| New Zealand striped skink | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
 Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Oligosoma |
| Species: | O. striatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Oligosoma striatum (Buller, 1871) | |
The New Zealand striped skink (Oligosoma striatum) is a rare species of medium-sized skink endemic to New Zealand. Found in the North Island, Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island, the species is primarily arboreal, living in dense native tree canopies.
Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1871 by Walter Buller under the name Mocoa striata. In 1955 when Charles McCann revised the taxa of New Zealand skinks, he placed the species within the genus Leiolopisma, which made the species' scientific name Leiolopisma striatum for much of the 20th century. This was until 1995 when Geoff Patterson and Charles Daugherty reinstated the genus Oligosoma for New Zealand skinks, leading to the species' modern name Oligosoma striatum. The specific epithet means "streaked".
In 1955, Charles McCann described the species Leiolopisma latilinearum, which was synonymised with the New Zealand striped skink in 1977.
Description
The species has a pointed snout, and a snout–vent length of 76 mm (3.0 in). The species is dark brown in colour, with two pale cream stripes along the length of their bodies.
Distribution and habitat
The New Zealand striped skink's range includes much of the North Island of New Zealand, ranging from southern Northland Region to the Taranaki Region. It it also present on both Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The population on Great Barrier Island represents 50% of all known records of the species from between 1992 and 2022.
The species typically lives in dense native forest, especially forests dominated by Beilschmiedia tawa. They are often found under fallen rotting logs in the bush or under those remaining in pasture after the forest has been cleared. They are at least partly arboreal and have been found in the forest canopy among epiphytes and also in standing dead trees.
Behaviour
The New Zealand striped skink is diurnal and arboreal, often found sun-basking at high points on trees. The species typically gives birth to between 3-8 skinks between February and March.
The species often lives in colonies of between 30-40 individuals, and its diet primarily consists of insects.
Conservation status
In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the striped skink 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 skink is also regarded as being Data Poor, Sparse and Conservation Dependent. The species is considered Regionally Declining in the Auckland Region, with Great Barrier Island identified as a significant location of importance for the species.
References
- Buller, Walter (1871). "A List of the Lizards inhabiting New Zealand, with Descriptions". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 3: 4–11. ISSN 1176-6166. Wikidata Q131140214.
- ^ Chapple, David G.; Ritchie, Peter A.; Daugherty, Charles H. (August 2009). "Origin, diversification, and systematics of the New Zealand skink fauna (Reptilia: Scincidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 52 (2): 470–487. doi:10.1016/J.YMPEV.2009.03.021. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 19345273. Wikidata Q29541236.
- McCann, Y. M. Charles (May 1955), The lizards of New Zealand. Gekkonidae and Scincidae, vol. 17, Dominion Museum, OCLC 3624962, Wikidata Q131140235
- Patterson, G. B.; Daugherty, C. H. (September 1995). "Reinstatement of the genus Oligosoma (Reptilia: Lacertilia: Scincidae)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 25 (3): 327–331. doi:10.1080/03014223.1995.9517493. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q54555148.
- ^ Brian Gill and Tony Whitaker,"New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles", David Bateman, 2001
- Hardy, Graham S. (September 1977). "The New Zealand Scincidae (Reptilia: Lacertilia); a taxonomic and zoogeographic study". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 4 (3): 221–325. doi:10.1080/03014223.1977.9517956. ISSN 0301-4223. Wikidata Q54555144.
- ^ van Winkel, Dylan; Baling, Marleen; Hitchmough, Rod (2018). Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand (1st ed.). Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 266–267. ISBN 978-1-86940-937-1. OL 40449345M. Wikidata Q76013985.
- ^ Melzer, Sabine; Hitchmough, Rod; van Winkel, Dylan; Wedding, Chris; Chapman, Simon; Rixon, Melinda (March 2022). Conservation Status of Reptile Species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- James, Shauni (2 April 2016). "Rare striped skink spotted". Rotorua Daily Post. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- Hitchmough, Rod; Anderson, Peter; Barr, Ben; Monks, Jo; Lettink, Marieke; Reardon, James; Tocher, Mandy; Whitaker, Tony. "Conservation status of New Zealand reptiles, 2012" (PDF). Department of Conservation. The Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 July 2015.