Taxonomy
Nannoscincus mariei
Common name :
Le scinque nain sans oreilles
Earless Dwarf Skink Red List Status -
Vulnerable (VU) , assessed in 11/12/2017Protected species -
in Southern Province , in Northern Province
Nannoscincus mariei is listed as Vulnerable. It is found at more than ten large and small localities, with some of the larger sites being extensive and intact (not highly fragmented). Its extent of occurrence is estimated at 784 km2 and its area of occupancy at 56 km2. Despite being found in some relatively large forest patches, it is assigned to Vulnerable because of its habitat specificity, threats to habitat in terms of loss and fragmentation, the isolation of many populations, and the impact of invasive species (particularly fire ants and pigs), all combined to indicate that populations are probably declining.
Geographical area
Nannoscincus mariei is endemic to Province Sud, New Caledonia. It is widespread across the southern part of Grande Terre, from Forêt Nord to Mont Koghi. It occurs at elevations between 150 and 1,100 m. The extent of occurrence is estimated at 784 km2, and the area of occupancy at 56 km2.
Population
There is no information on population size and trends for Nannoscincus mariei. It is expected to have undergone a substantial reduction in area of occupancy as a result of the clearance of closed humid forests at low to mid-elevation for agriculture, and of mid- to high elevation closed forests by nickel mining. Wildfires from adjacent maquis shrublands will have also contributed to habitat loss through damaging forest margins. This species is still locally common at some sites.
Habitat
This species inhabits closed humid forest and closed montane forest. It is cryptozoic, semi-fossorial; terrestrial. It shelters beneath logs, stones and litter, and in soil crevices, and forages through the leaf litter.
Threats
Many of the remaining population are restricted to closed forest remnants and this fragmentation makes the skinks particularly vulnerable to localized extinctions. The greatest threats to Nannoscincus mariei are the habitat loss and degradation from wildfires and introduced pigs and the occurrence of the introduced ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, in closed forest habitat. Other threats include the loss or degradation of closed forest habitat from the rapidly expanding nickel mining industry in the Grand Sud and from the increasing area of indigenous vegetation being converted to exotic forestry.
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 Parc Provincial de la Rivière Bleue, Barrage de Yaté and Vallée de la Thy. No active conservation management is being undertaken.
Bibliography
Hallé N.; Aubréville A.; Leroy J. F.; 1977. Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances. Volume 08 : Orchidaceae.
Endemia.nc 2016. Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Morat, P.; Jaffré, T.; Tronchet, F.; Munzinger, J.; Pillon, Y.; Veillon, J.-M. and Chalopin, M. 2012. Le référentiel taxonomique Florical et les caractéristiques de la flore vasculaire indigène de la Nouvelle-Calédonie [The taxonomic database « FLORICAL » and characteristics of the indigenous flora of New Caledonia]. Adansonia sér 3(34) , p.177-219.
Experts
Assessor(s): Laudereau, C., Butin, J., Antheaume, C., Cazé, H., Cazé, H., Fleurot, D., Garnier, D., Gâteblé, G., Maura, J.
Reviewer(s): Tanguy, V.
Facilitator(s): Tanguy, V., Maura, J.