Taxonomy
Red List Status -
Endangered (EN) , assessed in 11/12/2017Protected species -
in Southern Province , in Northern ProvinceMarmorosphax taom is listed as Endangered because it has a restricted distribution in New Caledonia with two locations and a continuing decline in the area of occupancy (AOO), extent and quality of habitat and the number of mature individuals. It is under a high level of threat from mining and there are also ongoing threats from invasive species and wildfires.
Geographical area
This species is endemic to Province Nord, New Caledonia. It is known from the summit areas on Taom and Tiébaghi massif, on the northwestern coast of Grande Terre. It occurs at elevations between 900 and 1,100 m. The extent of occurrence is estimated at 78 km2 and the area of occupancy is estimated to be 20 km2.
Population
There is no information on population size and trends for this species. It is expected to have undergone a substantial reduction in population size and extent as a result of past destruction of its montane forest habitat by mining activities and from recurrent wildfires in the adjacent maquis shrublands.
Habitat
This species inhabits closed montane forests and maquis fernlands. It is diurno-nocturnal, cryptozoic; terrestrial. It shelters beneath rocks and dense vegetation and forages in cover.
Threats
Marmorosphax taom is threatened by further habitat destruction from the expansion of the mining on both massifs, resulting in a reduction in the area of occupancy. The part of the population in the maquis is under constant threat from wildfires, which also leads to peripheral damage and reduction in extent of montane forest remnants. Introduced mammals such as rodents (Thibault 2017), cats (Palmas 2017) and pigs are a potential predation risk and introduced ungulates (deer and pigs) threaten habitat quality, particularly 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 not present in any reserves and no conservation management is currently being undertaken.
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.
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.
IUCN 2021. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021-2.
Uetz, P. (ed.) 2017. The Reptile Database.
Sadlier, R.A., Smith, S.A., Bauer, A.M. and Whitaker, A.H. 2009. Three new species of skink in the genus Marmorosphax Sadlier (Squamata: Scincidae) from New Caledonia. Zoologia Neocaledonica 7, Mémoires du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle(198) , p.373–390.
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.