Adorned delma
The collared delma or adorned delma (Delma torquata ) is the smallest species of lizard in the Pygopodidae family endemic to Australia. Pygopopdids are legless lizards, so are commonly mistaken for snakes. They are distributed mainly across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, in both forests and some suburban areas. They are active during the day, seen foraging and hunting for small insects.
Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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starts withThe colour of the collared delma changes between its tail, body, and head, having a bluish/grey tinge, with its body being brown while its head is black with cream/yellow, ringed interspaces. These rings are a distinctive feature of the collared delma, and it usually has one around its head and two to three rings around its neck. In size, the snout-vent length of a collared delma can range from 50 to about 70 mm, with its tail length ranging from 103 to 126 mm and having an average weight of around 1.36 kg.
The collared delma is mostly located in the areas of south-east Queensland but they have been recorded within northern New South Wales. Due to its vulnerability, the collared delma's distribution across Queensland is highly fragmented and only found in specific areas of south-east Queensland; these fragmented habitats are extremely restricted. This fragmentation can be divided into two areas based on phylogeographical changes, costal and inland. These areas include the Bunya Mountains, Blackdown Tablelands National Park, Expedition National Park, Western Creek, near Millmerran, and Toowoomba Range. Large concentrations of the collared delma have been reported in Western Brisbane suburbs, which include Kenmore, Pinjarra Hills, Anstead, Mt Crosby, Lake Manchester, and Karana Downs.
Within the Queensland region, collared delmas are mainly inhabitants of eucalypt and acacia heave woodlands and open forests. They have been found to prefer inhabiting west-facing ridge lines, within the midstory area of open forests under a layer of fallen leaves and loose rock.
The collared delma is purely insectivorous, feeding on small cockroaches and spiders. They are diurnal creatures, actively foraging during the day, and have only been observed to forage alone.
The disturbance and modification of collared delma habitat due to agricultural expansion and urbanisation has posed a threat at both regional and local levels. Actions taken by regional and local governments include the monitoring and protection of areas of high occurrence of collared delmas. Furthermore, road measures, such as ensuring road widening has no disturbance in its environment and restricting road routes to the public to reduce human disturbance. Governments have also discouraged the public removal of rocks in areas of potential habitat.
