Harlequin gecko

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Harlequin gecko
Hoplodactylus rakiurae-2.jpg
CITES Appendix III (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Tukutuku
Nielsen, Bauer, Jackman, Hitchmough & Daugherty, 2011
Species:
T. rakiurae
Binomial name
Tukutuku rakiurae
(Thomas, 1981)
Distribution map of Tukutuku rakiurae in Stewart Island.
Distribution map of Tukutuku rakiurae on Stewart Island.
Synonyms[3]
  • Hoplodactylus rakiurae
    B. Thomas, 1981
  • Tukutuku rakiurae
    — Nielsen et al., 2011

The harlequin gecko (Tukutuku rakiurae,[4] formerly Hoplodactylus rakiurae)[5] is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Stewart Island/Rakiura in the far south of New Zealand, where it was discovered in 1969.[6] In terms of distribution it is one of the southernmost gecko species in the world.[7]

Etymology[]

The generic name, Tukutuku, refers to the Māori ornamental lattice work called Tukutuku, which the dorsal pattern of this species resembles.[3] The specific name, rakiurae, refers to Rakiura, the Maori name for Stewart Island.[3]

Habitat[]

The preferred habitats of T. rakiurae are shrubland and wetlands.[1]

Reproduction[]

T. rakiurae is viviparous.[3]

Conservation status[]

As of 2012 the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the harlequin gecko as Nationally Vulnerable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Hitchmough, R.; van Winkel, D.; Lettink, M.; Chapple, D. (2019). "Tukutuku rakiurae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T10252A120188000. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T10252A120188000.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ Listed by New Zealand.
  3. ^ a b c d Species Tukutuku rakiurae at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ^ Tukutuku rakiurae Archived 2010-06-02 at the Wayback Machine, Harlequin gecko. New Zealand Lizards Database. Landcare Research.
  5. ^ "The taxonomy of the New Zealand geckos has recently been extensively revised...". New Zealand Herpetological Society.
  6. ^ Gill, Brian; Whitaker, Tony (1996). New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles. Auckland: David Bateman Publishing. 112 pp. ISBN 978-1869532642.
  7. ^ Morris, Rod; Ballance, Allison (2008). Rare Wildlife of New Zealand. Auckland: Random House Publishing. ISBN 978-1869419127.
  8. ^ Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson, Peter; Barr, Ben; Monks, Jo; Lettink, Marieke; Reardon, James; Tocher, Mandy; Whitaker, Tony (2012). "Conservation status of New Zealand reptiles, 2012" (PDF). Department of Conservation. The Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 July 2015.

Further reading[]

  • , Bauer AM, , , (2011). "New Zealand geckos (Diplodactylidae): Cryptic diversity in a post-Gondwanan lineage with trans-Tasman affinities". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59 (1): 1-22. (Tukutuku, new genus; Tukutuku rakiurae, new combination).
  • (1981). "Hoplodactylus rakiurae n. sp. (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Stewart Island, New Zealand, and comments on the taxonomic status of Heteropholis nebulosus McCann". New Zealand J. Zool. 8: 37–47. (Hoplodactylus rakiurae, new species).

External links[]

  • Harlequin gecko discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 17 March 2017


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