[4] In 1872, Frederick Hutton described the Nelson green gecko as a subspecies, Naultinus elegans stellatus,[5] which was elevated to species status in 1982.

Gray's original text (the type description) reads as follows: Thumbs clawed: green, rather paler beneath; streak along the under lip, the ears, two arched stripes on the top of the head, irregular shaped spots on each side of the back and hind legs, interrupted streak along each side of the body and tail, white, with a narrow black edge, with a cross series of 3 compressed larger scales at the base of the tail.

[4]The species can grow up to 75 mm (3.0 in) in length, and is recognisable by its bright green colouration.

[3] In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the Auckland green gecko as At Risk under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

It was judged as meeting the criteria for At Risk threat status as a result of it having a low to high ongoing or predicted decline.