The conservation status of New Zealand Coleoptera

Abstract

Forty-five New Zealand beetles (Coleoptera) in 37 families are classified as Threatened: 35 taxa in 10 families are Nationally Critical, seven taxa in five families are Nationally Endangeredand three taxa in separate families are Nationally Vulnerable. A further 267 taxa in 31 families are At Risk, consisting mostly (91%) of Naturally Uncommon taxa. Fifty-two taxa in 13 families are Data Deficient and four taxa in three families are Extinct. The largest proportions of Threatened and At Risk species comprise Carabidae (respectively 42.2% and 6.7%) and Tenebrionidae (respectively 29.3% and 22.2%). Many of the threatened Coleoptera are large and flightless which may contribute towards their decline.

Keywords:

• body size
• Carabidae
• flightlessness
• Tenebrionidae
• threatened species

Acknowledgements

We thank Ian Millar (DOC) for additional information on species in the Nelson/ Marlborough Conservancy, Warren Chinn (DOC) for information on Hadramphus tuberculatus, and Andre Larochelle (NZAC), Peter Johns (Canterbury Museum, Christchurch) and Ian Townsend (Levin) for additional information on carabids. RAB Leschen was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Defining New Zealand's Land Biota programme.