| Open Bay Islands skink | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| 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]
Max SVL (Snout to Vent length) = 78.8 mm