Osteological observations on the larger species of the skink Cyclodina and the subfossil occurrence of these and the gecko Hoplodactylus duvaucelii in the North Island, New Zealand

Abstract

Some osteological characters by which the large Cyclodina species can be distinguished are described. Features of the dentary, frontal, parietal, maxilla, quadrate, and the braincase were of most use for specific identification. The subfossil distribution of these and the large gecko, Hoplodactylus duvaucelii, is examined and found to indicate a much broader range over the North Island for C. whitakeri, C. macgregori, C. alani, and the gecko. Reasons for the recent reduction of the range of these species are discussed.