New Zealand Entomologist 26: 15-28 (December 2003) Coleoptera genera of New Zealand Richard A. B. Leschen1, John F. Lawrence2, Guillermo Kuschel3, Stephen Thorpe4, Qiao Wang5, 1 New Zealand Arthropod Collection, Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand, email: [email protected] 2 CSIRO Entomology, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia 3 7 Tropicana Drive, Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand 4 Entomology Department, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Private Bag 92018, Auckland 5 Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand Abstract *labium lacking a silk gland, *abdominal prolegs A checklist for the New Zealand genera of usually absent; pupa adecticous (lacking functional Coleoptera is provided and introductory mouthparts) and usually exarate (legs and wings information on the systematics, species number free from body). and biology is included. A total of 1091 genera are The order is considered monophyletic, though placed into 82 families and 180 subfamilies. there are different opinions regarding the Key words: Beetles, diversity, biogeography, relationships of the Strepsiptera as sister taxon to check list Coleoptera (e.g., compare Kukalova-Peck and Lawrence 1993 with Whiting et al. 1997) based on Introduction morphology and/or combined morphological and The order Coleoptera (beetles) makes up roughly molecular data. There are four suborders one-fifth to one-quarter of the total insect fauna of recognised, Archostemata, Adephaga, Myxophaga the world and is one of the oft-cited cases of and Polyphaga, with the latter comprising the adaptive radiation of organisms. It is the largest largest and most diverse, and the Archostemata as group in New Zealand and remains one of the most the most primitive group (no Archostemata or poorly known groups of insects. For this reason, Myxophaga occur in New Zealand). The we prepared an updated checklist of the genera phylogenetic relationship among the suborders is based on a full literature search and new collection contentious (see Beutel and Haas 2000), and a full records. analysis using all of the available characters is The order is well defined by having several warranted. At present there are 167 extant families diagnostic characters (Lawrence & Britton 1994, and over 450 subfamilies contained in Coleoptera larval characters are indicated by an asterisk*): (Lawrence & Newton 1995), though higher taxa holometabolous development; mesothoracic wings are being recognised annually, including family modified into hardened elytra; antennae usually 11- level taxa. The New Zealand fauna contains 82 segmented; mandibulate mouthparts, moving in a families with 177 subfamilies and 1090 genera. horizontal plane and with palp-bearing maxillae; At present no comprehensive identification guide is prothorax well developed and forming with the available to the species of New Zealand head a distinct tagma; body more or less Coleoptera, though some monographs are available dorsoventrally compressed so that coxae and (e.g., see listing of Fauna of New Zealand pleural regions lie ventrally; mesoscutellum series dealing with Coleoptera at relatively small and visible from above between http://www.mwpress.co.nz/). The New Zealand elytral bases; metasternum well developed with families can be identified using keys and diagnoses invaginated endosternite (cryptosterny); included in Klimaszewski & Watt (1997) and the abdominal sternites typically more sclerotised than most comprehensive identification tool is the the tergites, and basal one or two sternites electronic key by Lawrence et al. (1999), which can invaginated; terminalia (genital and pregenital be used to identify families and most of the structures) usually enclosed within the apical subfamilies. segments of the abdomen; *head capsule complete Coleoptera are present in every habitat imaginable, and sclerotised with antennae and mandibulate and have a diverse array of diets and behaviours that mouthparts; *maxillae with well-developed palps; is rivalled only by Diptera in New Zealand. Absent 15 New Zealand Entomologist 26: 15-28 (December 2003) from the New Zealand fauna are species that are area of the South Island, northern North Island, external symbionts on mammals and there are very offshore islands, etc.) or restricted to certain few species of inquilines (species that live in the communities (sooty moulds, Nothofagus forests, nests of social insects). Unfortunately much of caves, and tussock grasslands). what is known about the fauna is fragmentary, largely based on anecdotal data and extrapolations Number of Species in the New Zealand made from related taxa found outside New Fauna Zealand. The best source for biological World estimates of the number of beetles vary, information is the primary literature summarised though there is general agreement that Coleoptera in Klimaszewski & Watt (1997). contains the highest number of described organisms. For example, Nielsen and Mound Unique Components of the New Zealand (1999) estimated 300,000 to 450,000 species Fauna worldwide. Calculating the total number of species The fauna of New Zealand is disharmonic, is like counting stars and indeed Grove and Stork consisting of ancient lineages that were present (2000) emphasised that the question about the long before the break-up of Gondwana and more number of species overshadows more important derived lineages and species that arrived more questions about taxonomy and biology of the recently from elsewhere (mainly from Australia, species. Pacific,Asia and Indonesia). Very old amphitropical Most of the New Zealand beetle species were or bipolar groups are found in New Zealand and described between 1880 and 1923 by Thomas include broscine Carabidae, Derodontidae, and Broun, who named a total of 4323 species. His Byrrhidae, to name a few (Crowson 1980). Only descriptions were based to a large extent on single one endemic family is present in New Zealand specimens collected in the North Island lowlands (Cyclaxyridae), but there are other groups whilst the considerably more varied South Island representing more widespread Gondwanan fauna, in particular the rich but then still largely elements. For example, Chaetosomatidae only unknown subalpine and alpine component, had occurs in New Zealand and Madagascar, and there only scanty treatment. Hundreds of native and are many examples of other family-group taxa foreign species have since been added, though many found in New Zealand, southern South America, groups require detailed taxonomic study, especially Australia, New Caledonia, and South Africa (e.g., since there are many undescribed species and some migadopine Carabidae, camiarine Leiodidae, that are incorrectly assigned to Holarctic genera. Cavognathidae, priasilphine Phloeostichidae, A few estimates are available for the number of Ulodidae, Chalcodryidae). species of beetles existing in New Zealand. Watt Fossils dating back to over 26,000 BP during the (1983) estimated that there are 4300 species, while Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) indicate that the Klimaszewski and Watt (1997) estimated over 5223 New Zealand beetle fauna was unique and included species, and Emberson (1998) estimated 6740 some very large species that have gone extinct. For species. Based on the number of beetle species and example, from sediments dated around 2000 BP potential host plants recorded in the Lynfield (late Holocene, Worthy & Swabey 2002), Kuschel Survey in suburban Auckland, Kuschel (1990) (1987) described a genus of molytine (Tymbopiptus) estimated 10,000 to 10,500 species. The most and Leschen and Rhode (2002) described the diverse families in New Zealand are Curculionidae largest species of ulodid beetle, Archaeophylax (1496 spp.), Staphylinidae (936 spp.), Carabidae worthyi. Moreover, there are several species of (424 spp.), and Zopheridae (196 spp.) smaller beetles, including an extraordinary new (Klimaszewski and Watt 1997; Larochelle and genus of limnichid, that have been collected from Larivière 2001). These groups are also well deposits dating from the LGM (M. Marra, pers. represented in other parts of the world. The least comm.). diverse families, with one endemic species each, Areas of endemism have not been established for are Eucinetidae, Heteroceridae, Chelonariidae*, New Zealand Coleoptera, but certain groups are Bostrichidae*, Phycosecidae, Monotomidae*, regionalised (Campbell Plateau, Northwest Nelson Cucujidae, and Prostomidae. Those families 16 Leschen et al.: Coleoptera genera of New Zealand marked by an asterisk contain monotypic genera investigation towards understanding character that may be primitive members of their group. variation, phylogenetic relationships and classification, and, often, a paucity of study Future Work material. Most systematists would certainly argue A full list of the named beetles is difficult to for more workers and students to describe New produce at this time because few genera and species Zealand's Coleoptera fauna, but modern times are have been revised since the major work done by much different from those in the 19th and 20th Thomas Broun. Nevertheless, some undescribed centuries when taxonomic names were mass species have conservation status (McGuiness produced and, in some ways, the taxonomic 2001), which illustrates the need for taxonomic impediment (Heyward & Watson 1995) did not work. An ever-present time lag occurs between the exist. Apart from creating more taxonomic discovery of a new species and the availability of a expertise,