The Terrestrial Herpetofauna of the Ile des Pins, New Caledonia

Abstract

The herpetofauna of the Ile des Pins, New Caledonia, is documented on the basis of 269 specimens representing 14 species. Included among new material collected by the authors are all but one of the seven taxa previously reported for the island. The fauna is a subset of that of the New Caledonian mainland, but a lack of elevational and habitat diversity has resulted in a relatively depauperate assemblage. Most of the species are endemic to the New Caledonian region, although several pan-Pacific geckos are also present. The scincid lizard Marmorosphax euryotis (Werner), previously regarded as rare, was found to be extremely abundant in rain forest on a pavement of raised reef. This species shares sexual dichromatism with its congener, but unlike M. tricolor (Bavay) it is apparently oviparous. The status of specimens of M. euryotis from the New Caledonian mainland remains unclear.