Nelson green gecko

Nelson green gecko
File:Naultinus stellatus by Don Waddington.jpg
Naultinus stellatus by Don Waddington
Conservation status
File:Status NZTCS GD.svg Gradual Decline (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Naultinus
Species:	N. stellatus
Binomial name
Naultinus stellatus Hutton, 1872

The Nelson green gecko or starry tree gecko, Naultinus stellatus, is a species of the family Gekkonidae (gecko). The neotype is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Distribution

The Nelson green gecko is found only in the Nelson area of New Zealand, from south of the Bryant Range, westwards of the main divide, to the Murchison district and north Westland.

Reproduction is viviparous. Young (usually twins) are born in the autumn or early winter.

Conservation status

In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the Nelson green gecko as At Risk under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. 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 sparse and Data Poor.

References

• New Zealand Herpetological Society
• The Reptile Database
• The NZ Lizards Database