Taxonomie

endemique
protegee
UICN

Nom vernaculaire :

Scinque des Côtes de Nouvelle-Calédonie - Scinque aux yeux de serpents New Caledonian Shore Skink

Statut liste rouge -

Préoccupation mineure (LC) , évaluée le 11/12/2017

Espèce protégée -

en Province Sud , en Province Nord

Description

Description Générale

Paupière inférieure tansformée en un large disque transparent, complètement fusionné pour former une lunette permanente.

Habitat

Cette espèce, fortement associée aux zones côtières, se rencontre rarement à plus de quelques mètres au dessus de la limite des marées hautes.

Reproduction

Reptiles Database, J.Graig Venter Institute

Répartition en Nouvelle-Calédonie

Grande Terre, Loyauté, Ile des Pins.

Particularité

L'espece n'est pas en danger. Pour une documentation en anglais, voir : Reptiles Database, J.Graig Venter Institute
 


Cryptoblepharus novocaledonicus is listed as Least Concern because it is very widespread, generally abundant and its habitat is largely secure.

Aire géographique


This species is endemic to New Caledonia. Occurs on Grande Terre, Iles Belep (Ile Pott and Ile Art), Ile des Pins and Iles Loyauté (Maré, Lifou, Ouvéa), and almost all smaller islands. It occurs at elevations of up to 400 m. The extent of occurrence is estimated at 62,955 km2 and the area of occupancy at 220 km2.

 

Population


There is no information on population size or trends for this species. Although there must have been some very localised habitat modifications that have affected this species, it is quick to colonize new habitat and man-made structures (breakwaters, wharves) and is unlikely to have suffered any significant change in distribution or abundance. In good habitat, population densities are exceptionally high.

Habitat


This species is almost invariably confined to a narrow supralittoral zone on rocky coastlines, raised coral and stony beaches; often on mangroves; rarely on sandy beaches. Four exceptional populations are known that are away from the coast (up to 5 km inland and up to 400 m elevation) on barren cuirasse maquis habitat (Ile Yandé, Sommet Poum, Port Boise and Plaine des Lacs). It is diurnal, terrestrial or arboreal and is active in sunlight. It shelters in crevices in rocks or driftwood, within boulder or gravel beaches, beneath stones, and in crevices or beneath loose bark on standing trees. It basks and forages on the ground, rock faces and on trunks and branches of standing maquis trees (to canopy height).

Menaces


There are no significant threats to coastal populations of Cryptoblepharus novocaledonicus; nothing is likely to threaten their habitat on anything more than an extremely localized scale. Predation by introduced mammals (rodents and cats) is probably minimal, and it is unlikely that Wasmannia auropunctata would be an issue in such habitats. Two inland populations (Sommet Poum, Plaine des Lacs) are at very high risk of habitat loss from the expansion of mining where they occur and a third (Ile Yandé) is possibly at risk to future mining. The Port Boise population in woody maquis is at risk to wildfires, and all inland populations are expected to be at higher risk from predation by introduced mammals and the effects of invasive ants (Wasmannia auropunctata and, in the south, Anoplolepis gracilipes).

Conservation


This species is protected in Province Nord under Code de l'environnement de la Province Nord (Délibération No. 306-2008/APN, 24 October 2008) and in Province Sud under Code de l'environnement de la Province Sud (Délibération No. 25-2009/APS, 20 March 2009). It is present in La réserve naturelle de l’île Leprédour and probably in any other reserves that include coastline (e.g. La réserve naturelle du Cap N’Dua and Réserve de Nature Sauvage de l’Ile de Pam). No conservation management is currently being undertaken.

Bibliographie


Uetz, P. (ed.) 2017. The Reptile Database.

Jourdan, H., Sadlier, R.A. and Bauer, A.M. 2001. Little Fire Ant Invasion (Wasmannia auropunctata) as a threat to New Caledonian lizards: Evidences from a sclerophyll forest (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Sociobiology(38) , p.283-301.

Bauer, A.M. and Sadlier, R.A. 1997. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Loyalty Islands. Pacific Science(51) , p.76-90.

Jourdan, H., Sadlier, R.A. and Bauer, A.M. 2000. Premières observations sur les conséquences de l’invasion de Wasmannia auropunctata 1863 (Roger) sur les prédateurs supérieurs dans les écosystèmes Néo-calédoniens. Actes des collectes insectes sociaux(13) , p.121-126.

Bauer, A.M., and Sadlier, R.A. 1994. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. Pacific Science(48) , p.353-366.

IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2.

Experts


Assessor(s): Sadlier, R., Bauer, A., Jourdan, H., Astrongatt, S., Deuss, M., Duval, T., Bourguet, E., McCoy, S., Bouteiller, A., Lagrange, A.

Reviewer(s): Cox, N.

Contributor(s): Whitaker, A.

Facilitator(s): Warimavute, G., Lietar, J., Tanguy, V.


Répartition géographique