An annotated checklist This article lists the internal and external parasites recorded in or on tuataras and lizards in New Zealand of ecto- and endoparasites and includes brief notes about them. of New Zealand reptiles Tuataras and lizards are New Zealand’s only land-based native reptiles. Currently these comprise two species of tuatara, 16 geckos divided into the major groups of Nematoda, Cestoda, Trematoda and 28 skinks although the exact number of lizards is undecided and Protozoa whereas all ectoparasite records are included in the and is likely to increase as more research is done(1). In this article order Acari. In the annotated list, the parasites are not only attempts are made to catalogue all those ecto- and endoparasites identified according to the phylum or order to which they belong, that have been recorded on, or in, these hosts. but also to family level. In the latter list, each parasite record is also The parasite checklist is presented in three parts. The first two parts supported by a reference, but these are omitted in parts one and simply list these records alphabetically by common host name two. While these data are primarily concerned with parasites of according to Gill and Whitaker(1) and by parasite group, respectively. New Zealand’s native reptile fauna, for the sake of completeness, The third comprises an annotated catalogue of the parasites those that have been recorded from two non-naturalised captive arranged alphabetically according to their scientific names. In the lizards in this country (the Indian blood sucker lizard and the former two parts, and as appropriate, the endoparasite groups are bluetongue skink) are included as well. Part 1: Parasite list by host Paradistomum pacificus Bluetongue skink Protozoa Haemogregarina sp (Tiliqua scincoides) Acari Ophionyssus natricis Hepatozoon lygosomarum Brown skink Copper skink (Oligosoma zelandicum) Acari Acomatacarus lygosomae (Cyclodina aenea) Nematoda Parathelandros sp Neotrombicula sphenodonti Skrjabinodon trimorphi Nematoda Parathelandros sp Cestoda Baerietta decidua Skrjabinodon trimorphi Cryptic skink Chevron skink (Oligosoma inconspicuum) Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi (Oligosoma homalonotum) Nematoda Skrjabinodon sp Duvaucel’s gecko Skrjabinodon trimorphi (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii) Acari Geckobia hoplodactyli Common gecko Neotrombicula naultini (Hoplodactylus maculatus) Acari Geckobia hoplodactyli Ophionyssus galeotes Microtrombicula hoplodactyla Ophionyssus sp Neotrombicula naultini Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Ophionyssus galeotes Skrjabinodon sp Nematoda Parathelandros sp Protozoa Haemogregarina sp Skrjabinodon poicilandri Egg-laying skink Skrjabinodon sp (Oligosoma suteri) Acari Ophionyssus sp Cestoda Baerietta allisonae Nematoda Skrjabinodon sp Trematoda Paradistomum pacificus Skrjabinodon trimorphi Protozoa Eimeria sp Forest gecko Entamoeba sp (Hoplodactylus granulatus) Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Haemogregarina sp Grand skink Nyctotherus sp (Oligosoma grande) Acari Acomatacarus lygosomae Trichomonas hoplodactyli Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi Common green gecko Green skink (Naultinus elegans) Acari Geckobia naultina (Oligosoma chloronoton) Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi Common skink Harlequin gecko (Oligosoma nigraplantare) Acari Acomatacarus lygosomae (Hoplodactylus rakiurae) Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Neotrombicula naultini Indian blood sucker lizard Neotrombicula sphenodonti (Colotes versicolour) Nematoda Pterygosoma sp Ophionyssus scincorum Jewelled gecko Nematoda Hedruris minuta (Naultinus gemmeus) Acari Neotrombicula naultini Parathelandros sp Marbled skink Pharyngodon sp (Cyclodina oliveri) Acari Ophionyssus sp Skrjabinodon trimorphi McCann’s skink Cestoda Baerietta allisonae (Oligosoma maccanni) Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi Baerietta decidua Moko skink Oochoristica novaezealandicae (Oligosoma moco) Acari Ophionyssus scincorum Trematoda Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi leiolopismae page 18 Surveillance 30(3) 2003 Protozoa Hepatozoon lygosomarum Hedruris minuta Plasmodium lygosomae Parathelandros sp Nelson green gecko Skrjabinodon trimorphi (Naultinus stellatus) Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Trematoda Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) Northland green gecko leiolopismae (Naultinus grayii) Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Protozoa Haemogregarina sp Ornate skink Spotted skink (Cyclodina ornata) Acari Ophionyssus sp (Oligosoma lineoocellatum) Acari Acomatacarus lygosomae Otago skink Neotrombicula sphenodonti (Oligosoma otagense) Acari Neotrombicula naultini Ophionyssus scincorum Ophionyssus scincorum Nematoda Parathelandros sp Nematoda Parathelandros sp Skrjabinodon trimorphi Skrjabinodon trimorphi Cestoda Oochoristica novaezealandicae Pacific gecko Trematoda Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) leiolopismae (Hoplodactylus pacificus) Acari Geckobia hoplodactyli Paradistomum pacificus Ophionyssus sp Protozoa Haemogregarina sp Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Striped gecko Skrjabinodon sp (Hoplodactylus stephensi) Nematoda Skrjabinodon poicilandri Trematoda Paradistomum pacificus Tuatara Protozoa Haemogregarina sp (Sphenodon punctatus) Acari Aponomma sphenodonti Shore skink Neotrombicula naultini (Oligosoma smithi) Nematoda Hedruris minuta Neotrombicula sphenodonti Small-scaled skink Nematoda Hatterianema hollandei (Oligosoma microlepis) Nematoda Skrjabinodon trimorphi Trematoda Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) Speckled skink leiolopismae (Oligosoma infrapunctatum) Acari Neotrombicula sphenodonti Protozoa Haemogregarina tuatarae Nematoda Capillaria sp Microsporidium sp Part 2: Parasite list by parasite group Acari Acomatacarus lygosomae Brown skink, common skink, grand skink, spotted skink Aponomma sphenodonti Tuatara Geckobia hoplodactyli Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, Pacific gecko Geckobia naultina Common green gecko Microtrombicula hoplodactyla Common gecko Neotrombicula naultini Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, jewelled gecko, common skink, Otago skink, tuatara Neotrombicula sphenodonti Brown skink, common skink, speckled skink, spotted skink, tuatara Ophionyssus galeotes Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko Ophionyssus natricis Bluetongue skink Ophionyssus scincorum Common skink, moko skink, Otago skink, spotted skink Ophionyssus sp Duvaucel’s gecko, Pacific gecko, egg-laying skink, marbled skink, ornate skink Pterygosoma sp Indian blood sucker lizard Nematoda Capillaria sp Speckled skink Hatterianema hollandei Tuatara Hedruris minuta Common skink, shore skink, speckled skink Parathelandros sp Common gecko, brown skink, common skink, copper skink, Otago skink, speckled skink, spotted skink Pharyngodon sp Common skink Skrjabinodon poicilandri Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, Pacific gecko, forest gecko, harlequin gecko, striped gecko, Northland green gecko, Nelson green gecko Skrjabinodon sp Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, Pacific gecko, egg-laying skink, chevron skink Skrjabinodon trimorphi Common skink, copper skink, green skink, grand skink, chevron skink, cryptic skink, speckled skink, spotted skink, McCann’s skink, small-scaled skink, moko skink, Otago skink, egg-laying skink, brown skink Cestoda Baerietta allisonae Common gecko, common skink Baerietta decidua Common skink, copper skink Oochoristica novaezealandicae Common skink, spotted skink Trematoda Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) leiolopismae Common skink, speckled skink, spotted skink, tuatara Paradistomum pacificus Common gecko, Pacific gecko, common skink, spotted skink Protozoa Eimeria sp Common gecko Entamoeba sp Common gecko Haemogregarina sp Common gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, Pacific gecko, common skink, speckled skink, spotted skink Haemogregarina tuatarae Tuatara Hepatozoon lygosomarum Common skink, moko skink Microsporidium sp Tuatara Nyctotherus sp Common gecko Plasmodium lygosomae Moko skink Trichomonas hoplodactyli Common gecko page 19 Surveillance 30(3) 2003 Part 3: Annotated list Parasite Predilection site Host records Prevalence/distribution Notes Acomatacarus lygosomae Axilla Brown skink (Oligosoma Largely unknown. Found to Adults and nymphs of this small red Acari zelandicum)(2), common skink have a limited distribution chigger mite are free-living predators (Oligosoma nigraplantare)(2), and recorded on skinks at with only the larval stage being Trombiculidae grand skink (Oligosoma only a few localities in the parasitic. These do not burrow under grande) (3), spotted skink Wellington area(4) the skin but simply insert their (Oligosoma lineoocellatum)(2) straw-like mouthparts for a leisurely meal of lymph fluids and digested cells before dropping off. Only a brief description given by Dumbleton(3) but all characteristics of the specimens examined by Ainsworth(4) apparently agreed well with it Aponomma sphenodonti Body Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)(5) Endemic to New Zealand. It has been suggested that this tick Acari Recorded on tuatara from may act as the vector of the Stephens Island(5). Prevalence blood parasite of the tuatara, Ixodidae largely unknown although it has Haemogregarina tuatare (6) been suggested that tuatara are commonly infected(6) Baerietta allisonae Small intestine Common gecko (Hoplodactylus Largely unknown but generally A recent review has determined that Cestoda maculatus)(7), common skink considered to be comparatively the genus Baerietta is a junior (Oligosoma nigriplantare)(4) rare in skinks and geckos in the synonym of Cylindrotaenia (8). The Nematotaeniidae Wellington region(4) original record related to the finding Synonym: of a single specimen in a gecko from Cylindrotaenia allisonae Stephens Island