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Lipinia noctua

Mōtukutuku (MG)

Moth Skink

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult - general features, & yellow head-mark	52KB
Image:	Adult- basking on rock	188KB
Article:	Geckos and Skinks - Accidental Tourists Gerald McCormack, September 2005	Read

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Moth Skink

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mōtukutuku (MG), Moko Kākāra (MK), Moko (AK PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Indonesia - ?PNG; EXOTIC EXOTIC Melanesia - Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; S.Group - all islands, common; N.Group ?; Land, coastal to mountains (mid-elevations), under bark and debris

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: +
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	P	++	++?

Northern Group: +
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
P?			++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Lipinia noctua (Lesson, 1830)
SYNONYMS: Lygosoma noctua; Leiolopisma noctua

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; REPTILIA; Squamata; Lacertilia; SCINCIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: specimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Lipinia noctua, to AuckMus LH2710 ID-confirmed B.Gill.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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