Pindai Dwarf Skink
CR

Pindai Dwarf Skink

Nannoscincus hanchisteus

Declining

Photo: (c) Pierre-Louis Stenger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pierre-Louis Stenger

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Nannoscincus hanchisteus faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to mining activities and urban development across its extremely limited range in New Caledonia. The species' restriction to specific ultramafic substrates makes it particularly vulnerable to nickel mining operations that directly destroy its specialized habitat. Invasive plant species further degrade remaining habitat quality, while the species' small population size increases extinction risk from stochastic events.

Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic New Caledonian skink inhabits specialized ultramafic soils and associated shrubland vegetation in the southern region of Grande Terre. The species requires specific microhabitat conditions associated with serpentine substrates and their unique plant communities.

Conservation measures underway

Legislation

Other threatened species in SCINCIDAE

VU

Florida Sand Skink

Plestiodon reynoldsi

Declining
EN

Open Bay Islands Skink

Oligosoma taumakae

Declining
Oligosoma newmaniVU

Oligosoma newmani

Declining
Gracile Dwarf SkinkVU

Gracile Dwarf Skink

Nannoscincus gracilis

Unknown

Threatened in New Caledonia

Curlew SandpiperVU

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
VU

Pittosporum croceum

Declining
VU

Pittosporum cherrieri

Stable
VU

Pittosporum echinatum

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Pindai Dwarf Skink classified as Critically Endangered?
Pindai Dwarf Skink is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Nannoscincus hanchisteus faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to mining activities and urban development across its extremely limited range in New Caledonia. The species' restriction to specific ultramafic substrates makes it particularly vulnerable to nickel mining operations that directly destroy its specialized habitat. Invasive plant species further degrade remaining habitat quality, while the species' small population size increases extinction risk from stochastic events.
Where does Pindai Dwarf Skink live?
Pindai Dwarf Skink occurs in New Caledonia. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Pindai Dwarf Skink?
The main threats to Pindai Dwarf Skink are 2.1, 2.3, 5.3, and 8.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.