<i>Sphenodon</i>

Conservation strategy for maintaining and protecting tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), a rare endemic reptile from New Zealand, includes the reinstatement of populations through the past historical range. A proposal exists to translocate tuatara from Stephens Island in Cook Strait to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary (Te Korowai o Mihiwaka), a coastal site in southern New Zealand. The proposed site is within the former latitudinal range of the genus, but lies outside the current distribution of tuatara, where the climate is warmer.

Understanding the factors that influence patterns of ectoparasite infestation within wildlife populations involves knowledge of the mechanisms that influence host infestation. For ectoparasitic ticks, knowing where ticks might occur in the off-host environment and how they locate their hosts is essential to understanding patterns of ectoparasite infestation. The tuatara tick (Amblyomma sphenodonti) parasitises the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) on Stephens Island, New Zealand.