Jewelled Gecko
Naultinus gemmeus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyDiplodactylidae (Australasian Geckos)
- GenusNaultinus (New Zealand Green Geckos)
- SpeciesNaultinus gemmeus (Jewelled Gecko)
The jewelled gecko (Naultinus gemmeus) is a threatened species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. This gecko is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Subgroups or populations of the jewelled gecko living in Otago, Canterbury, and Southland can be distinguished by their colour and marking. Male Canterbury jewelled geckos tend to be grey or brown with yellow, purple and white rows of stripes or diamonds. Otago jewelled gecko populations are often green with yellow and white markings, and Southland jewelled geckos are usually solid green. The jewelled gecko eats a wide variety of insects, such as moths and flies. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Jewelled Gecko sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, based on 9 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
📅 Monthly Probability
🌙 When They're Spotted
Most active during nighttime hours (6pm–6am) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Jewelled Gecko in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
About 14% of wildlife watchers report a Jewelled Gecko sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, based on 9 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Jewelled Gecko in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Jewelled Gecko in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in our monthly data.