Oligosoma kakerakau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oligosoma kakerakau | |
|---|---|
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| Oligosoma kakerakau seen in Northland, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Oligosoma |
| Species: | O. kakerakau |
| Binomial name | |
| Oligosoma kakerakau Barr, Chapple, Hitchmough, Patterson & Ngatiwai Trust Board, 2021 | |
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| Distribution of Oligosoma kakerakau on a map of the North Island Known native range | |
Oligosoma kakerakau, known as the Whirinaki skink and the Kakerakau skink, is a species of skink found in New Zealand.[1] First observed at Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park in 2003, the skink is mainly known for a population occurring at Bream Head Scenic Reserve near Whangārei. Oligosoma kakerakau has a distinctive teardrop marking that distinguishes it from other similar members of Oligosoma.
Oligosoma kakerakau was first formally described in 2021.[2] The first sighting of the species occurred in 2003, when a single individual was seen at Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park. Until 2021, the species was given the interim name Oligosoma "Whirinaki".[2] Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the species' closest known relative is Oligosoma zelandicum, while Oligosoma striatum and Oligosoma homalonotum are more distant relatives.[2] O. kakerakau and O. zelandicum are hypothesised to have diverged due to sea level changes during the Pliocene era.[2]
Description
Oligosoma kakerakau has a snout–vent length of 70 mm (2.8 in).[3] The species has a distinctive teardrop-shaped marking below its eye and mid-lateral stripe.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The species is known to occur at Bream Head Scenic Reserve near Whangārei in Northland, and at Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park in the Bay of Plenty Region.[2] An unconfirmed sighting of the species in a third area occurred at Whangamōmona in 2022.[4][5]
At Bream Head, the species lives in coastal broad-leaved forest, scrubland, and on rock outcrops, while the Whirinaki population lives in Podocarpus, tawa and tawhai forests.[4][3]