Beetles in a Suburban Environment: a New Zealand Case Study. The

tl n brbn nvrnnt: lnd td tl n brbn nvrnnt: lnd td h Idntt nd tt f Clptr n th ntrl nd dfd hbtt f nfld Alnd (4-8 GKhl . : rh At SI lnt rttn Mnt Albrt rh Cntr rvt Alnd lnd • SI lnt rttn prt • EW EAA EAME O SCIEIIC A IUSIA ESEAC 199 O Ο Ν Ε W Ε Ν ttr Grnt rd Τ Ε Ρ Ο Ι Ο Τ ie wi e suo o a oey Sciece eseac Ga om e ew eaa oey Gas oa is suo is gaeuy ackowege Ρ EW EAA SI ' EAME O lnt SCIEIIC A rttn IUSIA Wāhn ESEAC Mn p Makig Sciece Wok o ew eaa KUSCE G eees i a suua eiome a ew eaa case suy e ieiy a saus o Coeoea i e aua a moiie aias o yie Aucka (197-199 / G Kusce — Aucka SI 199 (SI a oecio eo ISS 11-1 ; o3 IS -77-59- I ie II Seies UC 5957(93111 © Cow Coyig uise y SI a oecio M Ae eseac Cee iae ag Aucka ew eaa eceme 199 ie y Geea iig Seices eso ew eaa Etiam pristina in aua Asο i a aua seig summa securitas et futura sweet tranquility and nature ., OISIECE e oe-eeig emoyci eee ioycus uuus (ou o is aie ooca os kaikaea (acycaus acyioies om e yie eee suey aea Aucka ew eaa e wie gaues o e eee ae oe cuses a ass ees is eee as a eic saus o uike a o e uaaa (Seoo as ossi eiece sows a e weei gou was iig i uassic imes way ack i e ea o e iosaus a gymosems moe a 1 miio yeas ago OEWO As a small boy in the 1930s I used to collect butterflies on the South Downs in southern England. On one occasion I met a elderly gentleman collecting beetles. He explained to me that most entomologists started with butterflies but later they graduated to more important groups such as beetles. I have been in awe of coleopterists ever since! This splendid publication by Dr Willy Kuschel has reinforced my awe. I have been asked to write this foreword as a conservation biologist. I can say with conviction that conservation cannot be effective unless it is based on good taxonomy and knowledge of the habitat requirements of species. The Lynfield Beetle Survey will not only be a valuable study for New Zealand entomologists, but will also be a very significant contribution to conservation biology. Movement of people and goods will increase in the future, and therefore the number of foreign species will increase in all biotopes. It will become more and more important to discover the extent to which autochthonous species — especially endemic ones — survive increased com- petition from foreign species. If we are to retain endemic species we must establish reserves of native habitat. As the years go by more of these will become habitat islands in a sea of crop and urban land, where foreign species predominate. This situation raises a host of difficult practical problems. How large should the reserves be? How close to each other? Are habitat corridors necessary between reserves? These problems can best be tackled by recording what happens in the field. Joseph Banks, who noted "a few Butterflies and Beetles" in New Zealand in the eighteenth century, would have been amazed by the number of beetle species recorded by Willy Kuschel. aks ο e osiaiy o Wiy Kusce a eeey ooway I ae some is-a eeiece o e yie isic is muc ess isiguise isio wou ee ae guesse ow may eemic secies emai i i Wiy Kusce sows a moe a ee- quaes o e eee secies i e aea ae eemic is is o ieesig a ecouagig As eay a e eemic secies ae coie o e emaiig agmes o us i is ia a suc aces e eaie wii yie a simia isics The conservation value of quite small areas of native habitat within urban and suburban areas has been demonstrated in several countries. It is particularly interesting that so many endemics survive in New Zealand where the proportion of foreign species is so great. Only monitoring will show the extent to which the endemic species will remain in their habitat islands. Wiy Kusces masey suy oies a im ase ο wic oes ca ui e scee which he has studied so thoroughly, will increase in significance; future generations will be deeply grateful for his pioneer work. Norman W. Moore The Farm House Swavesey Cambridge [oma Mooe was omey Seio icia Scieiic Oice wi e aue Coseacy Couci o e Uie Kigom] 18 May 1990 I ASAC The Auckland suburb of Lynfield, on the northern side of the Manukau Harbour, presents a typical picture of urban development under topographical constraint. Contour and substrate along the coastline have kept urbanisation away, with the result that substantial areas of vegetation remained relatively unmodified. These are now set aside as reserves. There is also some farmland and recreational land in the area, apart from domestic gardens. The proximity of these varied environments to each other and to the author's home has made possible an intensive study of aspects of their natural history. Between 197 and 199 but especially 1975-1 the area was subjected to regular and intensive sampling of its beetles, the insect group chosen for a survey. No accessible habitat type was left unshaken, unswept, useie or otherwise usame The several collecting methods employed to secure examples of the beetle fauna are outlined, and the habitats and diversity of life are discussed. Although the domestic gardens had a high content of indigenous plant species, only 9 of the native beetle species were found to be present also outside the native bush. To expose and partly explain the low adaptability of the indigenous fauna to modified environmental condi- tions, the geological background is briefly outlined; plant genera that thrive equally well in the bush and in gardens, and that are known to be highly attractive to many beetle species are scrutinised; and the ecological preferences of beetle genera represented by native and foreign species are examined. • At the conclusion of the field work 9 beetle species in 5 families had been obtained, 753 of them endemic. Some general statistics on their overall status are tabulated, and these are followed by a systematic tabulation, species by species, of such va riables as provenance, wing condition, relative abundance, and habitat preference. More expansive information is given in a annotated list of the species, which includes for each family a illustration of a representative member. Essential nomenclatural changes are formalised in a separate section; these include new synonymies, new combinations, new status, and a few new genera and species from among the many awaiting desc ription in this material. The work is illustrated with habitat photographs, habitus and morphological drawings, a topographical map, and aerial photos. A brief account by A. E Ese of the botany of the survey area is appended, with a vegetation map. IS O COES Ceckis o amiies 6 Ioucio 7 Ackowegmes 7 Sucue a eseaio o suey eo Coecio meos 9 aia yes a ei eee aua 11 eaie ioic iesiy i e suey aea oes e iigeous aua easiy aa o moiie eiomea coiios? I aua summaies o secies aa icuig ae o saisics 3 Aoae is o secies 39 aoomic oes (aecig Caaiae Scymaeiae seaiae Coyoiae Ceamyciae eiae a Cucuioiae 7 eeeces 5 aes iusaios o eeseaie secies o amiies ecoe a yie 9 Aei egeaio o e Maukau coas a yie Aucka (y AE Ese I1 Mas a aeia oogas o e suey aea a use egeaio I aoomic ie (Coeoea oy 111 CECKIS O AMIIES Aeiae 3 Cucuioiae 3 7 aaciae 31 57 Agyiae 5 1 emesiae 3 53 ycoseciae 3 55 Aoiiae 3 5 yisciae osomiae 33 Aiciae 3 5 Eaeiae 9 5 seaiae 7 48 Aiae . 35 9 Eoyiae 31 5 iiiae Acaeocyiciae 33 Eucemiae 3 53 ioacyiae 9 5 eiae 3 7 eoiae 9 5 iiae 3 5 eiae 3 7 iseiae 5 iioiae 33 3 uesiae 9 5 yoiiae 9 ioagiae 31 5 yiae 9 5 aguiiae 31 57 ysoiae 39 Caaiae 3 53 aiiiae 3 Saigiae 3 5 Caaiae 39 eioiae 5 1 Scaiiiae 5 3 Ceamyciae 3 ucaiae 9 51 Scaaaeiae 9 51 Ceyiae 3I 5 yciae 3 53 Scaiiae 3 Cysomeiae 35 Meayiae 33 Scymaeiae 5 Ciiae 33 Meyae 3 55 Sayiiae 5 3 Camiae 9 5 Meoysiiae 3 1 eeioiae 34, 64 Ceiae 3 55 Moeiae 33 3 ogossiiae 3 5 Coccieiae 3 59 Myceoagiae 3 I oeiae 33 Coyiiae 33 3 emoyciae 35 9 Coyoiae 31 5 iiuiae 31 55 Cyoagiae 31 57 3 ages cie ae ose o wic eac amiy Oeemeiae 5 aeas i e aua Summaies o Secies Cucuiae 31 5 eiae 3 5 aa a i e Aoae is o Secies Ioucoy Secios 7 INTRODUCTION Iceasig coce is eesse y ciy wees a oe aio aace o e omes a gaes wic coes e wo aou e coiio o ei eiome is e ig cis a ee eessios o the ort sie o is eece i e ac a moe a moe age ciies ae e Maukau aou e aea seeme o e atracie suec o suies o e quaiy o ei ie sace O o suc a suey ecause o eay accessiiiy o e secia iees ae e gee isas — aks ayig autho e suiaiiy o e aks a gaes as egas ies cemeeies a gaes—scaee aou i a mae ei eaiey ig coe o aie a secies a o sees a omes aso e aaiaiiy o some ua a Ay ua eeome is amos iaiay ecee e ages o is eort sow a a gace tha e eee y a oa esucio o e a a aima ie o the aua o yie is ic a aie i oth mao ecog- sie e gee aeas ae susequey ascae io the ise aias e aie us o oes wic is esey suus y ome owes a ciic amiisaios usig egeae a ece aos see agais esiccaio uoseuy seece as ee is ay ee oom a eosue; a e gaes a aks wic usuay o as o iee o e o the sies Cosequey eae e gou eose o wi ig a insolation.

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