3.

ENDANGERED AND RARE INVERTEBRATE SPECIES

G.W. Ramsay and N.W. Gardner

The continued reduction and modification of many of the habitats of most of New Zealand's native species has resulted in the disappearance or rarity of certain kinds. Several are endangered and in urgent need of conservation measures if they are' to continue to exist at all while others should be regarded as threatened and in need of special protection to ensure their survival. It should not be forgotten that nearly all the New Zealand lowland terrestrial and aquatic species, approximately-957c of- the total fauna are confined strictly to native vegetation habitats- 'and--, -consequently have no chance of survival without this plant cover. Eire eliminates a number of species even though the bush may recover.

The Survival Service Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (The New Grounds, Slimbridge, Gloucester GL 27 3 , England) has set up Specialist Groups to advise on conservation matters relating to their particular fields of competence and to gather information for Red Data Books. So far in New Zealand enquiries have been received about I-epidoptera conservation only.

Before measures to protect and conserve rare New Zealand invertebrate species can be instigated we must know which are in need of attention. The following list is an attempt to provide this information. It is provisional only and comprises species thought to be endangered or threatened for a. variety of reasons.

The 'on1 this list occur in very low numbers, have a very restrict­ ed distribution, or have only one or two surviving populations.

Orthoptera Stenopelmatidae ••• wetas DeijaacrJLda car_ina_ta_ Salmon Herekopare Island •D. JaJ-Iai Salmon Poor Knights Islands 13. llSi§^S£SHtha White Little Barrier Island, Mahoenui iD. X3iSP„55 Buller Stephen's Island, Wetfl D_. iikl2,sJiiii§. Salmon Mt Arthur Region, Nelson Hemideina rjLcta Hutton Bank's Peninsula - grasshoppers robustus Bigelow Kurow Goleoptera - beetles Lucanidae - stag beetles Doreus auriculatus (Broun) Thames Dorcus ithaginis (Broun) Mokohinau Islands Elateridae - click beetles Amychus granulatus (Broun) Stephen's Island Amychus candezei Pascoe Chatham- Island's 4. Curculionidae - weevils' " Anagotus fairburni (3rooks) Flax Weevil - offshore islands Anagotus turbotti (Spiller) offshore islands Hadramphus spinipennis ( Broun Chatham Islands H_. stilbocarpae Kuschel Snares Island ., -:H« _tuberculatus (Pascoe) Bank's Peninsula iHeterexis setirostatus (Brookes) Campbell Island Megacolabus sculpturatus Broun Bank's Peninsula Nothaldonis gjc&c&i. Broun' Parua Bays Whangarei Oclandius laevlujsculu_£ (Broun) Auckland Islands Unas piceus Broun Parua Bay, Whangarei Cerambycidae - longhorn beetles Xylotoles costulatus Pascoe Chatham Islands Scarabaeidae Prodontria lewisi (Broun) Cromwell Chafer

MOLLUSCA

1. Species in a critical situation - urgently in need of conservation measures.

Placostylus ambagiosus pandora Powell only known colony down to last half dozen specimens.

Placostylus ambagiosus paraspiritus Powell a dozen or so specimens remain.

Placostylus ambagiosus annectens Powell extensive colonies once existed, several scattered remnants still present.

Placostylus ambagiosus keeno_rum Powell fire and over-collecting since the. 1940's have greatly reduced this species. Possibly 15 to 20 specimens remain.

Placostylus ambagiosus anoai ipsus Suter. Cape Maria Island Several specimens ccll.cted in the 1930's, not checked since.

Placostylus ambagiosus m..chiei Powell. Confined to a very small area.

Placostylus ambagiosus watti Powell. Three or four scattered remnants of former colonies remain comprising possibly 50 snails. . .

Placostylus ambagiosus whareana Powell. Formerly a large colony but has been reduced by fire and pigs, probably about a dozen specimens remain.

Placostylus ambagiosus consobrinus Powell. Confined to a small area vulnerable to fire. Possibly 50 or more specimens remain.

Paryphanta busbyi watti Powell. Very few left, drastically reduced by pigs.

Powelliphanta gilliesi brunnea Powell. Only at one locality - a bush remnant on a farm. Probably about a dozen or so snails are left. 5. Powelliphanta gili^iesj^ aurea Powell. Slightly better off than brunnea in a larger area of bush but weak in numbers.

Powelliphanta gllliesi subfusca Powell. Very few specimens in a restricted area of bush,

Powelliphanta J.ignaria jj^hnj^onl Powell. Rare, no live specimens seen for some time. Restricted range.

Powelliphanta _llgnaria unicolorata Powell. Scarce, occurs in restricted area.

P_owelJJ.phanta traversi koputaroa Powell. Only about two dozen specimens are persisting in unsuitable terrain. -

Powel1iphanta. tracersi otakia Powell. Possibly extinct. No; live snails,..seen for sccie time,. • ,•••<.,••-„•

Wa'inuia c'larki Powell, Very weak. On Motutaiko Island, Lake Taupo, and adjacent heaqlaeda i """ --'-• Waijiuia..edwardsi Powell. Restricted distribution. •--...-.

Cjtoia hirsutis;rlrna Powell. One small colony oh Great'Island, The Three. Kings Island;'. -_.

Flammuli.sia ;'-eDakie.nsis Gardner. Pandora, very rare.

Liarea bicarr. ita (Sucer) Restricted to a small area of Coronation Park,

Whangarei ,: Cucumerunia w^bstori websteri (Simpson) Very rare fresh water mussel. Declining in competition with Hyridella menziesi.

2, Species wliicli arc declining and numerically weak.

Powelliphanta supsrba haryevjl Powell ) much rarer now than P_. ji, richardsoni Powell )- in the 1950's. P. s» mouatae Powell )

r r P_. s, ? 2.H.S.?2JH £ ^°well ) in fair condition only. P. s •. superba' Powell ) Powe11iphanta coaota Powell, much reduced •"Powelliphant• ' .•—--.-•--— a•- -li'ru.ari —-.:—.•«—,«a .lignari ,»-•.._.-»_«„a .Mutto n ) muc,h reduce, ,d ,durin . g ,th, e, last P. io oconnori Powell )- — - -,™»—.™.™.- ten years. P. 1_, ' jradiata Powell Condition not known. Powe 11 iphguta hoch^-te^tteri^ hochstetteri (Pfeiffer) now scarce in the Canaan. P_. _h. iP21££k2LiI}lA2. Powell very rare P_. hi .S^'3£HiS. Beutler, Rare on mainland. State of D'Urville Island population unknown. P_. li» bicoj^or Powell. Rare on mainland. Blumine Island population will suffer if pigs appear there. Powelliphanta gagsi Powell, Rare on Mt Davis but area of distribution undoubtedly larger than generally thought. Powelliphanta ami.ectsn£ Powell. Occurs in a large area but rats and wekas are bad in !s.ozi-i places... Powelliphanta _£l.;3tchqri Powell. Restricted distribution and numerically weak, 6. Powelliphanta spedeni Powell.' Known from small area only. Several nearby areas may support populations. Rhytida meesoni Suter. Limited distribution. Small size may reduce vulnerability. Rhytida australis Hutton. Stewart, Island. Has become rather scarce for no apparent reason. ~ Rhytida tarangaensis Powell. A few occur in several small areas.. Scarcer > thati would-be expected possibly, because of rats. Schizoglossa worthyi Powell. Has a fair range, numerically sparse. Most South Auckland habitats gone. Schizoglossa barrieriensis Powell. Reasonably secure on Great Barrier Island at present, but probably nearly finished on Cuvier Island, Wainuia fallai Powell. Scarce in most areas - Kaikouras.

. ... 4 J r • - .3. A number of species at present holding their own are at riik and should be monitored. These are.as follows; Placostylus bolions! Suter Placostylus hongii (Lesson) Paryphanta busbyi busbyi (Gray), (may be affected by weka liberations) Powelliphanta spedeni lateumbilicata Powell Rhy t ida~ greenwo.odj (Gray) Rhytida dunniae (Gray) Rhytida pycrofti Powell Rhytida patula Hutton Rhytida duplicata viyens Powell Rhytjda otagoensis Powell Wainuia nasuta Powell Wainuia urnula (Pfeiffer)

This list, which includes many of our larger terrestrial mollusca, is far from complete. As yet, no invertebrates other than insects and molluscas are on it, and it contains no marine invertebrates. It is presented here with the plea that Society members and other interested persons study it carefully and send comments and suggestions for species which should be added or deleted, to the authors. Your co-operation is essential and urgently requested. All. persons are urged to conserve rather than collect the species listed.

If you can contribute please contact:-

Dr G.W. Ramsay DSIR Entomology Division Private Bag, AUCKLAND