REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF PARTICULAR CONSERVATION CONCERN IN THE WESTERN DIVISION OF NEW-SOUTH-WALES - A PRELIMINARY REVIEW

A new compilation of data on the distributions and habitat preferences of reptiles and amphibians in the Western Division was used to determine a conservation strategy for the region. A total of 112 species of reptiles and 20 amphibians was recorded, of which 48 reptiles and eight amphibians were identified as requiring particular attention: : three species of reptiles at the national level, 27 reptiles and three amphibians at the state level, and 18 reptiles and five amphibians at the regional level In these three geographical contexts, species of concern were definitely or tentatively allocated to five categories: four species as endangered, two as vulnerable, 46 as rare, two as reliant on the Western Division in a national context, and two as secure but having disjunct occurrences in the Division. Two broad habitat types, riverine areas and Triodia grassland, are particularly important. Further taxonomic work on eight species is needed to determine the distribution and status of redefined taxa and to clarify the genetic relationships of disjunct populations.