Black flies, sandflies, te namu



Known in New Zealand as ‘sandflies’ or ‘te namu’ and elsewhere in the world mainly as ‘black flies’, Simuliidae are iconic New Zealand insects. Virtually every New Zealander has been bitten by female simuliids, as have many overseas tourists. Worldwide, simuliids are notorious for their disease transmission, in particular river blindness in Africa and South America. New Zealand simuliids are not known to transmit any diseases to humans, but many people react badly to bites of species to which they have no previous exposure.



Simuliids of New Zealand belong to the genus Austrosimulium known only from New Zealand, Tasmania, and mainland Australia. Simuliid larvae require running water and in New Zealand are more or less ubiquitous, occurring in almost all running water habitats. There are 19 species of Austrosimulium in New Zealand, but only three species found here are serious biters of humans and it is only the females that bite; they bite to get the nutrients to produce eggs. In this Fauna keys are provided for larvae, pupae, adults, and ecological habitats. All known stages are described and illustrated for each species, together with information on their bionomics and biogeography. There are 72 full page colour plates and a total of 540 figures. Molecular analysis indicated that New Zealand Austrosimulium arrived by dispersal about 5 million years ago.



Elsewhere in the world simuliids in the genus Austrosimulium may be considered to feed on birds or mammals, depending on the presence or absence of a tooth on the tarsal claw. New Zealand simuliids are opportunistic and females will generally take blood meals from whatever is available, though there is one species that attacks Fiordland crested penguins while studiously avoiding humans.



What did New Zealand simuliids feed on before humans arrived? Of little doubt it would be on the vast number of birds, now greatly depleted, and probably also the large numbers of seals present then. Indeed, searching along beaches for a blood meal from either birds or seals still appears inherent behaviour of New Zealand adult female simuliids — and probably the reason for their name ‘sandflies’.

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Pages: 336

Publication Date: 04-03-2014

The family Peloridiidae or moss bugs are primitive members of the insect order Hemiptera. Often called ‘living fossils’, peloridiids belong to the suborder Coleorrhyncha and live in the wet moss of temperate and subantarctic rainforests. Seventeen genera and 36 species are known from Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and eastern Australia.



New Zealand can be regarded as a biodiversity ‘hotspot’ for these insects: the three genera and 13 New Zealand species are endemic, meaning they do not occur anywhere else. New Zealand has the most diversified fauna at the species level, with 36% of all world species in this group of special significance for the Southern Hemisphere, with evolutionary roots dating back to the break-up of Gondwana. Moss bugs have hardened forewings and all New Zealand species lack hind wings, so are flightless, which makes them an ideal model group to test Gondwanan biogeographic hypotheses.



This Fauna offers a concise review of this ‘iconic’ Gondwanan group, reconciling results published by Burckhardt (2009) and Burckhardt et al. (2011) with a study of specimens contained in New Zealand entomological collections and museums. This faunal review aims to provide an inventory of New Zealand taxa, a concise treatment of their taxonomy, identification keys to genera and species, and a summary of information available on species distribution and biology.

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Pages: 78

Publication Date: 04-03-2014

Lithinini are one of the most widespread tribes of ennomine looper moths, being represented on every continent except Antarctica. These small, narrow-bodied moths are one of the few groups of herbivorous insects for whom ferns are a primary food source. New Zealand’s lithinine moth fauna is wholly endemic and for a relatively small country, surprisingly diverse, having three genera comprising eight species. In fact it’s not so surprising, because New Zealand’s forests provide an optimal environment for these moths, which exploit ferns as their primary food source, and are well adapted to life in temperate rainforest with high pteridophyte diversity and biomass.



Adult lithinine moths visit flowers of various plants such as native Myrtaceae and cultivated Loganiaceae to feed on nectar, while the females deposit eggs on or near the ferns on which the larvae feed. The larvae of Lithinini exhibit a characteristic defense mechanism when disturbed, dropping or jumping off the host plant and twisting rapidly if the disturbance continues. Lithinini use a wide range of plants as host plants, from the low-growing members of the forest herb layer to broad-leaved ferns and the towering tree ferns.



In this Fauna the New Zealand Lithinini are reviewed with a general discussion of morphology and natural history. A key is provided to the eight species, and comprehensive distribution data are provided for all taxa. Host plant association data and information on immature stages are reviewed for all New Zealand genera and summarised.

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Pages: 48

Publication Date: 28-02-2014

There are about 1400 species of Scaphidiine beetles worldwide. Robust beetles, generally black in colour and shiny, their interesting body form, morphology and biology make this group one of the more intrinsically interesting members of Staphylinidae. Although their relatives are predatory, all scaphidiines feed on fungus and often have very well defined host-use patterns. New Zealand is particularly important to the development of a stable classification for the entire world fauna, because it contains some of the most primitive members of the group.



In this contribution, the 23 species of New Zealand’s fauna are revised and illustrated, with one genus and 15 species described as new. A key to the species is provided, as are diagnoses for the genera, including larval information where available. Distribution and other biological information is summarised for each species.



Twenty-one of the 23 New Zealand species are endemic. While some species are widespread throughout the country, others are more regionally distributed. About half are flightless and lack well-developed hind wings for flight. Most species are mainly forest dwelling and are collected by leaf litter sifting or by hand collecting from host fungi. Rarely collected species may be indicative of certain microhabitats that are threatened or rare.

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Pages: 94

Publication Date: 28-02-2014

Although the Edendale district of Southland has a large area of high class soils, up until now the detailed soil distribution has never been mapped. Recently, an increase in dairy farming in the district, legislative change regarding effluent disposal, and opportunities for horticultural diversification have created a requirement for better knowledge of the soils in the area.



This booklet and map are the results of a new survey completed in 1994. They provide more information on soil permeability, drainage, and moisture storage, to enable analysis of potential contaminant problems, and to assist sustainable management of the land in the district.



Detailed information on soil profiles mentioned in the text is provided in an Appendix, along with a 1:50,000 colour soil map of the area, detailing roads and waterways.

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Pages: 36

Publication Date: 10-02-2014

The Fauna of New Zealand series has been widely acclaimed for its role in presenting New Zealand's unique invertebrate fauna to the world.

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Pages: 64

Publication Date: 10-02-2014

Landcare Research Science Series No. 12



This report is one of a series documenting the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI); a physical resource inventory for land management and land-use planning. It describes the Land Use Capability (LUC) for the second-edition NZLRI (1:50 000 scale) for the Marlborough region.



The report provides keys to the recognition of 154 LUC units established for the region, and includes a detailed description of each LUC unit, outlining its physiography, rock types, soils, erosion status and potential, vegetation, agricultural and forestry productivity, and present and potential land use.

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Pages: 222

Publication Date: 10-02-2014

The Fauna of New Zealand series has been widely acclaimed for its role in presenting New Zealand's unique invertebrate fauna to the world. On-line extracts of this edition are available.

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Pages: 82

Publication Date: 10-02-2014

The Fauna of New Zealand series has been widely acclaimed for its role in presenting New Zealand's unique invertebrate fauna to the world

Bind: paperback

Pages: 112

Publication Date: 20-12-2013

The Fauna of New Zealand series has been widely acclaimed for its role in presenting New Zealand's unique invertebrate fauna to the world

Bind: paperback

Pages: 128

Publication Date: 20-12-2013