NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Black-eyed Gecko
Mokopirirakau kahutarae (Whitaker, 1985)
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 black-eyed gecko (Mokopirirakau kahutarae), also known as Whitaker's sticky-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. An alpine gecko species, discovered in 1970, it inhabits high-altitude mountains in three areas of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the highest-altitude lizard species in New Zealand, living up to 2,200 m (7,200 ft) above sea level.
Wikipedia contributors, Black-eyed gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:52:15.062816+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mokopirirakau kahutarae (Whitaker, 1985)
- Name authority
- (Whitaker, 1985)
- Common name
- Black-eyed 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 kahutarae (Whitaker, 1985)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Forest geckoMokopirirakau granulatus (Gray, 1845) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Takitimu geckoMokopirirakau cryptozoicus (Jewell & Leschen, 2004) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cloudy geckoMokopirirakau nebulosus (Mccann, 1955) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hoplodactylus kahutarae Whitaker, 1985 Whitaker, 1985 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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=kahutarae 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:43V7K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.