Short-toed gecko

Woodworthia “southern mini”

At Risk - Declining

Among New Zealand’s most understated and specialised rock-dwelling reptiles, the Short‑toed Gecko or Woodworthia “southern mini” is a quietly remarkable species found only in sub-alpine and alpine habitats of Otago and Southland.

Quick Facts:

• This gecko grows to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of up to around 65 mm, with the tail being shorter than the body.
• Its dorsal surface is typically uniform light olive, olive-grey or olive-brown, sometimes with pale indistinct dorsolateral stripes and dark brown speckles. Lateral surfaces are similar in tone, occasionally bearing small pale blotches. The ventral surface is a pale olive-grey, sometimes speckled dark brown. A distinctive dark brown canthal stripe runs from the nostril, behind the eye, fading above the ear.
• These geckos are nocturnal or cathemeral (active at night or twilight) and terrestrial/saxicolous (rock-dwelling).
• They inhabit scree, loose rocks, talus slopes, boulder fields and rock crevices in sub-alpine to alpine terrain — typically from ~700 m to ~1,700 m above sea level.
• One or two young are produced either annually or biennially, with births thought to occur in late summer (February-March) or sometimes spring.

Protecting the Short-toed gecko means preserving intact high-country and alpine rocky habitats – particularly screes, talus slopes, boulder fields and loose rock accumulations in the Otago and Southland regions. Ensuring minimal disturbance of these environments (including during development of ski fields or other alpine infrastructure) and controlling introduced mammalian predators (such as rats, stoats, mice) are essential steps since the species is classified as “At Risk – Declining”.

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