals during winter. See also \Btorpor/torpid\b.
Hibernation=A prolonged condition of sleep and diminished temperature control in mammals during winter.
Homogeneous=Composed of parts all of the same kind or size; not \Pheterogeneous\p.
Hummock=\B(Hummock grassland)\b - Areas where grasses of the genera \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i (both often erroneously called "spinifex") are dominant. Soil builds up around each clump of grass, forming a hummock, the ground between the hummocks usually being bare. See also \Pspinifex\p. \B(Hummock grasses)\b - Grasses of the genera \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i which grow as a densely interlain mass of short stems and long hard leaves radiating up and out from a basal core. The miriad leaf-ends are usually very sharp and spiky, the shape of the whole plant is a distinct wide-based rounded dome or hummock. In addition, wind blown soil often builds up within the plant mass to form a soil hummock. These plants are often called "spinifex" in error. See also \Pspinifex\p and \Ptussock grasses\p.
Hummock grassland=Areas where grasses of the genera \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i (both often erroneously called "spinifex") are dominant. Soil builds up around each clump of grass, forming a hummock, the ground between the hummocks usually being bare. See also \Pspinifex\p.
Hummock grasses=Grasses of the genera \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i which grow as a densely interlain mass of short stems and long hard leaves radiating up and out from a basal core. The miriad leaf-ends are usually very sharp and spiky, the shape of the whole plant is a distinct wide-based rounded dome or hummock. In addition, wind blown soil often builds up within the plant mass to form a soil hummock. These plants are often called "spinifex" in error. See also \Pspinifex\p and \Ptussock grasses\p.
Incubate=To have close body contact with eggs for the purpose of hatching them.
Incubation=The state or act of maintaining close body contact with eggs for the purpose of hatching them.
Insectivorous=Feeding on insects and/or other \Pterrestrial\p arthropods.
Insufficiently known=Species that are \Isuspected\i of being \PEndangered\p, \PVulnerable\p or \PRare\p but whose true status cannot be determined without more information. See \PReptile Action Plan\p.
Intertidal=The shore zone between the highest and lowest tides; eulittoral zone; littoral; tidal zone.
Invertebrate=Any animal that is not a vertebrate i.e. that does not have a backbone: e.g., worms, molluscs, arthropods, etc.
Isopods=Any of the Isopoda, an order of crustaceans (freshwater, marine and terrestrial) with seven pairs of legs and body flattened dorsoventrally e.g., slates, woodlice.
Keeled=Having a longitudinally raised narrow ridge or ridges (usually on scales of lizards or snakes, but also on the shells of some turtles).
Lamellae=The regular series of small plates or scales on the underside of any toe or finger of a lizard.
Lateral=Referring to the sides.
Laterite=Horizontally oriented deposits of small rounded reddish nodules of hydrated iron oxides which are usually seen as a surface strew associated with large (often subsurface) concretions of the same materials. They form in the soil under tropical and subtropical climatic conditions and appear on the surface after a change to dryer \Pclimate\p results in the erosion of the overlying soil.
Lateritic=Having horizontally oriented deposits of small rounded reddish nodules of hydrated iron oxides which are usually seen as a surface strew associated with large (often subsurface) concretions of the same materials. They form in the soil under tropical and subtropical climatic conditions and appear on the surface after a change to dryer \Pclimate\p results in the erosion of the overlying soil.
Laterodorsal=Referring to the outermost edges of the back, just before the back surface meets the sides.
Lichens=Any one of the group, Lichenes, of the Thallophyta, compound plants (fungi in symbiotic union with algae) having a vegetative body (thallus) growing in greenish, grey, yellow, brown or blackish crustlike patches or bushlike forms on rocks, trees, soil, fallen timber, etc.
Lignotubers=Woody swellings, partly or wholly underground, at the base of the stem of certain plants and containing numerous buds in the cortex which can germinate after the main plant growth is killed off (e.g., by fire, breakage etc.).
Loam=A loose soil composed of clay, sand, and silt in roughly equal proportions, often quite fertile.
Macrocephaly=Or "boof-headedness" - a condition in which some turtles develop enormous heads with powerful musculature. More common in older individuals.
Mallee=Eucalypt trees with multiple stems arising from a single root stock (usually a lignotuber). Also country in which these trees are dominant in the vegetation.
Maximum Tadpole Length:=The maximum length attained by a tadpole before becoming a frog.
Midlateral=Middle of the side.
Migrate=Moving more or less regularly from one area to another, usually in response to seasonal change. Compare with \Bsedentary\b and \Bnomadic\b.
change. Compare with \Bsedentary\b and \Bnomadic\b.
Monsoon forest=Rainforest occurring in small patches across northern Australia from Cape York to the Kimberleys. It is often lower than typical tropical rainforest, with a more open canopy, a denser understorey and a distinctly seasonal \Pclimate\p. During the dry season many plants may become at least partly deciduous.
Montane=Related to mountains or high altitude.
Morphology=That branch of biology which deals with the form and structure of animals and plants, without regard to functions.
Nocturnal=Active at night.
Nuchal=Referring to the nape or back of the neck.
Omnivorous=Feeding on both animals and plants.
Opportunistic=In reference to feeding behaviour, eating whatever is available within a wide range of foods. In reference to reproduction, breeding when environmental conditions are favourable, rather than at a particular time of year.
order=A level of classification between subclass and family.
Oviduct=One of a pair of ducts which lead from the ovaries to the exterior in the female and serve to transport and nourish the ova.
Oviposition=The act and activities associated with the laying of eggs.
Palpebral=Of or pertaining to eyelids.
Paravertebral=Referring to the area of the back immediately to either side of a line down the middle of the back.
Parthenogenetic=A type of reproduction characterized by the development of an egg without fertilisation by a male sperm.
Phasmid=The order of herbivorous insects that contain the stick and leaf insects, found in the warmer parts of the world. The body is either cylindrical and elongated (stick insects) or flattened and leaflike (leaf insects) and provides efficient camouflage among the twigs and foliage in which they live.
Plastron=The ventral part of the shell of a tortoise or turtle.
Polymorphism=The occurrence of two or more different forms (e.g., in pattern, colour, shape, size) of the individuals within a single species. The different morphs or forms are usually present in fairly constant proportions within the freely interbreeding population.
Possibly extinct=So infrequently located that the existence of the species in the wild has not been confirmed for up to 50 years.
Possibly secure=Possibly there is no existing or foreseeable threat to the continuance of the species, but insufficient data to be certain.
Posterior=Placed behind, situated more to the back of an animal or structure. Opposite of \Banterior\b.
Prehensile=Able to grip by curling around. Refers to a limb or tail, e.g. some monkeys' tails.
Probably extinct=So infrequently located that the existence of the species in the wild has not been confirmed for up to 50 years.
Probably secure=Probably there is no existing or foreseeable threat to the continuance of the species, but insufficient data to be certain.
Protuberant=Bulging out beyond the surrounding surface.
Pygopodids=Pygopodidae: a family of Australian "legless" lizards having no forelimbs and only small vestigal (remnant) hind limbs.
Rare=\B(for Status):\b Taxa with small populations that are at present \PEndangered\p or \PVulnerable\p but are not threatened. These taxa are usually localised within restricted geographical areas or habitats or are thinly scattered over a more extensive range. See \PReptile Action Plan\p. \B(for Abundance):\b In the case of reptiles: a species is considered rare if it takes more than 75 but less than 100 hours to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and at the appropriate times (year and day or night).
Reptile Action Plan=The definitions of the threatened categories (\PExtinct\p, \PEndangered\p, \PVulnerable\p, \PRare\p and \PInsufficiently known\p) are as defined in the \BReptile Action Plan\b (Cogger et. al. 1993). They are the same as those used by the \BWorld Conservation Union (IUCN)\b with minor additions to the \PEndangered\p and \PVulnerable\p categories. A very recent proposal for more objectively defined categories has been published by Mace and Lande (1991), however it is not possible to evaluate our threatened reptiles by their methods because all the data needed is not available. See also \Prare\p.
Rhomboidal=Having a form like, or approaching that of, a rhomb (a diamond or lozenge shape).
Rugose=Having wrinkles; wrinkled, ridged, or rough.
Rugosities=Wrinkles; small ridges or rough fine irregularities.
Saline=Salty or saltlike; containing or tasting like common salt.
Salinities=The concentrations of salts in water or soil.
Sclerophyll=Referring to plants and vegetation having hard often waxy drought-resistant leaves and/or stems such as gums (eucalypts), heaths, and some wattles. A general term for eucalypt forest or woodland. Wet sclerophyll forest is tall and has a dense canopy. Dry sclerophyll forest varies considerably in height and usually has a discontinuous canopy.
Secure=No existing or foreseeable threat to continuance of the species.
Sedentary=Remaining in much the same area throughout the year. Contrast with \Bmigratory\b and \Bnomadic\b.
Sedges=Rush-like or grass-like plants growing in wet places.
Serrations=Serrated condition or form.
Siliceous=Containing, consisting of, or resembling the mineral silica.
Sparse=In the case of reptiles: a species is considered sparse if it takes more than 25 but less than 50 hours to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and at the appropriate times (year and day or night). In the general case for other \Pvertebrates\p: known to be present and frequently located at appropriate times in some appropriate habitats, but usually after some effort; if trappable, frequently absent from trap-lines set at such times and places.
Species=Most commonly the unit or category used in biological science to describe and name a group of organisms which have the greatest mutual resemblance or appearance. The individuals can interbreed successfully amongst themselves, but usually do not interbreed with members of another less similar group. Occasionally a species is described from only a single known specimen when its morphology is clearly distinct and different to other similar species.
Sphagnum=Any of the bog mosses constituting the genus Sphagnum, found chiefly in temperate regions of high rainfall and low insolation (the process of having sunlight and heat (radiation) strike the surface of for instance ground, skin or leaves), where they may build up deep layers of peat; used by gardeners in potting and packing plants.
Spinifex=Strictly a genus of sea-coast grasses with long, creeping stems. Commonly, and inaccurately, used as a general term for spiky hummock grasses \I(Triodia, Plectrachne)\i of the arid inland. See \Phummock grassland\p..
Status:=The rating given to the likelihood of survival of a species i.e. \Pextinct\p, \Pendangered\p, \Pvulnerable\p, \Prare\p, \Pinsufficiently known\p. Because conservation agencies have been mainly concerned with species at risk, evaluation of survival status has usually been restricted to these categories. The novelty in the approach taken here is recognition of two extra categories - "secure" and "probably secure" - representing an antithesis to \Pextinct\p.
Striated=Having streaks of colour or lines of texture which contrast with the usual surrounding colour or texture, but not raised above the general surface (see also \Pkeeled\p).
Subcaudal=Under the tail \Bor\b the name given to the scales under the tail of reptiles.
Subclass:=A level of classification lower than class and higher than order.
Subdigital=On the underside of fingers or toes.
Subfamily:=A level of classification lower than family but higher than genus.
Suborder:=A level of classification between order and family.
Substrate=The surface - soil, rock, leaf-litter, etc. - on which an animal lives.
Subterranean=Existing, situated or operating below the surface of the earth; underground.
Swales=More or less flat areas between dunes.
Taxa=The plural form of taxon. A general term for groupings of organisms e.g."several taxa have these similarites" could mean "several species have these similarities" or "several genera have these similarities". All categories of classification from subspecies up to kingdom are collectively called "taxa", and any single one of them is a taxon.
Terrestrial=Pertaining to the land. Living on, or mainly on, the ground. Contrast with \Barboreal, amphibious, fossorial\b.
Torpid=or Torpor. A state of dormancy and diminished temperature regulation over a period of hours or days, in response to cold or food shortage. See also \Bhibernation\b.
Total Overall Length:=The overall length of an animal, head, body and tail inclusive.
Tubercles=A small rounded projection or excrescence, as on a bone, on the surface of the body in various animals or on a plant.
Tussock grassland=Area where Mitchell Grass \I(Astrebla)\i or bluegrass \I(Dicanthium)\i or other bunching grasses are the dominant plants (see also \Phummock grassland\p).
Tussock=\B(Tussock grassland)\b Area where Mitchell Grass \I(Astrebla)\i or bluegrass \I(Dicanthium)\i or other bunching grasses are the dominant plants (see also \Phummock grassland\p).
Tympanum=The eardrum. In some reptiles and all frogs this is at the surface of the side of the head. In some reptiles the eardrum is recessed into the side of the head at the end of a short ear canal, in some it is hidden or obscure (e.g. earless dragons) and in others it is completely lost (snakes).
Vascularised=pertaining to, composed of or provided with vessels or ducts which convey fluids, as blood, lymph or sap.
Vertebral=Of or pertaining to a vertebra or the vertebrae; or the midline of the back.
\Pvertebrates\p=Animals with a backbone, as opposed to an invertebrate, which has no backbone.
Vine thicket=Low, usually patchy rainforest with many hanging vines or lianas.
Viviparous=Bringing forth living young (rather that eggs), as most mammals and some reptiles and fishes.
Vulnerable=Believed likely to move into the \PEndangered\p category in the near future if the causal factors continue to operate. Included are species of which most or all of the populations are decreasing because of over-exploitation, extensive destruction of habitat or other environmental disturbance; species with populations that have been seriously depleted and whose ultimate security has not been assured; and taxa with populations that are still abundant but are under threat from severe adverse factors throughout their range. Also included are taxa with or localised populations or dependant on limited habitat that would be vulnerable to new threatening processes. In practise, both \PEndangered\p and \BVulnerable\b categories may include, temporarily, species whose populations are beginning to recover as a result of remedial action, but whose recovery is at present insufficient to justify their transfer to another category. See \PReptile Action Plan\p.
Wallum=The aboriginal name for sandy heathland dominated by a small shrubby tree, \IBanksia aemula,\i of coastal eastern Australia, mainly Qld and northern NSW. Amphipod=An animal of any order of small crustaceans, Amphipoda, lacking a carapace (like a crab) and having a compressed body; includes beach fleas, shrimps.
Carapace Length:=A straight line measurement taken of a turtle's shell from the front to the end of the shell, just above the base of the tail.
Nomadic=Wandering from place to place, usually from one source of food to another.
Relictual=Refers to the isolated remnant population(s) of a species that was once more widely distributed.
Tetrapod=Any amphibian, reptile, bird or mammal, the four classes of \Pvertebrates\p, the members of which generally have four legs.
Vertebrate=An animal with a backbone, as opposed to an invertebrate, which has no backbone.
Supralittoral=Referring to that part of the seashore which is immediately above the influence of the high tide but which may on rare occasions be affected by storm tides etc.
Group:=A level of classification below \PGenus\p but above the \PSpecies\p. Usually used to indicate close morphological similarity between two or more species within a genus that is sufficient to warrant recognising their close similarity compared to other species in the genus. Usually several species groups are recognised in one genus, and sometimes there are single-member species groups.
Subspecies=Two or more populations of a \Pspecies\p that are recognisably different from each other and usually differ in distribution. Subspecies frequently hybridise if their distributions meet or overlap.
Latin Name=The Latin name of an animal is made up of the genus name followed by the species name. Fundamental to the science of zoology is the binominal (two-name) system, according to which every species has a name composed of two parts, the genus name and the species name. A genus name is a noun and can be used by itself, but a species name functions as an adjective and cannot be used without being associated with the genus name.
Very sparse=In the case of reptiles: a species is considered very sparse if it takes more than 50 but less than 75 hours to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and at the appropriate times (year and day or night). In the general case for other \Pvertebrates\p: as for \Psparse\p but infrequently located at appropriate times in some appropriate habitats, but usually after some effort; if trappable, frequently absent from trap-lines set at such times and places.
Very rare=In the case of reptiles: a species is considered very rare if it takes more than 100 hours to find the first individual by a single herpetologically experienced field worker in the appropriate habitat and at the appropriate times (year and day or night). In the general case for other \Pvertebrates\p: so infrequently located or trapped, despite considerable efforts, that the possibility of extinction cannot be excluded.
ocelli=coloured markings or patterns where each ocellus has the appearance of an eye, that is a spot of one colour is surrounded by a ring of contrasting colour
rare or insufficiently known=Species that are \Isuspected\i of being \PEndangered\p, \PVulnerable\p or \PRare\p but whose true status cannot be determined without more information. See \PReptile Action Plan\p.
climate=the observed long term average variations in atmospheric processes such as air temperature, rainfall, wind speeds and directions, which are predictable on a year to year or month to month basis (as opposed to \BWeather\b)
vertebrates=An animal with a backbone, as opposed to an invertebrate, which has no backbone.
territorial=Stays in one area.
specimen=an individual animal of a species that may be alive but more usually is a preserved individual animal of that one species.
amphipod=Any of a type of small crustaceans, Amphipoda, lacking a carapace and having a compressed body, including beach fleas etc.
underlined=An \Bunderlined\b word indicates that a popup explanation of that word will appear if you click on the word.
caption=smanian bushrangers (Brady is in the middle) \I(Dixson Library)\i.
