Discovery of a questionable leaf insect in New Caledonia

A phylliid species potentially new for New Caledonia is first discovered and described in Touho, New Caledonia. Detailed morphological analysis concluded that it could be either a male of the endemic Trolicaphyllium genus (Trolicaphyllium brachysoma (Sharp, 1898), which male is not described yet), or a representative of the Australo-papua genus Walaphyllium (Cumming et al., 2020), which is only known from Queensland, Australia, so far. The possibility of belonging to the species Phyllium (Walaphyllium) monteithi (Brock & Hasenpusch, 2002) is discussed as well as its potential cause of long-distance dispersal from Australia to New Caledonia. It underlines the lack of knowledge concerning the phylliid species in particular and the opportunities to discover new species in general, especially in the under-explored regions of the southwest Pacific

Bioinformatics; DNA Sequencing of the New Zealand Forest Ringlet Butterfly (Dodonidia helmsii) Butler, 1884 for Conservation and Forensic Wildlife Efforts

Abstract The New Zealand forest ringlet butterfly, Dodonidia helmsii Butler, 1884, is an endemic and rare species vulnerable to habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species. Conservation efforts for this butterfly should increasingly incorporate genetic analyses to interpret its evolutionary relationships within the Satyrinae subfamily. This bioinformatics study analysed DNA sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear markers—such as COI, EF-1α, and wgl—to investigate the genetic makeup of D. helmsii and its relatedness to close relatives, including Erebiola butleri Fereday, 1879   and Percnodaimon merula Hewitson, 1875. The COI marker, widely used in species identification due to its balanced conservation and variability, served as a key target for primer design. Primer suitability assessments indicated effective amplification in D. helmsii and P. merula, though limitations emerged with E. butleri due to sequence divergence at the primer binding site, underscoring the need for tailored primers in diverse taxa. Phylogenetic tree analysis demonstrated that D. helmsii shares a recent common ancestor with these related species, reinforcing its position within the Satyrinae subfamily. This research highlights the value of mitochondrial and nuclear markers in constructing phylogenies and supporting conservation strategies for D. helmsii, paving the way for future studies to optimse primers for broader taxonomic applications across related species in the Satyrinae. This genetic data not only advances conservation efforts by clarifying evolutionary lineage but also holds potential applications in forensic wildlife investigations. DNA markers from D. helmsii can contribute to forensic wildlife databases, assisting in the identification and protection of this rare species under conservation legislation. Ultimately, the more research contributions made to this area will only increase the valuable genetic tools to support the species\u27 preservation and forensic identification of butterfly specimens in cases of illegal trafficking and habitat encroachment

Forty-one species: A current count of indigenous and exotic bee species in Aotearoa - New Zealand.: Bees in New Zealand

By taxonomically defining 14 new bee species within the biogeographical region of Aotearoa  - New Zealand, Donovan’s 2007 “Apoidea” took the total count to 41 species. Of these, 28 were listed as indigenous with 27 being endemic. Since publication, two additional species have been identified, these are the endemic Leioproctus hukarere and the exotic inventive Hylaeus euxanthus. Offsetting these additions, two species are likely no longer present. These are Le. launcestonensis and the exotic species Osmia caerulescens. I therefore consider the current count of species within the biogeographical region to be the same as listed by Donovan in 2007.  Here I present an updated list of species known to occur in the biogeographical region of Aotearoa - New Zealand. In addition to their important role in the pollination of indigenous flora, indigenous bee species contribute to the pollination of a variety of exotic crops

Five steps for practice change in ecological and economic landscapes

Achieving effective practice change is fraught with examples of failure. We present a generalised 5-step pathway to guide the process of practice change by using examples from a crop pollination context (Howlett et al. 2023). With appropriate targeting, these steps can provide guidance to achieve effective implementation of technology transfer to result in practice change in broader ecological and economic landscape management practices

Bulmer and Bohemia Cave Biodiversity Notes

Karst landscapes can be found worldwide with varying degrees of protection and conservation (Gillieson 2022). These landscapes include, within them, subterranean biodiversity systems. These ecosystems are home to a variety of different groups of species at different stages of adaptation to underground environments. Generally, they are stable long-term environments for their inhabitants, compared to shorter term surface systems such as forests, rivers and wetlands. These systems are poorly understood, making it difficult to give good information to landowners, councils, and government departments on methods for conservation and protection