Naultinus flavirictus Hitchmough, Nielsen, Lysaght & Bauer, 2021

Open encyclopedia reference

The Aupōuri green gecko (Naultinus flavirictus), also known as the North Cape green gecko or yellow-lipped green gecko, is a species of gecko in the family Diplodactylidae. While the existence of the species was known for many years, it was undescribed until early 2021, with its scientific name being Naultinus 'North Cape' prior to description as N. flavirictus.

It is endemic to the Aupōuri Peninsula of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a diurnal species that inhabits scrubland and forests, inhabiting foliage such as those of mānuka and kānuka trees. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the diagnostic yellow color at the corners of the mouth, which are also what give it its specific epithet. The Department of Conservation gives N. flavirictus a conservation status of At Risk, with a declining population.

Wikipedia contributors, Aupouri green gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:39:00.525855+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Naultinus flavirictus Hitchmough, Nielsen, Lysaght & Bauer, 2021

Name authority

Hitchmough, Nielsen, Lysaght & Bauer, 2021

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderGekkota
11. familyDiplodactylidae
12. genusNaultinus
13. speciesNaultinus flavirictus Hitchmough, Nielsen, Lysaght & Bauer, 2021

Close classified relatives

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

Browse 147 records assigned to Diplodactylidae.

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.

1. HITCHMOUGH, R. A., NIELSEN, S. V., LYSAGHT, J. A., & BAUER, A. M. (2021). A new species of Naultinus from the Te Paki area, northern New Zealand. Zootaxa 4915 (3): 389-400. 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.

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:8KPD2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.