Taxonomy
Common name :
Le scinque de Meier
Meier's Skink Red List Status -
Data Deficient (DD) , assessed in 11/12/2017Protected species -
in Southern Province , in Northern ProvinceGeoscincus haraldmeieri has been listed as Data Deficient because it has been observed only twice, 40 years ago and has not been seen since.
Geographical area
Geoscincus haraldmeieri is endemic to New Caledonia. It is only known from two specimens from a single collection given as being collected in closed forest near Coula at 500 m elevation (Böhme 1976). The place name Coula in the dividing ranges west of Houaïlou in central Grande Terre has been investigated and is now intensively cultivated and no forest remains (Bauer and Sadlier 2000). The extent of occurrence is therefore unknown.
Population
Nothing is known about population size or trends for this species. It is presumed to have undergone a major reduction in area of occupancy as a result of forest clearance for agriculture and afforestation (the area around the known locality has been highly modified since the species was described in 1976 and very little forest remains).
Habitat
The two known specimens of Geoscincus haraldmeieri were found together in a fallen decaying tree trunk in a closed forest (Böhme 1976, Bauer and Sadlier 2000). This species is thought to be highly prone to desiccation, and the microhabitat used by the type specimen implies that this species might be semi-fossorial or cryptic (Bauer and Sadlier 2000).
Threats
Threats are not precisely known.
Conservation
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). Not listed on CITES. Not present in any reserves and no conservation management is currently being undertaken.
Further species-based research into its population, habitat, and threat status is urgently needed to help assess its extinction risk, as well as monitoring into this cryptic species.
Bibliography
Endemia.nc 2016. Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
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.
Böhme, W. 1976. Über die gattung Eugongylus Fitzinger, mit beschreibung einer neuer art (Reptilia: Scincidae). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge(27) , p.245-251.
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.
Uetz, P. (ed.) 2017. The Reptile Database.
Bauer, A.M. and Sadlier, R.A. 2000. The Herpetofauna of New Caledonia.
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.