Ecological traits and conservation biology of five fossorial ‘sand-swimming’ snake species (Simoselaps: Elapidae) in south-western Australia

Although small, nocturnal, fossorial snakes are a significant component of the reptile fauna in many parts of the world, their biology is poorly known. An 11-year pit-trapping study in urban bushland remnants near the city of Perth, Western Australia, provided data from >500 captures of small fossorial snakes of the genus Simoselaps. The five species differed in relative abundances and in distribution, both among localities and among habitats within a single locality. For example, three saurophagous taxa (Simoselaps bertholdi, S. bimaculatus, S. calonotos) were most abundant in Banksia woodland, whereas two species that feed on reptile eggs (S. semifasciatus, S. fasciolatus) were most abundant in coastal heath. Capture rates for most species were low (for three of the five species,