NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Wellington Green gecko
Naultinus punctatus Gray, 1843
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 Wellington green gecko (Naultinus punctatus) is a species of gecko found only in the southern half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Auckland green gecko, and together called the common green gecko.
The Wellington green gecko is much larger and more heavily built than the Auckland green gecko and can be distinguished by the yellow soles on its feet instead of grey-green. It lives arboreally in scrub and forest areas, especially kanuka and manuka. Although it hunts nocturnally, for moths and flies, it also likes to sun-bask. It displays an aggressive behaviour, baring its open blue mouth and barking if provoked.
Wikipedia contributors, Wellington green gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:10:04.357968+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Naultinus punctatus Gray, 1843
- Name authority
- Gray, 1843
- Common name
- Wellington Green gecko
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Diplodactylidae
- Genus
- Naultinus
- 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
- genusNaultinus
- speciesNaultinus punctatus Gray, 1843
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Naultinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Tree GeckoNaultinus rudis (Fischer, 1881) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Marlborough Green GeckoNaultinus manukanus (Mccann, 1955) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nelson green geckoNaultinus stellatus Hutton, 1872 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Auckland green geckoNaultinus elegans Gray, 1842 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Naultinus flavirictus Hitchmough, Nielsen, Lysaght & Bauer, 2021 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Naultinus tuberculatus (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 |
|---|---|
| Naultinus pentagonalis Colenso, 1880 Colenso, 1880 | 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=Naultinus&species=punctatus 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:45V24. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.