Open Bay Islands skink

Open Bay Islands skink
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Oligosoma
Species:	O. taumakae sp
Binomial name
Oligosoma taumakae (Chapple & Patterson, 2007)

The Open Bay Islands skink, Oligosoma taumakae, is a species of skink in the family. It is recently described from the small Open Bay Islands off the west coast of the South Island of 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 Oligosoma acrinasum, Oligosoma infrapunctatum, Oligosoma otagense and Oligosoma waimatense. The new taxon appears to be rare and endemic to the larger island of Taumaka. Predation by a flightless rail (weka, Gallirallus australis, which is native to New Zealand but was introduced to the Open Bay Islands, is a major conservation concern.^[1]

Physical characteristics

Max SVL (Snout to Vent length) = 78.8 mm

References

1. ^ Chapple & Patterson (2007) A new skink species (Oligosoma taumakae sp. nov.; Reptilia: Scincidae) from the Open Bay Islands, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology vol 34 347-357