Auckland green gecko

The Auckland green gecko (Naultinus elegans) is a species of gecko found only in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, except north of Whangaroa. The Wellington green gecko, formerly considered a subspecies (together called common green gecko), is found in the southern half of the North Island and the two ranges do not overlap. Its length is up to 145 mm, snout to vent.[2]

Auckland green gecko

Gradual Decline (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Naultinus
Species:
N. elegans
Binomial name
Naultinus elegans
Gray, 1842
Synonyms
  • Gymnodactylus elegans
  • Hoplodactylus elegans
  • Naultinus sulphureus

Apart from range, the Auckland green gecko differs from the Wellington green gecko in that it is marginally smaller and more slender in build and also the undersurfaces of the feet and toes in elegans are coloured grey green, while they are yellow in colouration in the latter species.

Naultinus elegans

Conservation status

In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the Auckland green gecko as At Risk under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It was judged as meeting the criteria for At Risk threat status as a result of it having a low to high ongoing or predicted decline.[1]

See also

References
  1. Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson, Peter; Barr, Ben; Monks, Jo; Lettink, Marieke; Reardon, James; Tocher, Mandy; Whitaker, Tony. "Conservation status of New Zealand reptiles, 2012" (PDF). Department of Conservation. The Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. Naultinus elegans — Auckland Green Gecko, New Zealand Herpetological Society. Accessed 14 April 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.