''Aprasia aurita'', also called the mallee worm-lizard or eared worm-lizard, is a species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

Pygopodidae Pygopodidae, commonly known as legless lizard, legless lizards, snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, is a Family (biology), family of squamates with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. At least 35 species are placed in two subfami ...

family

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

to Australia; and listed on Schedule 1 under the Commonwealth's Endangered Species Protection Act. It is also listed as "threatened" on Schedule 2 under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. ''A. aurita'' was formerly found in the Woomelang and

Ouyen Ouyen is a town in Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, located in the Rural City of Mildura at the junction of the Calder Highway and Mallee Highway, south of Mildura, and northwest of Melbourne. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 censu ...

areas of north-western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Due to human land use, it is now mostly found in of Wathe State Wildlife Reserve, north-western Victoria. It has also been found in

Cobbler Creek Recreation Park Cobbler Creek Recreation Park is a protected area located in South Australia about north of the Adelaide city centre in the suburb of Salisbury East. Originally part of the lands of the Kaurna aboriginal people, it was farmed from European s ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and Mambray Creek Reserve. It inhabits tall shrubland and open heath, primarily mallee and other vegetation that has not been burnt for at least 40 years, Shelters under rotting logs, leaf litter and mallee root.

References

aurita Pygopodids of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Critically endangered fauna of Australia Reptiles described in 1974 Taxa named by Arnold G. Kluge Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gecko-stub