Cupola gecko
| Cupola gecko | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Infraorder: | Gekkota |
| Family: | Diplodactylidae |
| Genus: | Mokopirirakau |
| Species: | M. granulatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mokopirirakau "Cupola" | |
The Cupola gecko is a rare variant of the forest gecko (Mokopirirakau granulatus). Confirmed sightings were made only in 1968, 2007 and March 2021, at which time it was suspected to be a separate but undescribed species, named Mokopirirakau "Cupola" until it could be described. DNA testing later in 2021 showed it to be Mokopirirakau granulatus.[1]
It was called Cupola after the Cupola Basin in the Nelson Lakes National Park where it was first found.[2] It has only been confirmed to be present in the Cupola Basin and the adjacent Sabine Valley in the Nelson Lakes National Park.[2]
In March 2021, 53 years after the first sighting, and 14 years after the last confirmed sighting, four Cupola geckos, including a pregnant female, were found in the Sabine Valley in an expedition headed by herpetologist Ben Barr.[3]
Description
[edit]Very few recorded specimens of the Cupola gecko exist.[4] It is similar in appearance to other forest geckos, having a grey-brown colour with dark W- or V-shaped bands or blotches.[4] It differs in that it has a shorter snout and a triangular shaped head with V-shaped markings.[3] It has a speckled undersurface, a bright orange mouth lining, and grey/brown eyes.[5] The sizes of adult specimens are unknown, but probably measure around 70–85 mm.[5] Juveniles are dark grey-brown with grey chevron markings and scattered spots of mustard yellow.[5]
Distribution
[edit]The Cupola gecko is known only in the Cupola Basin and the Sabine Valley. The first Cupola Basin specimen was found in a scrubby boulder field not far above the Cupola Basin hut.[5]
Conservation status
[edit]The Department of Conservation classified the Cupola gecko as Data Deficient under the New Zealand Threat Classification System,[5] then changed to Taxonomically Indistinct after the DNA testing.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Hitchmough, Rod; Barr, Ben; Knox, Carey; Lettink, Marieke; Monks, Joanne M.; Patterson, Geoff B.; Reardon, James T.; van Winkel, Dylan; Rolfe, Jeremy; Michel, Pascale (2024) [2021 (addendum inserted 2024)]. Conservation Status of New Zealand Reptiles, 2021 (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series 35. Department of Conservation. Note added in press. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ a b Gee, Samantha (10 April 2021). "On the trail of a ghost: The history of the Cupola gecko". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ a b Gee, Samantha (31 March 2021). "Cupola gecko population discovered more than 50 years after first sighting". Stuff. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Mokopirirakau species complex". New Zealand Herpetological Society. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Mokopirirakau "Cupola"". Department of Conservation. Retrieved 11 April 2021.