Northland green gecko

The Northland green gecko (Naultinus grayii), also known commonly as Gray's tree gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found only in the Northland region of New Zealand, north of Whangaroa, and is one of the rarest and most highly sought after lizards.^[4]

Northland green gecko
at Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch
Conservation status
Sparse (NZ TCS)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Diplodactylidae
Genus:	Naultinus
Species:	N. grayii
Binomial name
Naultinus grayii Bell, 1843
Distribution of the Northland green gecko on a map of the North Island   Known native range
Synonyms[3]
Naultinus grayii Bell, 1843 Gymnodactylus grayii — A.H.A. Duméril, 1856 Hoplodactylus grayii — Fitzinger, 1861 Naultinus grayii — Buller, 1871

Taxonomy

Naultinus grayii was originally described by Thomas Bell in 1843.^[4]

Etymology

The specific name, grayii, is in honour of British herpetologist John Edward Gray.^[5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of N. grayii are freshwater wetlands, shrubland, and forest.^[6]

Description

Northland green gecko head

The Northland green gecko is vivid green with grey or gold-coloured markings on either side along the dorsal surface. Males have a blue band along the sides just below the limbs.^{[citation needed]} Underneath, the ventral surface of both sexes is bright pale green, sometimes with a yellow tinge. The inside of the mouth is deep blue with a bright red tongue.^{[citation needed]}

Its total length (including tail) is up to 200 mm (7.9 in),^{[citation needed]} and its snout-to-vent length (SVL) is up to 95 mm (3.7 in).^[6]

Behaviour

The Northland green gecko is diurnal,^[6] often found sun-basking.^{[citation needed]} It has an arboreal lifestyle,^{[citation needed]} especially favouring stands of manuka, kanuka,^[6] and mingimingi.^{[citation needed]}

Reproduction

N. grayii is oviparous.^[3] Average litter size is two newborns.^[6] Sexual maturity is reached at approximately two years, after which reproduction occurs annually.^[6] The young are born in March, after a gestation period of four months.^[6]

Conservation status

In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the Northland 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 "Data Poor".^[1]

Captivity

The species N. grayii, like all the Naultinus species, is regarded as the "holy grail" of geckos among their keepers, often going for a large amount of money for a pair of lizards.^{[citation needed]} Outside of its home range, it is most commonly kept in Europe where there are several keepers producing offspring, though still extremely rarely seen.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001 a German tourist was fined $12,000 for attempting to smuggle Northland green geckos out of the country in his underwear.^[7]

See also

• Geckos of New Zealand