Cortaderia is a genus of South American and Central American plants in the Poaceae grass family.
The katipō is an endangered species of spider native to New Zealand. It is one of many species in the genus Latrodectus, such as the Australian redback, and the North American black widow. The species is venomous to humans, capable of delivering a potentially dangerous bite. It is a small to medium-sized spider, with the female having a round black or brown pea-sized body. Red katipō females found in the South Island and the lower half of the North Island, are always black, and their abdomen has a distinctive red stripe bordered in white. In black katipō females found in the upper half of the North Island, this stripe is absent, pale, yellow, or replaced with cream-coloured blotches. These two forms were previously thought to be separate species. The male is much smaller than the female and quite different in appearance: white with black stripes and red diamond-shaped markings. Katipō are mainly found living in sand dunes close to the seashore. They are found throughout most of coastal New Zealand except the far south and west. Katipō feed mainly on ground dwelling insects, caught in an irregular tangled web spun amongst dune plants or other debris.
Ammophila arenaria is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is known by the common names marram grass and European beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila. It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming stiff, hardy clumps of erect stems up to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height. It grows from a network of thick rhizomes which give it a sturdy anchor in its sand substrate and allow it to spread upward as sand accumulates. These rhizomes can grow laterally by 2 metres in six months. One clump can produce 100 new shoots annually.
Chionochloa is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island. Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass.
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial plants, most species live more than one season. Tussock grasses are often found as forage in pastures and ornamental grasses in gardens.
Chionochloa rubra, known commonly as red tussock grass, is a species of tussock grass in the grass family, endemic to New Zealand.
Tussock grassland is a form of open grassland that is dominated by tussock grasses. It is common in some temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregions of the Southern Hemisphere. Tussock grasslands are usually typified by low rainfall and poor soils in which few plants other than hardy tussock grasses can flourish. They are predominantly populated by tufted grasses of the genera Agrostis, Andropogon, Chionochloa, Deschampsia, Festuca, Koeleria, Pentameris and Poa. The grasslands are found in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, temperate areas of southern and eastern Africa, and some subantarctic islands.
The wildlife of the Falkland Islands is quite similar to that of Patagonia. The Falkland Islands have no native reptiles or amphibians, and the only native land mammal, the warrah, is now extinct. However, a large number of bird species have been seen around the islands, and many of them breed on the smaller islands of the archipelago. Insects play a large role in the ecosystem of the islands, and over 200 species have been recorded. The waters around the Falkland Islands sustain many animals, including a large number of marine mammals. Three pinniped species breed on the islands.
Denniston Plateau is an 18 km long, 600–800 m high coalfield plateau in the Papahaua Range on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. A combination of impermeable rock, high rainfall, and shallow acidic soil has created a unique ecosystem of stunted trees and heath-like vegetation which is home to numerous endemic and undescribed species of plants and invertebrates. The plateau contains rich seams of high-quality coal, which led to the creation and abandonment of the mining towns of Denniston and Millerton, and the current Stockton Mine. Plans to create a new open-cast mine on the southern part of the plateau have become an environmental controversy.
Chionochloa flavescens, known as broad-leaved snow tussock or haumata in Māori. Endemic to New Zealand, there are several different sub species that look very similar. The leaves which are up to one centimetre wide is larger than most tussocks similar to it. The flower-plumes of about 30 cm appear around December/January and are quite open compared to C. conspicua and C. flavicans.
Clematis paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is one of seven species of clematis native to New Zealand. C. paniculata is the most common of these, and is widespread in forests throughout the country.
Austroderia is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe. The species are A. toetoe, A. fulvida, A. splendens, A. richardii and A. turbaria. They were recently reclassified in 2011 from the genus Cortaderia, although their distinctiveness had been recognized as early as 1853.
Cyperus ustulatus, also known as giant umbrella-sedge or coastal cutty grass is a species of sedge native to New Zealand. C. ustulatus generally grows in coastal or lowland areas near water in the North Island and on the Kermadec Islands.
Austroderia richardii, syn. Cortaderia richardii, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is an evergreen perennial grass. The genus Austroderia is often confused with "pampas grass", which usually refers to Cortaderia selloana. "Early pampas-grass" is a more specific name. The name "tussock grass" may also be found. The Maori name is "toetoe". It is one of five species commonly called toetoe in the genus Austroderia that are endemic to New Zealand. It occurs in the South Island and possibly also in the North Island. It is also an introduced species in Tasmania, Australia.
Argyrophenga antipodum, the common tussock or tussock ringlet, is a species of butterfly commonly found in the South Island of New Zealand.
Chionochloa antarctica is a species of grass, endemic to the Auckland and Campbell Islands.
Ichneutica unica is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the centre of the North Island and throughout the South Island. This moth is very similar in appearance to its close relatives Ichneutica phaula and Ichneutica toroneura. I. phaula can be distinguished as there is a difference in pectinations on the male antennae and I. toroneura can be distinguished as the black vein markings on the forewings is more uniform for that species in comparison to I. unica. I. unica is variable in appearance with the North Island specimens having a darker brown colour on the forewings and having a darker underside of the hindwings. This species inhabits open tussock grassland at various altitudes, coastal dunes, and inland volcanic dunes. Larvae feed on tussock grasses such as Chionochloa pallens and species in the genus Poa. Adult moths are on the wing from November to February and are attracted to both sugar and light traps.
Chionochloa howensis is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. The specific epithet derives from the name of the island to which it is endemic. The species was first discovered by John Pickard in 1970. Its affinities lie with Chionochloa flavicans of New Zealand and not with Australian species of Chionochloa.
Chionochloa rigida, known commonly as narrow-leaved snow tussock and by its Māori name wī kura, is a species of tussock grass endemic to New Zealand. Two subspecies are recognised, including Chionochloa rigida rigida and Chionochloa rigida amara.
Ichneutica haedifrontella is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is only known from scattered areas in the North and South Islands. In the North Island it has only been collected in the Pouakai Range in Taranaki. In the South Island it is known from the Nelson, Buller, North Canterbury, Otago Lakes and Fiordland regions. It inhabits alpine to subalpine zones. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae in the wild. Larvae have been reared on species in the Chionochloa genus. Adults are on the wing from December to February and are attracted to light. This species has a smaller dwarf form that can be found in the Pouakai Range and at Dart Hut.
