Status and longevity of the tuatara,Sphenodon guntheri, and Duvaucel's gecko,Hoplodactylus duvaucelii, on North Brother Island, New Zealand

Abstract

A herpetological survey in January 1988 of North Brother Island, Cook Strait, New Zealand, found populations of the tuatara (Sphenodon guntheri) and three species of lizards (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii, Hoplodactylus maculatus, and Leiolopisma lineoocellatum). Tuatara on North Brother I. are significantly smaller than Sphenodon punctatus on nearby Stephens Island, and the estimated density of 134/ha in good habitat is lower than reported on Stephens I. The total adult population size of tuatara is estimated at H. duvaucelii, toe-clipped in 1958, had not grown in the 29 years since first capture; it was probably at least 36 years old. This may represent the longest documented survivorship of a lizard in nature.