NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eared Worm-lizard
Aprasia aurita Kluge, 1974
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Aprasia aurita, also called the mallee worm-lizard or eared worm-lizard, is a species of lizard in the Pygopodidae family endemic 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 areas of north-western Victoria. Due to human land use, it is now mostly found in 400 ha (990 acres) of Wathe State Wildlife Reserve, north-western Victoria. It has also been found in Cobbler Creek Recreation Park in South Australia 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. It shelters under rotting logs, leaf litter and mallee root.
Wikipedia contributors, Aprasia aurita; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:37:29.589660+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aprasia aurita Kluge, 1974
- Name authority
- Kluge, 1974
- Common name
- Eared Worm-lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Pygopodidae
- Genus
- Aprasia
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyPygopodidae
- genusAprasia
- speciesAprasia aurita Kluge, 1974
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aprasia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Granite Worm-lizardAprasia parapulchella Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mallee Worm-lizardAprasia inaurita Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aprasia picturata Smith & Henry, 1999 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Flinders Ranges Worm-lizardAprasia pseudopulchella Kluge, 1974 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sedgelands Worm-lizardAprasia repens (Fry, 1914) | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zuytdorp Worm-lizardAprasia smithi Storr, 1970 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Wicherina Worm LizardAprasia wicherina Maryan, Adams & Aplin, 2015 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Shark Bay Worm-lizardAprasia haroldi Storr, 1978 | PygopodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Aprasia&species=aurita Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:FWM6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.