Canterbury gecko

Canterbury gecko
CITES Appendix III (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Woodworthia
Species:
W. brunnea
Binomial name
Woodworthia brunnea
(Cope, 1869)
Synonyms
  • Pentadactylus brunneus
  • Aeluroscalabotes brunneus
  • Woodworthia brunneus
Banks Peninsula

The Canterbury gecko (Woodworthia brunnea) is a gecko found in the South Island of New Zealand.[2] It is also known by the Māori names Waitaha gecko and Moko-pāpā, and as the brown gecko. It had previously been placed in a different genus and called Hoplodactylus brunneus, but further study split the genus Hoplodactylus into six genera, with some groups close to the former Hoplodactylus maculatus "Canterbury" being assigned to the new genus Woodworthia.[3]

The forms are separated geographically but have evolved from a common ancestor. Woodworthia geckos belong to the subfamily Diplodactylidae, known to be a primitive group found only in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.[4] The significant differences between New Zealand and Australian Diplodactylids may suggest that geckos have been in New Zealand since it broke away from the Gondwana supercontinent 85 million years ago.[5] The geckos are usually brown and highly patterned, including striped morphs. The eye colour ranges from green, brown to bright yellow and they can occur over a variety of habitats including dune-lands, forests, shrublands, river terraces and bluffs.[6] The gecko is endemic to New Zealand.[7]

  1. ^ Listed by New Zealand.
  2. ^ "Woodworthia brunnea". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  3. ^ Nielson, Stuart V.; Bauer, Aaron M.; Jackman, Todd R.; Hitchmough, Rod A.; Daugherty, Charles H. (April 2011). "New Zealand geckos (Diplodactylidae): Cryptic diversity in a post-Gondwanan lineage with trans-Tasman affinities". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 59 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.12.007. PMID 21184833.
  4. ^ Winkel, Dylan van; Baling, Marleen; Hitchmough, Rod (2018). "Waitaha gecko". Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand: A Field Guide. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
  5. ^ Wilson, Kerry-Jane (1 March 2014) [2007-09-24]. "Lizards - Appearance and life cycle". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  6. ^ "Waitaha gecko Woodworthia cf. brunnea". Rare Species. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  7. ^ "New Zealand Endemic Reptiles Checklist". lntreasures.com. Retrieved 2019-01-30.