Subgroups or populations of the jewelled gecko living in Otago, Canterbury, and Southland can be distinguished by their colour and marking.

Male Canterbury jewelled geckos tend to be grey or brown with yellow, purple and white rows of stripes or diamonds.

[7] In 2012 the Department of Conservation reclassified the jewelled 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.

[8] The jewelled gecko has a status of "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List, caused by several threats such as habitat destruction, degrading and fragmenting through grazing, herbicides and burning, as well as introduced predators.

The jewelled gecko is an arboreal, diurnal species, which means it lives in trees and is active during the day.

It is thought to live for over 30 years when predation and habitat fragmentation aren't issues, based on the lifespan of other gecko species in the area.

[7][12] Research has shown that there is a clear seasonal pattern of reproductive activity, ovulation starting in the spring and the gestation period lasting around 7 months, ending with the birth of one to two young.

[14] There are many threats that the jewelled gecko faces from farmland grazing, habitat destruction, predators, and illegal poaching.

The jewelled gecko is protected under the Wildlife Act of 1953, but its habitats are still being destroyed by either fragmentation by roads or invasive species.

Rodents, rats, are a large predator for the jewelled gecko, climbing the branches of the shrubland and forest and infiltrating its habitat.

As for other pest mammals, such as possums or hedgehogs, these could possibly pose a problem if encountered, but they are not a main threat to the species.