Naultinus is a genus of geckos that are endemic to New Zealand.[1] On account of their striking colouration, species in the genus Naultinus are commonly known as green geckos. There are nine described species in the genus.[2] Species in the genus share a number of traits that set them apart as quite different from the rest of the world's two thousand odd gecko species, which are generally brown in colour, ovivaparous, short-lived and nocturnal. In contrast, Naultinus are green (with the exceptions of males in two South Island species which exhibit sexual dimorphism in colouration), ovovivaparous, live up to 30 years or more and are strictly diurnal. New Zealand has a temperate, maritime climate, and in terms of distribution Naultinus is one of the southernmost gecko genera in the world — some species live in habitats in the South Island which receive regular snowfall in winter. Animals in this genus possess several physiological and behavioural adaptations to cope with these periods of low temperatures and adverse weather.
While historically widespread and quite common in areas of native forest all over the country, all species in this genus are of conservation concern in the present day. All nine species of Naultinus are declining in the wild and are much harder to find than they used to be; the populations of the various species are highly fragmented and approaching extinction, while others in the genus have already gone extinct. Entire populations of certain species, with unique traits and distinctive genetic profiles, have disappeared in the last 20 years. The primary known agents of this catastrophic decline include predation by invasive mammalian and avian species, habitat destruction and poaching for the illegal pet trade. Vespid wasp predation is speculated to be another possible contributing cause. Legal protection in the form of longer prison sentences for poachers caught with New Zealand protected species has been increased in recent years and translocations of various species to pest free islands have been undertaken with mixed results, but the task of saving these animals remains daunting. The behavioural and visually cryptic nature of these animals also pose challenges to their conservation management. The genus is, in general, in "dire need of research, particularly into factors that are causing their apparent decline", certain aspects of which remain unexplained.[3]
^Van Winkel, Dylan (April 2019). Reptiles and amphibians of New Zealand : a field guide. Baling, Marleen,, Hitchmough, Rod. Auckland, New Zealand. ISBN 978-1-86940-937-1. OCLC 1048295078.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Jewell, Tony (2008). Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand. Photographs by Rod Morris. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86966-203-5.
^Jewell, Tony (November 2008). "Vanishing Geckos". Forest and Bird Magazine (330).
Naultinus is a genus of geckos that are endemic to New Zealand. On account of their striking colouration, species in the genus Naultinus are commonly known...
The Auckland green gecko (Naultinus elegans) is a species of gecko found only in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand, except north of...
pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Naultinus grayii, p. 107). Hitchmough R, van Winkel D, Lettink M, Chapple D (2019). "Naultinus grayii ". The IUCN Red List...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naultinus tuberculatus. Wikispecies has information related to Naultinus tuberculatus. Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson...
The jewelled gecko (Naultinus gemmeus) is a threatened species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to the South Island of...
Naultinus rudis. Wikispecies has information related to Naultinus rudis. Hitchmough, R.; Lettink, M.; van Winkel, D.; Chapple, D. (2019). "Naultinus rudis"...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naultinus punctatus. Wikispecies has information related to Naultinus elegans punctatus. NZ Herpetological Society...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naultinus manukanus. Wikispecies has information related to Naultinus manukanus. New Zealand Herpetological Society...
2022-01-14. "Naultinus stellatus Hutton, 1872; neotype". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 17 July 2010. "Naultinus stellatus"...
The Aupōuri green gecko (Naultinus flavirictus), also known as the North Cape green gecko or yellow-lipped green gecko, is a species of gecko in the family...
Naultinus. Many species of the genus Hoplodactylus also have toes that are broader and more expanded than do their relatives in the genus Naultinus....
into the following species: Auckland green gecko, Naultinus elegans Wellington green gecko, Naultinus punctatus This page is an index of articles on animal...
species such as harlequin geckos (Tukutuku rakiurae) and jewelled geckos (Naultinus gemmeus) which have never been legally exported. These reptiles are regularly...
of native birds, including kererū and tūī, while geckos of the genus Naultinus have also been observed to supplement their primarily insectivorous diet...
(Placostylus ambagiosus), stick insects and the Northland green tree gecko (Naultinus grayii). The western coast is dominated by several long straight beaches...
This is unusual in geckos except in the genera Phelsuma, Lygodactylus, Naultinus, Quedenfeldtia, Rhoptropus, all Sphaerodactylids, and, of course, Pristurus...
forest gecko (Mokopirirakau granulatus), and Wellington green gecko (Naultinus punctatus). Most of the ecoregion's original forest is gone. In the lowlands...
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