The forest gecko (''Mokopirirakau granulatus'') is a species of
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
. ''Granulatus'' refers to the granular texture of the skin.
[Gill, B.J. and Whitaker, A.H. (2001). ''New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles''. David Bateman Limited, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand] Its
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
name is ''moko pirirākau'' ("lizard that clings to trees"). It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to New Zealand, found in all areas except the
Far North Far North may refer to:
Places
* Far North (Russia), a part of Russia which lies beyond the Arctic Circle
* Far North Alaska, United States
* Far North (Canada)
* Norte Grande, one of the five natural regions of Chile according to CORFO
* Far Nort ...
,
Marlborough, and
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
.
In June 2010 seven forest geckos, four female and three male, were stolen from a wildlife park in Northland.
Forest geckos are a protected species under the
Wildlife Act 1953
Wildlife Act 1953 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. Under the act, the majority of native New Zealand vertebrate species are protected by law, and may not be hunted, killed, eaten or possessed. Violations may be punished with fines of up to ...
.
Conservation status
In 2012 the
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
reclassified the forest gecko as ''At Risk'' under the
New Zealand Threat Classification System
The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand.
The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had some ...
. 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. This gecko is also regarded as being ''Data Poor'' which indicates the Department of Conservations uncertainty about the listing due to lack of data.
See also
*
Geckos of New Zealand
References
External links
''Hoplodactylus granulatus''at the New Zealand Herpetological Society
''Hoplodactylus granulatus''at the
J. Craig Venter Institute
The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is a non-profit genomics research institute founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. in October 2006. The institute was the result of consolidating four organizations: the Center for the Advancement of G ...
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3016095
Mokopirirakau
Endemic fauna of New Zealand
Reptiles of New Zealand
Reptiles described in 1845
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
Endemic reptiles of New Zealand