Taxonomic Revision of the New Zealand Copper Skink (Cyclodina aenea: Squamata: Scincidae) Species Complex, with Descriptions of Two New Species

New Zealand geckos (Diplodactylidae): Cryptic diversity in a post-Gondwanan lineage with trans-Tasman affinities

“…In addition to providing a temporal context and genealogy for New Zealand geckos, our phylogenetic results strongly support the existence of undescribed, cryptic lineages within the New Zealand gecko fauna, consistent with previous studies (Hitchmough, 1997;Chong, 1999;Chambers et al, 2001) and mirroring the identification of similar cryptic lineages in New Zealand skinks (33 + species; Chapple et al, 2008) and, to a lesser extent, frogs (at least 4 sp. ; Bell et al, 1998).…”

Origin and post‐colonization evolution of the Chatham Islands skink (Oligosoma nigriplantare nigriplantare)

“…Oligosoma n. nigriplantare is part of the diverse endemic New Zealand skink fauna, which is comprised of two genera ( Oligosoma , Cyclodina ) and 32 described species (Gill & Whitaker 2001; Chapple & Patterson 2007; Chapple et al . 2008; in press a). The New Zealand common skink ( Oligosoma nigriplantare polychroma ) is widespread across New Zealand (North Island, South Island, Stewart Island), while O. n. nigriplantare is the sole reptile species on the Chatham Islands, where it occurs on all of the major islands except Chatham Island itself (Fig.…”

Tepakiphasma ngatikuri, a new genus and species of stick insect (Phasmatodea) from the Far North of New Zealand

“…This area occupies approximately 20 hectares only and is of outstanding biodiversity value because it has the greatest plant diversity of all remaining forest fragments in the Te Paki/North Cape area (Gardner & Bartlett 1980). Furthermore, this forest fragment and the immediate surrounding area is the type locality for a number of beetle (Holloway 1961;Larochelle & Larivière 2005), mirid hemipteran (Eyles 2005), spider (Forster 1970), skink (Chapple et al 2008), and plant species (von Konrat & Braggins 2005), and is the only known locality of several undescribed species of land snail (e.g., Goulstone et al 1993). The new, and as yet undescribed, species of Clitarchus discussed by Buckley et al (2010a) is widespread in the Te Paki/North Cape area including Radar Bush.…”

“…The Te Paki/North Cape area at the very northern tip of New Zealand is of high biodiversity value because of the large numbers of endemic plant (e.g., Davidson et al 1969;Druce et al 1979;de Lange et al 2003;von Konrat & Braggins 2005), vertebrate (e.g., Chapple et al 2008) and invertebrate species (e.g., Gardner 1967;Goulstone et al 1993;Larochelle & Larivière 2005;Winterbourn 2009). Furthermore, due to the extremely degraded habitat in this area (Gardner & Bartlett 1980;Lux et al 2009) many of these endemic species are threatened with extinction (Lux et al 2009).…”