NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Oligosoma kakerakau
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.
Kakerakau Skink (Oligosoma kakerakau) in New Zealand
Oscar Dove · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Oligosoma kakerakau, known as the Whirinaki skink and the Kakerakau skink, is a species of skink found in New Zealand. First observed at Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park in 2003, the skink is mainly known for a population occurring at Bream Head Scenic Reserve near Whangārei. Oligosoma kakerakau has a distinctive teardrop marking that distinguishes it from other similar members of Oligosoma.
Wikipedia contributors, Oligosoma kakerakau; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:39:58.067956+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oligosoma kakerakau
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Scincidae
- Genus
- Oligosoma
- 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
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyScincidae
- subfamilyEugongylinae
- genusOligosoma
- speciesOligosoma kakerakau
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oligosoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fiordland SkinkOligosoma acrinasum (Hardy, 1977) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Grand SkinkOligosoma grande (Gray, 1845) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hardy’s SkinkOligosoma hardyi (Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty, 2008) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Slight SkinkOligosoma levidensum (Chapple, Patterson, Bell & Daugherty, 2008) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Canterbury spotted skinkOligosoma lineoocellatum (Duméril, 1851) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| MacGregor's SkinkOligosoma macgregori (Robb, 1975) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oligosoma nigriplantare (Peters, 1874) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oligosoma northlandi (Worthy, 1991) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Otago SkinkOligosoma otagense (Mccann, 1955) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sinbad skinkOligosoma pikitanga Bell & Patterson, 2008 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Southern grass skinkOligosoma polychroma (Patterson & Daugherty, 1990) | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eyres skinkOligosoma repens Chapple, Bell, Chapple, Miller, Daugherty & Patterson, 2011 | ScincidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=Oligosoma&species=kakerakau 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:CDNSF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.