Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Woodworthia
Species: W. maculatus
Binomial name: Woodworthia maculatus
Synonym: Hoplodactylus maculatus
Common name: Common gecko
Woodworthia maculatus a small to medium sized native gecko that is widespread, especially in the North Island. It inhabits forests, scrub and grassland, from seashore to the alpine vegetation zone. It spends much of its time on the ground but does climb trees and shrubs and sun-basks.
It has an average length of 155mm and its predominant colour is grey or brown, with paler patches which may be stripy or have irregular markings. The underside is usually paler.
It has a broad head in relation to the body. The eyes are a greenish brown, with the snout-to-eye distance slightly longer, or equal to, the eye-to-ear distance. Maculatus mouth is lined in pink and has a pink tongue with a grey tip.
Like all New Zealand’s geckos, they are fully protected, meaning that they may only be handled, collected or kept in captivity under permit. Predation of this gecko occurs by mustelids (ferrets, weasels, stoats) rats and cats.
A study on the predator-free Motunau Island, Canterbury (Bannock et al, 1999), showed the H.maculatus inhabitants to have long lives – ten individuals were estimated to be more than thirty-six years old. In a cool temperate climate, the geckos mature late, and live long, and have low annual birth rates.
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