Taxonomy
Common name :
Le scinque brillant à queue rouge
Red-tailed Shiny Skink Red List Status -
Critically Endangered (CR) , assessed in 11/12/2017Protected species -
in Southern Province , in Northern ProvinceSigaloseps ruficauda has been assessed as Critically Endangered because it has a very restricted distribution and it is known from a single location in New Caledonia threatened by wildfires. There is an estimation of a continuing decline in the area of occupancy, extent and quality of habitat and number of mature individuals.
Geographical area
Sigaloseps ruficauda is endemic to Province Sud, New Caledonia. It is known only from the summits of Mt Mou, (recorded from 1,100 to 1,350 m asl). The extent of occurrence and the area of occupancy are estimated at 8 km2.
Population
The population of Sigaloseps ruficauda is relictual. There are no quantitative data on population size and trends for this species. It is presumed to have suffered a past reduction in the extent of montane forest habitat as a result of mining and from wildfires encroaching on forests from adjacent maquis shrubland. This species is uncommon.
Habitat
The species is recorded from high-elevation maquis habitat (~1100 m) adjacent to humid forest habitat. The maquis had a very dense understory of fern (Gleichenia ), an indication that this habitat had been frequently burned and was highly disturbed. In retrospect it is considered highly likely the species also occurs in forest habitat and that its occurrence in the adjacent maquis is an artefact of proximity and its dense understory of ferns which provide a sufficiently cool and moist environment for the species to exist there, rather than as the preferred habitat type (Sadlier et al. 2014).
It is diurno-nocturnal, cryptozoic and terrestrial. It shelters beneath stones and in soil crevices. This species appears to be oviparous (Sadlier and Bauer 1999).
Threats
The greatest threat to Sigaloseps ruficauda is the habitat destruction from wildfires in the adjacent maquis shrubland. The species disturbance caused by hikers may cause a not negligible threat. Introduced mammals such as rodents (Thibault 2017), cats (Palmas 2017) and pigs are a potential predation risk and introduced pigs may threaten the habitat quality, particularly by damaging the litter layer.
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 only in the Réserve de Nature Sauvage du Mont Mou but this protected area lacks an active management. No specific conservation management is currently being undertaken. It is recommended to monitor the species.
Bibliography
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.
Sadlier, R.A, Bauer, Wood Jr., P.L., Smith, S.A., Whitaker, A.H., Jourdan, H. and Jackman, T.R. 2014. Localized endemism in the southern ultramafic bio-region of New Caledonia as evidenced by the lizards in the genus Sigaloseps (Reptilia: Scincidae), with descriptions of four new species. Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle(206) , p.79-113.
Sadlier, R.A, Bauer, Wood Jr., P.L., Smith, S.A., Whitaker, A.H., Jourdan, H. and Jackman, T.R. 2014. Localized endemism in the southern ultramafic bio-region of New Caledonia as evidenced by the lizards in the genus Sigaloseps (Reptilia: Scincidae), with descriptions of four new species. Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle(206) , p.79-113.
Bauer, A.M. and Sadlier, R.A. 2000. The Herpetofauna of New Caledonia.
IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2.
Uetz, P. (ed.) 2017. The Reptile Database.
Sadlier, R.A. and Bauer, A.M. 1999. The Scincid Lizard Genus Sigaloseps (Reptilia: Scincidae) from New Caledonia in the Southwest Pacific: Description of a New Species and Review of the Biology, Distribution and Morphology of Sigaloseps deplanchei (Bavay). Records of the Australian Museum(51) , p.83-91.
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.
Endemia.nc 2016. Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
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., Lietar, J., Warimavute, G.