Newman's Speckled Skink

Newman’s speckled skink is a large, heavily marked skink. Since the 2025 DOC assessment the name is confined to the population on Takapourewa/Stephens Island in Cook Strait. The back is brown with lighter and darker flecks, sometimes with a dark stripe down the middle, and a broad dark-brown stripe runs along each flank. The belly is yellow or salmon and often flecked with black.

Genetic work showed the Stephens Island population is distinct from all others, so the mainland populations in Nelson, Marlborough, the West Coast and Kahurangi once placed here are now treated as separate forms, several of them rare. It is active by day and relies on sunshine to warm up. It is wary and retreats quickly when approached.

Newman’s speckled skink is Threatened — Nationally Vulnerable (NZ Threat Classification), and its status worsened in 2025 because its range is now a single island. It is classed as conservation dependent. Takapourewa/Stephens Island is a protected reserve with restricted access, so sightings are normally limited to approved conservation and research visits.