Taxonomie
Statut liste rouge -
Préoccupation mineure (LC) , évaluée le 11/12/2017Espèce protégée -
en Province Sud , en Province Nord
Even though the geographic range of this species is below the thresholds for a threatened category, it is widespread on the island, its population is significantly greater than 10,000 individuals, the reduction in population size is expected to be <30%, and is present at many locations. In addition, this species is thriving in disturbed and modified habitats and is generally abundant wherever it occurs. It is therefore listed as Least Concern.
Aire géographique
This species is endemic to Province Sud, New Caledonia. It occurs in Iles des Pins and its satellite islands. It occurs at elevations up to 260 m. The extent of occurrence is approximately 150 km2 (based on island area) and the area of occupancy is <150 km2.
Population
There is no detailed information on population size and trends for this species but any potential decrease in the distribution and density of the population resulting from the past loss and fragmentation of natural habitats is likely to have been at least partly off-set by the fact that this species now occupies highly modified habitats, often in great abundance.
Habitat
This species inhabits a range of open and wooded habitats, including coastal sites, grassland, savanna, disturbed forest, and maquis shrublands. It is present in disturbed forests but absent from dense closed forest. It is diurnal, terrestrial, and is active in sunlight. It shelters in litter and dense vegetation, and forages in the open and in sunlit patches.
Menaces
This species is most at risk to further loss and fragmentation of natural forest and shrubland habitats through clearance for agriculture and occupation, and from wildfires, especially when these result in a highly simplified vegetation (e.g. exotic pasture). In forested habitats there is also a significant threat from the introduced ant, Wasmannia auropunctatus, which is known to decimate lizard populations. Predation by introduced mammals such as rodents and cats (Thibault 2017 and Palmas 2017) is a constant threat.
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 not present in any reserves and no conservation management is currently being undertaken.
Bibliographie
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.
IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2.
Palmas, P., Jourdan, H., Rigault, F., Debar, L., De Meringo, H., Bourguet, E., Mathivet, M., Lee, M., Adjouhgniope, R., Papillon, Y. and Bonnaud, E. 2017. Feral cats threaten the outstanding endemic fauna of the New Caledonia biodiversity hotspot. Biological Conservation(214) , p.250-259.
Bauer, A.M., and Sadlier, R.A. 1994. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. Pacific Science(48) , p.353-366.
Thibault, M., Brescia, F., Vidal, E. and Jourdan, H. 2017. Invasive rodents, an overlooked threat for skinks in a tropical island hotspot of biodiversity. New Zealand Ecological Society(41) , p.74-83.
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.
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): Lietar, J., Tanguy, V., Warimavute, G.