Editing Naultinus (section)

==Taxonomy==
The following nine described species are recognized as being valid.<ref>"Naultinus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.''</ref> A [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial authority]] in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Naultinus''.
*''[[Naultinus elegans]]'' {{small|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1842}} – Auckland green gecko
*''[[Naultinus flavirictus]]'' <small>Hitchough, Nielsen, Lysaght, & Bauer, 2021</small> – Aupouri green gecko, North Cape green gecko, yellow-lipped green gecko<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hitchmough |first1=Rodney A. |last2=Nielsen |first2=Stuart V. |last3=Lysaght |first3=Judith A. |last4=Bauer |first4=Aaron M. |date=2021-01-22 |title=A new species of Naultinus from the Te Paki area, northern New Zealand |url=https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4915.3.7 |journal=Zootaxa |language=en |volume=4915 |issue=3 |pages=389–400 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4915.3.7 |issn=1175-5334 |pmid=33756565 |s2cid=232340550|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Naultinus 'North Cape' {{!}} NZHS |url=https://www.reptiles.org.nz/herpetofauna/native/naultinus-north-cape |access-date=2021-01-24 |website=www.reptiles.org.nz}}</ref>
*''[[Naultinus gemmeus]]'' {{small|([[Charles McCann|McCann]], 1955)}} – jewelled gecko
*''[[Naultinus grayii]]'' {{small|[[Thomas Bell (zoologist)|Bell]], 1843}} – Northland green gecko, Gray's tree gecko
*''[[Naultinus manukanus]]'' {{small|(McCann, 1955)}} – Marlborough green gecko, northern tree gecko
*''[[Naultinus punctatus]]'' {{small|Gray, 1843}} – Wellington green gecko
*''[[Naultinus rudis]]'' {{small|([[Johann Gustav Fischer|Fischer]], 1881)}} – rough gecko, natural tree gecko
*''[[Naultinus stellatus]]'' {{small|[[Frederick Hutton (scientist)|Hutton]], 1872}} – Nelson green gecko, starry tree gecko
*''[[Naultinus tuberculatus]]'' {{small|(McCann, 1955)}} – West Coast green gecko,<ref>{{Cite web |title=JCVI.org |url=http://jcvi.org/reptiles/search.php?submit=Search&exact%5B%5D=genus&genus=Naultinus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521083315/http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/search.php?submit=Search&exact%5B%5D=genus&genus=Naultinus |archive-date=21 May 2010 |access-date=24 May 2010}}</ref> Lewis Pass green gecko

Defining what constitutes a species among different populations within this genus has proved difficult and is still a matter of some scientific debate. [[Phylogenetics|Genetic evidence]] suggests that all nine species share an ancestor which is "very recent" in [[deep time]] terms and that hybridization between them is quite common. All species will interbreed in the wild, which has led some biologists to reject the notion of multiple ''Naultinus'' species and to instead view each "species" as a separate "race" or [[subspecies]] of a single, widespread species of this genus. However, there are a number of clear differences between recognized species in colouration, breeding times and even scale morphology. Multiple neighbouring species have slightly different mating seasons and behaviour, which is thought to explain why the species maintain their differences despite "strong reproductive compatibility". These differences are the basis for the present consensus in the scientific community that ''Nautilnus'' is constituted of nine species instead of nine races of a single species.<ref name="FB" />

Genetically speaking, the [[jewelled gecko]] (''N. gemmeus'') of the southern [[South Island]] is the most genetically distinct of the recognized species. In fact, it is thought that this species is the one that is ancestral to all other species in the genus.<ref name="Morris and Ballance" /> There are three distinct populations of ''N. gemmeus'' in [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]], [[Otago]] and [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]], differentiated by coloration and the time of their breeding seasons.<ref name="Jewell, Morris" /> In addition to recognizing ''gemmeus'' as one of a number of separate species within the genus, some biologists{{Who|date=August 2010}} think that the three different populations of this species should be elevated to subspecies status to place more emphasis on their conservation management.<ref name="Morris and Ballance" />