| Central Ranges rock-skink | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Liopholis |
| Species: | L. aputja |
| Binomial name | |
| Liopholis aputja | |
Liopholis aputja, also known as the Central Ranges rock-skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to central Australia.
The specific epithet aputja means “of the hills” in the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara dialects of the Western Desert language spoken within the species' range, with reference to its preferred habitat. [1]
The species was described following a scientific collecting expedition by Monash University researchers to the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands of north-western South Australia, where the team worked with the traditional owners, being assisted by the Anangu Rangers with local knowledge and by access to particular sites. [2]
The holotype was collected in Alalkanya Gorge, 13 km north of Pukatja in the eastern Musgrave Ranges, in 2005. The species was described in 2024. Following morphological and molecular analysis, Liopholis aputja was split from its closest congener Liopholis margaretae . The degree of genetic divergence between the two taxa indicates genetic separation took place during the aridifying environmental conditions of the Late Miocene.
The Central Ranges rock skink is a moderately large and robust Liopholis species, with a snout–vent length (SVL) of up to 135 mm and a tail length up to 158 mm. The back, sides, limbs and tail are coloured dull orangish-brown with thin black scale margins, with the top and sides of the head a more vibrant orangish shade. There are also distinctive arrangements of the supraciliary scales and ear lobules on the head. [1] [2]
Both L. margaretae and L. aputja are found in central Australia. However, the former appears to be largely confined to the MacDonnell Ranges bioregion of the southern Northern Territory, while L. aputja is only known from the Mann-Musgrave Ranges of the Central Ranges bioregion of north-western South Australia and extreme south-western Northern Territory. The two bioregions are separated by Lake Amadeus and other salt lakes in the Amadeus Basin, which form a 180 km biogeographical barrier affecting rock-dwelling fauna. L. aputja also appears to favour higher elevations in rocky country, with other local Liopholis species preferring sandplain habitats. [1]
L. aputja constructs burrow systems in the soil beneath rocks and into soil-filled rock crevices. It is mainly diurnal but is sometimes active at night in hot weather. [1]
The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia.
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as Uluru / Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone monolith. It outcrops near the centre of Australia in the southern part of the Northern Territory, 335 km (208 mi) south-west of Alice Springs.
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.
The Pitjantjatjara are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible.
Aṉangu is the name used by members of several Aboriginal Australian groups, roughly approximate to the Western Desert cultural bloc, to describe themselves. The term, which embraces several distinct "tribes" or peoples, in particular the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara groups, is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable:.
Musgrave Ranges is a mountain range in Central Australia, straddling the boundary of South Australia and the Northern Territory, extending into Western Australia. It is between the Great Victoria Desert to the south and the Gibson Desert to the north. They have a length of 210 kilometres (130 mi) and many peaks that have a height of more than 1,100 metres (3,600 ft), the highest being Ngarutjaranya at 1,435 metres (4,708 ft).
The black-flanked rock-wallaby, also known as the black-footed rock-wallaby or warru, is a species of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. A shy, nocturnal herbivore, its two main subspecies are found in mostly isolated populations across western and southern Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory and parts of South Australia (SA). With some subspecies showing a decline in populations in recent years, the whole species is classed as an endangered species under the Commonwealth EPBC Act.
Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or the Lands, is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the Aṉangu (people) of the Western Desert cultural bloc, in particular Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra peoples, inhabit the Lands.
Amata is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands".
Pukatja is an Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on "The Lands".
The great desert skink, also known commonly as Kintore's egernia and by various other names including tjakura in various Aboriginal Australian languages, is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the western half of Australia. It is a burrowing lizard and extremely social.
Mintabie is an opal mining community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara in South Australia. It was unique in comparison to other communities situated in the APY Lands, in that its residents were largely not of Aboriginal Australian origin, and the land had been leased to the Government of South Australia for opal mining purposes since the 1980s.
Liopholis is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. Species of the genus are found in the Australian region. They were previously placed in the genus Egernia.
The desert egernia, unadorned desert-skink or desert skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The desert egernia is endemic to the continent of Australia, and is widespread, with populations recorded in all mainland states and territories except the Australian Capital Territory. The desert egernia is found in dry, desert areas with deep, uncompacted sandy/loamy soils and little significant vegetation cover.
The Flinder's Ranges rock-skink or Centralian Ranges rock-skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to central Australia.
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The montane rock-skink, mountain egernia or mountain skink is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to southeastern Australia.
The bull skink, southern sand-skink or southern heath skink is a species of terrestrial skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. It is one of eleven species within the Liopholis genus.
The night skink, nocturnal desert-skink or striated egernia is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to western Australia.
The Katiti-Petermann Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi) area surrounding Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Central Australia, managed by Anangu Traditional Owners. The region is larger than Switzerland and includes tri-border area of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.