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Woodworthia maculata

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Woodworthia maculata, also known as the New Zealand common gecko or Raukawa gecko, is a species in the family Diplodactylidae.[1] The species is endemic to New Zealand.

Woodworthia maculata
Woodworthia maculata seen in the Wellington Region
CITES Appendix III (CITES)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Woodworthia
Species:
W. maculata
Binomial name
Woodworthia maculata
(Gray, 1845)
Synonyms[1]
  • Naultinus maculatus Gray, 1845
  • Hoplodactylus maculatus
  • Woodworthia maculatus

Taxonomy

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The species was first mentioned by John Edward Gray in 1845 as Naultinus maculatus. Gray's mention lacked a description and referenced manuscript notes, so it is unclear if Gray considered N. maculatus to be a synonym of Naultinus pacificus.[3][4] The first formal description of the species was written by George Albert Boulenger in 1885, which he described as Hoplodactylus maculatus.[5][4] Its status as a distinct species was undetermined until 1977.[4] The species was first described as a member of the genus Woodworthia (as Woodworthia maculatus) by herpetologist Tony R. Jewell in A Photographic Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians of New Zealand (2008),[6] a distinction that was supported by phylogenetic analysis of New Zealand gecko species.[7]

The specific name maculata means "speckled", referring to the speckled pattern seen on this species.[8][9]

Description

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W. maculata is a small to medium-sized gecko, with an average length of 155 mm (6.1 in),[10] and has a predominant colour of grey or brown.[11] The eyes are a greenish brown, with the snout-to-eye distance slightly longer, or equal to, the eye-to-ear distance. 'The mouth is lined in pink and has a pink tongue with a grey tip.[10] W. maculata often occupies the same area as a few similar looking geckos; Dactylocnemis pacificus and W. chrysosireticus. W. maculata can be distinguished from W. chrysosireticus by the lack of black speckles which are seen on W. chrysosireticus. W. maculata differs from D. pacificus when looking closely at the nostril. In maculata the nostril scale is not in contact with the nostril, but in D. pacificus it is in contact.[12] The species can be distinguished from the korowai gecko due to different ranges, as the korowai gecko is found exclusively on the west coast of the Auckland Region, and due to Woodworthia maculata having longer distal phalanges.[13]

Individuals in the South Island are often more slender and darker in colour than those in the North Island.[14]

Range

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W. maculata can be found in the North Island of New Zealand, and northern sections of the South Island. The species is widely distributed in the lower North Island and in the Gisborne District. Further north, the species is exclusively found on the eastern Pacific coast of the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel Peninsula, Auckland Region and Northland.[9] In addition, the species can be found in many offshore islands of the Cook Strait and Hauraki Gulf.[9]

Habitat preferences

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W. maculata is terrestrial but is often found in trees, only in forested areas.[15] A study by H. Frank and DJ Wilson (2011) showed that W. maculata is also commonly found in rocky areas with cracks and crevices, without a permanent shade cover. Few individuals were detected in highly grazed areas with no grass cover remaining.[16]

In the Hauraki Gulf, the geckos are commonly found on stony beaches and are a smaller size, with crenulated longitudinal stripes. W. maculata are found in the Coromandel and central North Island are generally found in lowland forests and are much larger, as well as being of various colours. The Southern North Island populations appear to be two-thirds smaller than nearby populations and exhibit sexual dimorphism.[17] Populations which occupy the Cook Strait and nearby mainland's show to be a mix of the common Northern and Southern forms.[12]

Life cycle

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W. maculata has been found to have a characteristically long lifespan, with a suggested lifespan of 20 years.[18] Some individuals have been aged at 29 years.[19][20] A more recent study proposes that the species may live up to 37 years in the wild. It has been suggested[19] that W. maculata may have a long lifespan to balance their slow reproductive rate.[21]

Diet

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Raukawa gecko eating berries

Geckos have a simple diet of live insects and smaller organisms. The diet of a gecko includes, but is not limited to, spiders, isopodas, moths, flies, grasshoppers and caterpillars. As expected, due to an individual's size and preference, the diet has a lot of variation. In other gecko species, the tail acts as a storage organ which can hold reserves of fat which the individual can use in times of food scarcity.[22] Most gecko species cannot digest leaves and other tough plant material easily, however W. maculata and other New Zealand gecko species feed off plant material that is easily digestible and high in energy like pollen, nectar, sap or fruit.[20] Mainland geckos are commonly preyed on invasive species such as stoats, cats, hedgehogs and rodents. On off-shore islands where these invasive species are not present, the morepork is considered the main predator.[23] Rodents eat both the adult gecko and their eggs and are particularly dangerous for larger geckos. Although W. maculata are too small to fight them off, their heads are too big to fit in gaps small enough in which they would be safe from the predator.[20] Cree[21] found that W. maculata reproduces annually and has evidence to suggest that some populations may be reproducing biannually. Cree[21] also recognised that on average, each female produces less than 2 offspring per year and are slow to mature.

Conservation status

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As of 2021, the Department of Conservation (DOC) classified the common gecko as Not Threatened under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Woodworthia maculata at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 October 2018.
  2. ^ Listed by New Zealand.
  3. ^ Gray, John Edward; British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology. (1845), Catalogue of the Specimens of lizards in the collection of the British museum, London: Printed by order of the Trustees, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.5499, LCCN 06018121, OCLC 4208787, OL 7032217M, Wikidata Q51454595
  4. ^ a b c Robb, J.; Rowlands, R. P. V. (1977). "Reinstatement of Hoplodactylus maculatus (Boulenger) with Redescription of H. pacificus (Gray) (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 14: 133–142. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906255. Wikidata Q58677060.
  5. ^ Boulenger, George Albert; British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology. (1885), Catalogue of the lizards in the British museum (Natural history) (2nd ed.), London: Printed by order of the Trustees, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.53974, OCLC 9795264, Wikidata Q51454423
  6. ^ King, Carolyn M.; Chapple, David G.; Hitchmough, Rod A.; Jewell, Tony (January 2009). "Dynamic taxonomy versus field identification: A dilemma for New Zealand herpetologists". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 36 (1): 59–71. doi:10.1080/03014220909510140. ISSN 0301-4223. Wikidata Q101631653.
  7. ^ Nielsen, Stuart V.; Bauer, Aaron M.; Jackman, Todd R.; Hitchmough, Rod A.; Daugherty, Charles H. (22 December 2010). "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. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 21184833. Wikidata Q33780218.
  8. ^ New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles, Brian Gill and Tony Whitaker, David Bateman limited, 2001
  9. ^ a b c van Winkel, Dylan; Baling, Marleen; Hitchmough, Rod (2018). Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand (1st ed.). Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 116–119. ISBN 978-1-86940-937-1. OL 40449345M. Wikidata Q76013985.
  10. ^ a b Jewell, T. 2008 A photographic guide to reptiles and amphibians of New Zealand. New Holland, Auckland. 144 p.
  11. ^ Towns, D. R. (1985). A field guide to the lizards of New Zealand. Wellington, N.Z.: New Zealand Wildlife Service, Dept. of Internal Affairs
  12. ^ a b Bell T (compiler) 2010: NZ Lizards Database Species Synopsis. Common Gecko, Woodworthia maculatus Available: http://herpetology.landcareresearch.co.nz[permanent dead link]. Accession date: 06/04/2016. Landcare Research NZ Ltd.
  13. ^ "Korowai gecko". New Zealand Herpetological Society. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  14. ^ Hitchmough, Rodney Arthur (1997). "A Systematic Revision of the New Zealand Gekkonidae". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  15. ^ Wotton, Debra M. (2002). "Effectiveness of the common gecko (Hoplodactylus maculatus) as a seed disperser on Mana Island, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 40 (4): 639–647. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2002.9512820. S2CID 86800029.
  16. ^ Frank, H.; Wilson, D.J. (2011). "Distribution, status and conservation measures for lizards in limestone areas of South Canterbury, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 38 (1): 15–28. doi:10.1080/03014223.2010.520326.
  17. ^ Whitaker, A.H. "Interim results from a study of Hoplodactylus maculatus (Boulenger) at Turakirae Head, Wellington". New Zealand Wildlife Service occasional publication No. 2. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  18. ^ Whitaker, A. H. (1987). "The roles of lizards in New Zealand plant reproductive strategies". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 25 (2): 315–328. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1987.10410078.
  19. ^ a b Bannock, C. A.; Whitaker, A.H.; Hickling, G.J. (1999). "Extreme longevity of the common gecko (Hoplodactylus maculatus) on Motunau Island, Canterbury, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 23 (1): 101–103. JSTOR 24054753.
  20. ^ a b c Bauer, A. M. (2013). Geckos: The animal answer guide. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  21. ^ a b c Cree, Alison (1994). "Low annual reproductive output in female reptiles from New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 21 (4): 351–372. doi:10.1080/03014223.1994.9518005.
  22. ^ Rowlands, R. P. (1995). New Zealand geckos: A guide to captive maintenance and breeding. Auckland, N.Z.: Print Media Specialists.
  23. ^ Kelly, Clint D. (2015). "Sexual size and shape dimorphism and allometric scaling patterns in head traits in the New Zealand common gecko Woodworthia maculatus". Zoology. 118 (4): 248–254. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2015.02.002. PMID 25958103.
  24. ^ Hitchmough, R.; Barr, B.; Knox, C.; Lettink, M.; Monks, J. M.; Patterson, G. B.; Reardon, J. T.; van Winkel, D.; Rolfe, J.; Michel, P. (2021). Conservation Status of New Zealand Reptiles, 2021 (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. Vol. 35. Department of Conservation. pp. 3–6. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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