Research

Meier's Skink Geoscincus haraldmieri

Conservation status: Endangered

Description: A moderately large, stout, species of skink growing to a body length of 65mm, with short limbs and smooth scales. Colouration is grey overall with fine, pale spotting on the sides.

Natural distribution: Described from 'Coula', presumably the settlement on the east coast off the Houailou road. It is known from two specimens found in a fallen, decaying tree trunk in a well forested area, and the description of the species noted that it was highly desiccation-prone.

Desiccation - prone to drying out.

Distribution within Province Nord: See above.

Threats:

• high level of threat to localised populations in low to mid elevation closed forest on the east coast from clearing for subsistence agriculture, leading to loss and further fragmentation of habitat
• potentially high level of threat to localised populations in the region from logging of native forest and clearing of forest for timber plantations, leading to a decline in area, extent and quality of mid elevation forest habitat
• moderate level of threat to closed forest edge through repeated firing of adjacent savannah habitat
• localised but potentially intensive decline in area, extent and quality of closed forest habitat from exotic pests such as pigs (high levels of disturbance of areas of the forest floor and of shelter sites)

Conservation status: Geoscincus haraldmieri is a closed forest-dependant species that appears to have highly specific microhabitat requirements, and an extremely restricted distribution (<100km2). Its apparent susceptibility to desiccation in combination with several high levels of threat indicates the long-term survival species is at considerable risk from disturbance. For these reasons G. haraldmieri is categorised as Endangered. Twenty five years after the discovery of the species the place name Coula is now intensely cultivated and no closed forest remains. Moist forest species with a specialised biology are highly susceptible to catastrophic impact from external forces such as the introduction of exotic pests and modification to humidity and soil moisture levels, and require pro-active conservation management that anticipates potential threats.

Future research required:

• undertake targeted survey work to more comprehensively document the species distribution in the region

Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002