Discovery of Central Ranges rock skink has ‘important implications’ for arid environments

A team of scientists have uncovered a new relative to a skink native to the Northern Territory, and say the discovery has ‘important implications’ for the environment. Find out why.

The discovery of Central Ranges rock skink, or Liopholis Aputja, found in the Mann-Musgrave Ranges near the northern border of South Australia, was made public in November 2024. Picture: Zootaxa

The discovery of a new rock skink has “important implications” in conservation efforts in the Central Desert region, scientists who found the species say.

The Monash University School of Biological Sciences, led by Jules Farquhar, has had its discovery of the Central Desert rock skink made official in November.

The skink was found in the Mann-Musgrave Ranges of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in 2023, but after a year of research, the scientist’s findings have been published in the Zootaxa journal.

Mr Farquhar said while the discovery was “unique” to the northern part of South Australia, the skink closely resembles another species found in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Territory.

Its scientific name – Liopholis Aputja – uses the Aboriginal word “aputja”, which means “of the hills”.

The Central Ranges rock skink (Liopholis Aputja). Picture: Jules Farquhar

“The name recognises that this is the only skink known to live in the mountains of the Mann-Musgrave Ranges – the other species are usually only found on the surrounding sand plains,” Mr Farquhar said.

“The findings have important implications for the conservation of the Mann-Musgrave Ranges, as it further emphasises the uniqueness of the region’s fauna and the need to protect it.

“Australia is very rich in biodiversity but we still have a lot of species out there that we don’t know about, especially in remote and understudied regions, so these discoveries are critical to protecting them.”

The team from Monash worked closely with the traditional owners, with “a lot of value” gained from the collaboration, Mr Farquhar said.

The year of research compared the Central Ranges rock skink to other known species and determined it had a distinct genetic profile.

Compared to its MacDonnell Ranges relative, the newly-discovered skink has less scales above its eyes and more ear lobules.