Taxonomy
Common name :
Le scinque géant de litière
Giant Litter Skink Red List Status -
Least Concern (LC) , assessed in 11/12/2017Protected species -
in Southern Province , in Northern Province
Although Caledoniscincus festivus is never common, its extremely wide distribution and broad habitat use means it is not at risk. Therefore it is listed as Least Concern.
Geographical area
This species is endemic to New Caledonia. It occurs throughout Grande Terre. It occurs at elevations up to 1,000 m. The extent of occurrence is estimated at 15,265 km2 and the area of occupancy is estimated to be >10,000 km2.
Population
There is no detailed information on population size and trends for this species but subjective data shows populations are sparse. Past loss of forest and shrubland habitats from clearance for agriculture and mining, and damage from wildfires, is expected to have reduced population size and extent and led to fragmentation.
Habitat
This species occurs in a wide range of natural shrublands and forested habitats. It is diurnal, terrestrial and is active in sunlight. It shelters in litter, and basks and forages in sunlit-patches.
Threats
The main threat to this species is from further loss and fragmentation of forest and tall maquis habitats. This is potentially an issue throughout the species' range and could result from a variety of factors including clearance for agriculture and afforestation, mining and wildfires. Habitat degradation resulting from damage to the litter layer by introduced ungulates (deer and pigs) and livestock (some low-elevation sites) is a threat. In low and mid-elevation forests there is a potentially serious threat from the introduced ant, Wasmannia auropunctatus, which is known to decimate lizard populations, and predation by introduced mammals (rodents and cats) is also of concern throughout.
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 known to occur in many reserves across Grande Terre. No conservation management is being undertaken at present.
Bibliography
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.
Uetz, P. (ed.) 2017. The Reptile Database.
IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2.
Bauer, A.M. and Sadlier, R.A. 2000. The Herpetofauna of New Caledonia.
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.
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): Tanguy, V., Warimavute, G., Lietar, J.