The conservation status of small or less well known groups of New Zealand terrestrial invertebrates

Abstract

A total of 27 taxa from taxonomic groups with few species, or that are less well known, are listed as Threatened, 50 taxa are At Risk, 110 taxa are Data Deficient and three taxa are Extinct. Thirteen taxa are Nationally Critical: Aceria clianthi; Eriophyoidea incertae (Acari); Cryptops sp.; Haasiella sp. (Chilopoda); Burmjapyx sp. (Diplura); Hirudobdella antipodum (Hirudinea); Antiponemertes allisonae (Nemertini); Prasmiola unica (Opiliones); and Tepakiphasma ngatikuri (Phasmatodea) are freeliving whereas the lice Apterygon okarito, Coloceras harrisoni, Rallicola takahe and Saemundssonia chathamensis (Phthiraptera) have the same threat status as their bird hosts. No taxa were considered Nationally Endangered but 14 ectoparasites are Nationally Vulnerable, including six Acari and eight Phthiraptera. The At Risk taxa comprise two that are Declining, four that are Recovering, one that is Relict and 45 taxa that are Naturally Uncommon. Earthworms (Oligochaeta) also make up 101 of the 110 Data Deficient taxa. All of the Extinct species were host-specific feather lice: two were on extinct birds and one became extinct when its host was transferred to predator-free islands. Thirty-six earthworm species that were previously Data Deficient are now ranked Not Threatened, as are five Phthiraptera that were previously ranked either Nationally Critical or Nationally Endangered and one Phasmatodea that was previously ranked Nationally Endangered.

Keywords:

• Acari
• Oligochaeta
• Phasmatodea
• Phthiraptera
• threatened species

Acknowledgements

We thank the following for providing advice and information: Gregor Yeates for earthworms, Nicholas Martin for gall mites, Gary Barker for slug mites, Dallas Bishop for feather mites, and Graeme Ramsay together with members of the Entomological Society of New Zealand for the native praying mantis. Research on earthworms and stick insects was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Defining New Zealand's Land Biota programme.