Biosecurity of exotic reptiles and amphibians in New Zealand: building upon Tony Whitaker's legacy

ABSTRACTExotic reptile and amphibian species have the potential to have ecological or economic impacts in New Zealand. Tony Whitaker, the consultant herpetologist for the New Zealand biosecurity agency from 2000 to 2014, was instrumental in developing and maintaining a database of exotic reptiles and amphibians intercepted at the border, completing risk assessments for the exotic herpetofauna species present in the domestic pet trade, and was involved in several compliance investigations for species illegally imported into New Zealand. These key contributions laid the foundation for the development of New Zealand's biosecurity protocols for exotic herpetofauna. Here we provide an overview of Tony's contributions in these three areas and present a detailed summary of the exotic amphibian and reptile species intercepted at the New Zealand border (1852 interceptions involving 2237 individuals from 201 different species). Sea transport routes originating from Australia, southeastern Asia and the Pacific regio...