The Brigalow scaly-foot (''Paradelma orientalis''), also known as the Queensland snake-lizard, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of legless

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

in the family

Pygopodidae Pygopodidae, commonly known as snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, are a Family (biology), family of Legless lizard, legless lizards with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. The 47 species are placed in two subfamilies and eight ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and is the only species in the monotypic

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Paradelma''. Cogger, H.G. (2018). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Updated Seventh Edition''. Clayton South VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. 1060 pp. (''Paradelma orientalis'', p. 402). As a member of the family Pygopodidae, ''Paradelma orientalis'' is a

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

-like lizard with an elongated tail and no visible limbs apart from a pair of flaps equivalent to the hindlimbs of other lizards. Its body is dark brownish or greyish, with 18–20 rows of glossy scales and a subtle pale sheen. A patch of creamy coloration is present at the back of the head, followed by a black bar. Head scales are large and essentially symmetrical, and the two rows of

ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that cont ...

are wide and smooth. The

nasal scale In reptiles, the nasal scale refers to the scale that encloses the nostril. Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. . Somet ...

s contact each other and a large ear hole is visible near the back of the head. Four preanal pores are present. The

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

(to the base of the tail) is 16 cm (6.3 inches). The species is restricted to dry woodlands and rocky escarpments in the

Brigalow Belt The Brigalow Belt is a wide band of acacia-wooded grassland that runs between tropical rainforest of the coast and the semi-arid interior of Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Aus ...

region of southeastern

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. It is unusual among pygopodids in several respects. It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

species which is typically found sheltering under rocks and fallen logs during the day. ''P. orientalis'' derive most of their food from the nutrient-rich

sap Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...

of '' Acacia falciformis'' trees, which they access by climbing up the rough bark on the trunks of the trees. Their diet also includes small

arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

s. They are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

with a clutch size of two eggs. ''Paradelma orientalis'' is rated as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, as it is fairly common and widely distributed among suitable habitat. However, the Brigalow Belt

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

has been heavily modified by cattle grazing, agricultural development, and wildfires, as well as invasive species such as cats, pigs, and foxes. The species may be experiencing slow population decline as a result of these threats, and may have been much more abundant before the arrival of Europeans. ''P. orientalis'' was previously rated as Vulnerable by the

EPBC Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

until 2013, and by the IUCN until 2018. Its status was only downgraded once wider sampling established that it occurred in a larger area than previously suspected.

References

Pygopodids of Australia Paradelma Vulnerable fauna of Australia Reptiles described in 1876 Taxa named by Albert Günther Endemic fauna of Australia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gecko-stub