期刊
ZOOTAXA
卷 5047, 期 4, 页码 401-415出版社
MAGNOLIA PRESS
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5047.4.1
关键词
Kakerakau skink; conservation; morphology; Oligosoma kakerakau sp; nov; Bream Head; Whirinaki taxonomy
类别
资金
- Australian Research Council [FT200100108]
- Australian Research Council [FT200100108] Funding Source: Australian Research Council
This article describes a new species of skink, Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov., from New Zealand, considered conspecific with a previously known species. The new skink can be distinguished by unique eye markings, lateral stripes, and ventral coloration. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that sea level changes during the Pliocene may have contributed to the divergence between this new species and its closest relative.
New Zealand is home to a diverse cool temperate assemblage of skinks, with 60+ identified taxa (genus Oligosoma Girard), of which only 50 have been formally described. Here we describe a new species (Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov.) from Bream Head Scenic Reserve, near Whangarei Heads, Northland. This species is considered to be conspecific with a single specimen (Oligosoma Whirinaki) previously reported (in 2003) from Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park similar to 370 km further south. Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other members of the genus by a combination of a distinctive teardrop marking below the eye, a distinctive mid-lateral stripe, and the colouration and pattern on its ventral surface. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. is most closely related to O. zelandicum (Gray), and more distantly to O. striatum (Buller) and O. homalonotum (Boulenger). Sea level changes during the Pliocene, such as the formation of the Manawatu Strait, may have contributed to the divergence between Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov. and O. zelandicum. We discuss the distribution, ecology and conservation of Oligosoma kakerakau sp. nov., and outline future research and conservation priorities for the species.
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