Kawekaweau

The Kawekaweau or Delcourt's Giant Gecko, Hoplodactylus delcourti, was by far the largest of all geckos with a snout to vent length of 370 mm (14 1/2 inches) and an overall length of at least 600 mm (23 5/8 inches). It was endemic to New Zealand and is now believed to be extinct. This would make Leach's giant gecko of New Caledonia, at 360mm (14 1/4 inches) in total length, the largest surviving species of gecko in the world - this leaves the endangered Duvaucel's gecko as the largest surviving species of gecko in New Zealand and one of the largest in the world. This animal's specific epithet is after the surname of French museum worker Alain Delcourt - he was the person who discovered the forgotten specimen in the basement of the Marseille museum.