NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Forest gecko

Mokopirirakau granulatus (Gray, 1845)

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Open encyclopedia reference

The forest gecko (Mokopirirakau granulatus) is a species of gecko that is endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is moko pirirākau ("lizard that clings to trees"). It is found in much of the north and central North Island, and the north and upper west of the South Island. It is a protected species under the Wildlife Act 1953.

Wikipedia contributors, Forest gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:06.107403+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name: Mokopirirakau granulatus (Gray, 1845)
Name authority: (Gray, 1845)
Common name: Forest gecko
Rank: species
Accepted status: accepted
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Mokopirirakau
Extinction status: Not supplied by this source

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
kingdomAnimalia
phylumChordata
subphylumVertebrata
infraphylumGnathostomata
parvphylumOsteichthyes
megaclassTetrapoda
classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
suborderGekkota
familyDiplodactylidae
genusMokopirirakau
speciesMokopirirakau granulatus (Gray, 1845)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Mokopirirakau. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Species	Classification	Source status
Takitimu geckoMokopirirakau cryptozoicus (Jewell & Leschen, 2004)	DiplodactylidaeChordata	Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Black-eyed GeckoMokopirirakau kahutarae (Whitaker, 1985)	DiplodactylidaeChordata	Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Cloudy geckoMokopirirakau nebulosus (Mccann, 1955)	DiplodactylidaeChordata	Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 147 records assigned to Diplodactylidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded name	Source status
Naultinus sylvestris Buller, 1881 Buller, 1881	synonym
Naultinus granulatus Gray, 1845 Gray, 1845	ambiguous synonym
Naultinus brevidactylus Gray, 1845 Gray, 1845	ambiguous synonym
Naultinus versicolor Colenso, 1885 Colenso, 1885	ambiguous synonym
Naultinus greyii Knox, 1870 Knox, 1870	ambiguous synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

New Zealand (except for the extreme north of the North Island and part of the central and southern South Island). Present on a number of offshore islands in Cook Strait and in the north and northeast of North Island.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Mokopirirakau&species=granulatus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:43V7J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.