72 
V.L.R. Clarke, R.A. How 
Table 3 The mean snout-vent length, tail-vent length and tail-body ratio including the standard deviation and range 
for males and females of Simoselaps bertholdi from three different geographical locations within Western 
Australia. 
S. bertholdi 
Geographical 
location 
Sex Snout-vent length 
(cm) 
Tail-vent length 
(cm) 
Tail-body ratio 
in W.A. 
No 
Mean 
SD 
Range 
No 
Mean 
SD 
Range 
No 
Mean 
SD X 
10 1 
Range 
Southwest 
M 
56 
16.4 
2.0 
10.0 -19.5 
55 
2.2 
.3 
1.3 - 2.7 
55 
.1311 
9.15 
.1127-.1515 
F 
51 
19.0 
3.2 
10.0 - 25.8 
52 
1.7 
.3 
0.9-2.3 
51 
.0909 
6.58 
.0794 - .1029 
Northwest 
M 
14 
17.3 
2.1 
12.2 - 20.3 
14 
2.4 
.3 
1.7-2.8 
14 
.1397 
8.55 
.1280 - .1524 
F 
15 
19.5 
3.7 
14.2 - 26.2 
15 
L9 
.4 
1.4-2.4 
15 
.0949 
8.61 
.0777 - .1116 
East 
M 
17 
18.5 
1.9 
14.7-21.8 
17 
2.6 
.3 
1.9-3.0 
17 
.1391 
7.06 
.1279-.1525 
F 
14 
22.5 
4.1 
16.3 - 29.0 
14 
2.1 
.4 
1.5-3.0 
14 
.0948 
6.11 
.0827-.1060 
persist in populations that are isolated on 
fragments of natural vegetation (How and Dell 
1994). Particularly numerous in the near-coastal 
dune systems are fossorial skinks, legless lizards 
and snakes (How and Dell 1993). Our study of 
vertebrate fauna on remnant bushlands in the Perth 
region has verified that fossorial snakes can be 
locally abundant and may persist in remnant 
bushlands for many decades after isolation. Over 
270 individuals of five species have been measured 
and released, with five species sympatric in some 
habitats. The method of sex determination 
described in this paper will help in future studies 
of population dynamics and should also be a useful 
tool for other field biologists working with these 
species. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
We would like to thank Ken Aplin for the use of 
the collections in the Western Australian Museum, 
and Ken Aplin, Laurie Smith and John Dell for 
their assistance during this study. Ken Aplin, John 
Coventry, Rick Shine and John Dell provided 
valuable comments on an early draft of this paper. 
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Manuscript received 26 April 1994; accepted 14 July 1994. 
