Lizard ‘gold’ in South Island mountains
Scientists who unearthed a population of rare Cupola geckos in the Nelson Lakes National Park may have also discovered an entirely new gecko species.
It is among several geckos and skinks found during surveys in remote South Island mountains that are either new populations of known species or completely new species.
Department of Conservation science adviser and lizard survey project leader Dr Jo Monks said field teams ‘‘struck gold’’ when they found previously unknown skinks in Fiordland and on the West Coast, along with geckos in the Nelson Lakes and Mt Aspiring national parks during recent surveys.
‘‘They look different to known species, but we won’t know for certain until we get the results of genetic testing.
‘‘If they aren’t new species, it means we have discovered populations of these lizards in places we didn’t know they were, which is great news.’’
The DOC-led survey teams spent about three days searching for lizards at each site, combing the ground, carefully lifting rocks and spotlighting at night for geckos, which are nocturnal. The surveys sought to gain more information about poorly known or ‘‘data deficient’’ lizards, some of which had only been seen once or twice previously.
In the Wick Mountains in northern Fiordland, 20 skinks were found in an area that hadn’t been previously surveyed, but was thought to be suitable lizard habitat.
A trip near Mt Alba in the Mt Aspiring National Park to investigate a single gecko sighting resulted in nine geckos being found in an area far from other known populations.
Lizard prints in a rodent tracking tunnel in the Hooker/Landsborough Wilderness Area on the West Coast also sparked a three-day search that led to the discovery of one pregnant female skink.
Another gecko was found in Nelson Lakes National Park, on the same trip where the elusive Cupola gecko was also rediscovered this summer after only two previous sightings.
‘‘These finds are very exciting and show there is much about our alpine lizards still to be discovered,’’ Monks said.
Aotearoa has more than 110 lizard species (geckos and skinks), many of which are endemic. Lizard ecology is poorly understood and scientists are aware of about 33 species of alpine species.
DOC is awaiting results of genetic testing to identify the specimens found and confirm whether they are new species.