New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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A new skink species (Oligosoma taumakae sp. nov.; Reptilia: Scincidae) from the Open Bay Islands, New Zealand

David G. Chapple^*

Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Geoff B. Patterson

149 Mairangi Road
Wilton
Wellington 6140, New Zealand

^*Present address: David Chapple, Museum Victoria, Herpetology Section, GPO Box 666, Melbourne Victoria 3001, Australia. dchapple@museum.vic.gov.au

Abstract    We describe a new skink species (Oligosoma taumakae sp. nov.) from the Open Bay Islands, New Zealand. This species is diagnosed on the basis of several morphological characteristics, and its specific status is supported by mitochondrial sequence data (ND2, ND4). The new species appears to be most closely related to O. acrinasum, O. infrapunctatum, O. otagense and O. waimatense. The new taxon appears to be rare and endemic to the island of Taumaka in the Open Bay Islands (off the west coast of the South Island). Predation by a flightless rail (weka, Gallirallus australis), native to New Zealand but introduced to the Open Bay Islands, is a major conservation concern.

Keywords    mitochondrial DNA; morphology; ND2; ND4; Scincidae; taxonomy

Z07032; Online publication date 16 October 2007; Received 12 July 2007; accepted 10 September 2007

New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2007, Vol. 34: 347–357
0301–4223/07/3404–0347 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2007

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