Naultinus

Abstract: The extant New Zealand herpetofauna is now considered to consist of at least 65 endemic species of terrestrial reptiles and amphibians, an increase of about 64% in the size of the known fauna since 1980. The list includes four species of Leiopelma*, two species of Sphenodon, seven Naultinus, 22 Hoplodactyius, eight Cyclodina, and 22 Leiolopisma, all endemic to New Zealand. Discoveries in the past decade include many cryptic species identified using allozyme data, but also some morphologically well‐differentiated forms not previously known. At least 30 species (46%) are rare, threatened, or endangered, and 26 species (40%) are restricted largely or entirely to offshore islands. All but three species are protected. The New Zealand Department of Conservation has developed a comprehensive scheme for establishing management priority for indigenous species. At present, formal Recovery Plans exist in draft or approved form for at least 11 species, and more are in preparation.

Abstract: Each of the 14 genera now referred to the subfamily Diplodactylinae (Naultinus, Hoplodactylus, Heteropholis, Bavayia, Rhacodactylus, Eurydactylodes, Pseudothecadactylus, Carphodactylus, Phyllurus, Nephrurus, Oedura, Diplodactylus, Rhynchoedura, and Crenadactylus) is characterized on the basis of its internal and external morphology. The type species, referred species, and distribution are given for each genus. The Diplodactylinae are divided into two tribes primarily on the basis of differences in the arrangement and number of preanal pores and the size and shape of the nasal process of the premaxilla. The Carphodactylini includes Naultinus, Hoplodactylus, Heteropholis, Bavayia, Rhacodactylus, Eurydactylodes, Carphodactylus, Pseudothecadactylus, Phyllurus, and Nephrurus. The Diplodactylini includes Diplodactylus, Oedura, Rhynchoedura, and Crenadactylus. The Carphodactylini appear to be more primitive than the Diplodactylini. Carphodactylus may be close to the ancestral stock of the subfamily. Phyllurus and Nephrurus seem to be closely related to Carphodactylus. Pseudothecadactylus is considered to be closely related to the New Caledonia-Loyalty Islands radiation, which consists of Eurydactylodes and Rhacodactylus, and probably Bavayia. The New Zealand genera Hoplodactylus, Heteropholis, and Naultinus seem to form a natural group which is related to the New Caledonian genera. Crenadactylus is probably only distantly related to the other genera of the Diplodactylini. Rhynchoedura seems to be related to the stenodactylus group of Diplodactylus, while Oedura shows an affinity to the strophurus group of that genus. Geographically, the Diplodactylinae is restricted to the Australian Region (Australia, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, and New Zealand). The ancestral stock of the subfamily probably originated in south-east Asia and dispersed toward Australia by way of the Indo-Australian Archipelago during the upper Cretaceous. It is postulated that the subfamily reached Australia (and continental New Guinea) by Palaeocene- Eocene time.

Abstract: The application of new molecular technologies is central to the search for causal mechanisms capable of explaining the modern-day biogeography of the southern continents. Projects have previously focused on marine mammals and birds, but in recent years they have begun to expand in scope. We now describe the results from three studies carried out recently on parakeets (genus Cyanoramphus), cicadas (genus Maoricicada) and geckos (genera Hoplodactylus and Naultinus) in the context of the Gondwanan affinities of the New Zealand biota. The work described here has been the subject of independent reports (see text for individual references) and their findings have been brought together for the first time here in a more general synthesis.