Richelle Butcher is a veterinary resident in zoo animal and wildlife health at Wildbase and Massey University, Palmerston North and Wellington Zoo. As part of the residency program, Richelle is conducting a Master’s research project titled ‘Pathogen prevalence and diversity in native and invasive NZ lizards’.
Disease introduction by invasive animals can have devastating impacts on native populations. In New Zealand, there is similar evidence highlighting the negative impact of disease by invasive mammals and birds. However, there are no studies investigating disease risk by invasive reptiles on native NZ herpetofauna. Only one introduced reptile species has naturalised in NZ, the rainbow skink (Lampropholis delicata). This species currently has an expanding distribution across the North Island and into the South Island of New Zealand.
The major aim of this project is to determine if there is a difference in pathogen prevalence and diversity between native NZ lizards and L. delicata. Additionally, we aim to investigate the possible outcomes of detected pathogens on the health of individuals and populations of native lizards. Finally, baseline health data on a variety of free-ranging native NZ lizard species will be generated for reference purposes. The James Fawcett Research Award will support the analysis of samples from native New Zealand lizards.
This research project will investigate the role of L. delicata in NZ in the transmission and/or maintenance of pathogens of importance to native New Zealand herpetofauna. The outcomes of this research will aid the conservation management of native reptiles by increasing our understanding of the impact of introduced reptiles.