Checklist of the Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of Western Australia

Departmental resources | Updated 3 months ago

Taxonomic checklist of the terrestrial vertebrate fauna for Western Australia.

Download the latest version of the WA Checklist (2024) (updated June 2024) for the terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Western Australia. This handy Excel sheet can be modified to suit your needs or imported into other applications. Use the 'SORT' column to restore the list into taxonomic order. The file is a single Excel workbook, with separate sheets for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. 

The changes from the 2024 June checklist are documented below and can also be downloaded in pdf format. Previous changes to the checklist (2012-2022) can be found in the documents at the bottom of the page.

A comprehensive update of the WA Checklist is released by the WA Museum every year or as necessary. The WA checklist (2024) contains revisions of the terrestrial vertebrate species of Western Australia and additional information on the conservation status of the WA fauna (provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions). 

The taxonomic changes are based on the work of the WA Museum's Terrestrial Zoology staff, and their many colleagues from around Australia and beyond. In the future, we will try to update the list as new taxonomic changes occur.

Bookmark this page, and keep visiting for the latest updated version.This page is updated twice a year, in April and October.

Please contact the relevant author of the specific list if you have any questions or comments.

 

Changes to the WA Museum Checklist from November 2023 (updated June 2024)

 

Reptiles and frogs

Taxonomic change to WA turtle species.  

Emydura victoriae and E. australis have been found to be the same species in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Furthermore, E. australis is determined to be the senior synonym and is now the name for the Kimberley Emydura. 

Kehlmaier, C., Fritz, U. & Kuchling, G. (2024). Show me your true face: How many Emydura species occur in the Mitchell River Drainage, Kimberly, Australia? Salamandra 60: 51–59. https://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php/contents/2024-vol-60/2142-kehlmaier,-c-,-u-fritz-g-kuchling/file  

 

Lerista microtis complex revision.

Lerista arenicola and both subspecies of L. microtis (L. m. intermedia, L. m. schwaneri) have been synonimised to Lerista microtis based on morphological and molecular genetic evidence. This results in a single morphologically variable species that spans nearly 2400 linear kilometers along Australia’s southern coast. 

Farquar, J.E., Prates, I., Doughty, P., Rabosky, D.L. and Chapple, D.G. (2024). Morphological and genetic data challenge species and subspecies in the Lerista microtis group (Squamata: Scincidae). Zootaxa 5437: 336–362. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5437.3.2  

 

Birds

Following IOC changes.

Hooded Dotterel, formerly included in the genus Thinornis, is embedded in Charadrius in phylogenetic analysis (dos Remedios et al. 2015).

Black-fronted Dotterel was previously assigned to the monotypic genus Elseyornis. But phylogenetic analyses show it to be sister to the two species formerly assigned to Thinornis, Hooded Plover and Shore Plover, which are now included in Charadrius (Barth et al. 2013; Černý & Natale 2022).

Anarhynchus was formerly a monotypic genus associated with Wrybill Anarhynchus frontalis. But phylogenetic analysis reveals that, despite its unique bill, it is deeply embedded in a large clade of plovers classically attributed to Charadrius but significantly divergent from that genus (dos Remedios et al. 2015; Eaton et al. 2021). Anarhynchus is the oldest available name for this clade (Eaton et al. 2021; WGAC).

Tibetan Sand Plover Anarhynchus atrifrons (including pamirensis and schaeferi) is split from Lesser Sand Plover A. mongolus (re-named Siberian Sand Plover) based on phenotypic differences and phylogenetic analysis which demonstrates paraphyly of these two taxa relative to Anarhynchus leschenaultii (Livezey 2010; Wei et al. 2022).

Plumed Egret Ardea plumifera is split from Ardea intermedia based on differences in proportions and substantial differences in high breeding plumage (del Hoyo & Collar 2014; WGAC).

Change English name of Pitta sordida from Hooded Pitta to Western Hooded Pitta with the split of the Hooded Pitta complex. The Hooded Pitta complex Pitta sordida s.l. is split based on morphology and vocalizations supported by genomic analysis (Allen 2020; Ericson et al. 2019; Eaton et al. 2021; HBW/BirdLife, WGAC).

Supertramp Fantail Rhipidura semicollaris (including all subspecies except dryas and streptophora) is split from Arafura Fantail R. dryas on the basis of vocalizations (Eaton et al. 2021; WGAC).

 

Fairywren split.

Malurus splendens is split, raising subspecies M. callainus to full species, Kearns et al. (2024).

Kearns, A. M., Dolman, G., & Joseph, L. (2024). Does nuclear DNA support the recognition of three species within the Splendid Fairywren Malurus splendens? Emu - Austral Ornithology, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2024.2352400

 

Mammals

Splitting of the Delicate Mouse. Roycroft et al. (2024) revised the Delicate Mouse and established a new species for the Pilbara population, Pseudomys pilbarensis.

Roycroft, E., Ford, F., Ramm, T., Schembri, R., Breed, W. G., Burns, P. A., Rowe, K. C., & Moritz, C. (2024). Speciation across biomes: Rapid diversification with reproductive isolation in the Australian delicate mice. Molecular Ecology, 00, e17301. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17301

AttachmentSize
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-June 2024.xlsx275.31 KB
2024 June Changes.pdf192.37 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-November 2023.xlsx1006.8 KB
2023 November Changes.pdf194.41 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-May 2023.xlsx1006.26 KB
2023 May Changes.pdf175.46 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-November 2022.xlsx1003.83 KB
2022 November changes.pdf174.43 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-May 2022.xlsx1001.72 KB
2022 May changes.docx18.44 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - May 2022.pdf495.51 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-November 2021.xlsx1002.71 KB
2021 November changes.docx19.71 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - November 2021.pdf698.01 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - November 2021.pdf498.83 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-June-2021.xlsx1003.83 KB
2021 June changes.docx30.87 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - June 2021.pdf692.58 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - June 2021.pdf570.05 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-Nov 2020.xlsx1001.39 KB
2020, November, updated changes.pdf213.57 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - November 2020.pdf709.71 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - November 2020.pdf467.47 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-Apr 2020.xlsx329.57 KB
2020, April, updated changes.pdf89.63 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - April 2020.pdf569.95 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - April 2020.pdf398.51 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-Oct 2019.xlsx329.08 KB
2019, October, FINAL updated changes.pdf70.6 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - October 2019.pdf523.05 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - October 2019.pdf350.24 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates- April 2019.xlsx296.41 KB
2019, updated changes.pdf128.36 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - April 2019.pdf503.51 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - April 2019.pdf547.3 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates- 10 September 2018.xlsx276.91 KB
Changes-to-the-WAMuseum-Checklist-Sept-2018.pdf202.33 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - September 2018.pdf502.12 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - September 2018.pdf547.35 KB
WA-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates- 16 April 2018.xlsx295.67 KB
Changes-to-the-WAMuseum-Checklist-Apr-2018.pdf124.98 KB
Checklist of Birds of WA - April 2018.pdf501.68 KB
Checklist of Birds of Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands - April 2018.pdf547.56 KB
WAMuseum-Checklist-Terrestrial-Vertebrates-11.10.2017.xlsx287.1 KB
Changes-to-the-WAMuseum-Checklist-Oct-2017.pdf88.33 KB
Checklist-of-Birds-of-Christmas-and-Cocos-(Keeling)-islands-August-2017.pdf543.24 KB
Checklist-of-Birds-of-WA-August-2017.pdf495.39 KB
Changes-to-WAMuseum-Checklist-August-2016.pdf178.49 KB
Changes to the WA Checklist 2015.pdf308.67 KB
Changes to the WA Checklist 2015b (Mammals).pdf92.46 KB
Changes to the WA Terrestrial Vertebrate checklist, 2012-2014.pdf155.16 KB