Creophilus rekohuensis

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Creophilus rekohuensis
Creophilus rekohuensis HT Abdomen dorsal 01.jpg
Holotype of Creophilus rekohuensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Staphylinidae
Genus: Creophilus
Species:
C. rekohuensis
Binomial name
Creophilus rekohuensis
Clarke, 2011

Creophilus rekohuensis is a beetle of the Staphylinidae family, subfamily Staphylininae. This species occurs only on some small predator-free islands in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, where it lives in seabird burrows. Its name derives from Rekohu, the Moriori name for Chatham Island. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

This species was first noted in 1924 by C. Lindsay, and a specimen collected on Mangere was sent to the Canterbury Museum. Rowan Emberson of Lincoln University collected two from a petrel burrow on Mangare in 1993, and John Marris and Emberson collected others in expeditions in 1997 and 1998 to Mangere, Rangatira, and Star Keys, in burrows, and under logs and leaf litter, and with pitfall traps. [2]

The type specimens was collected in Woolshed Bush, Rangatira Island, in February 2006 by David Clarke and M. Renner; the holotype was deposited in Lincoln University's Entomology Research Collection, and paratypes went to the Field Museum and the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. [1]

Description

Head of Creophilus rekohuensis Creophilus rekohuensis HT Head frontal 01.jpg
Head of Creophilus rekohuensis

Emberson noted that the unnamed Creophilus species he had collected was similar to the mainland New Zealand species C. huttoni , but its tiny hairs were silver rather than gold in colour. [2]

In his description of the species, Clarke noted that it had a large trapezoidal head, pale yellowish brown behind the eyes, and asymmetrical last segment of the antennae and reduced last segment of the front foot (protarsomere). The sexes seemed to be similar in size, unlike all other Creophilus species. [1]

Clarke also noted its greatly reduced wings; this species, unlike most staphylinid beetles, is flightless. When disturbed, it still has a flight response, spreading its wings while running away. [1]

Distribution and habitat

Creophilus rekohuensis has only been recorded from small islands south east of Chatham Island, New Zealand. Specimens have been collected from Mangere Island, Pitt Island, a tiny islet off the north-west coast of Pitt Island called Rabbit Island, Star Keys (14.5 km east of Pitt Island), and Rangatira Island – most collections have been from Rangatira. [1]

The preferred habitat on Rangatira seems to be coastal broadleaf forest, made up of Myrsine , Pseudopanax , and Coprosma species, riddled with the burrows of white-faced storm petrels, diving petrels, and broad-billed prions. [3] The forest floor in seabird colonies is compacted and has little leaf litter, but C. rekohuensis is able to shelter in burrows. It is also found in coastal herbfields of Sarcocornia and Disphyma . [1]

Ecology

Creophilus species are carrion feeders, consuming maggots on rotting corpses both as adults and larvae, but there has been only one observation of C. rekohuensis on carrion. However seabirds that die on Rangatira Island are rapidly skeletonised by the abundant endemic wētā species Talitropsis megatibia and Novoplectron serratum. [4]

Conservation

All attempts to find C. rekohuensis on Pitt and Chatham Islands using pitfall traps with carrion have been unsuccessful, so the species seems to be restricted to islands where introduced predators are absent; [1] although Rangatira Island was farmed until 1961, it never had cats, rats, or mice. [4] [3] It is possible the species might survive on main Chatham Island in seabird colonies with intact forest and rodent control, such as the taiko colony at Tuku Nature Reserve. [1]

Like other flightless beetles of the Chatham Islands, C. rekohuensis is vulnerable to rodent invasion of its last remaining refuges; unlike them, it does not have any formal protection under the Wildlife Act 1953. [4] It has not been assessed under the Department of Conservation's Threatened Species Categories, let alone had a species recovery plan drawn up.

Related Research Articles

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The magenta petrel, or Chatham Island tāiko, is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, Pterodroma. Found exclusively on Chatham Island, New Zealand, it is one of the rarest birds in the world, believed to be extinct for over 100 years before its rediscovery in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham petrel</span> Species of bird

The Chatham petrel or ranguru (Māori) is a medium-sized, grey, white and black gadfly petrel. It only breeds on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, and until recently was restricted to the 218-hectare Rangatira or South-East Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangatira Island</span> Island of eastern New Zealand

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook's petrel</span> Species of bird

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<i>Novoplectron</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Novoplectron is a monotypic genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to the Chatham Islands. Cave wētā are nocturnal, wingless crickets that occupy humid habitats. Novoplectron wētā generally live under stones and in burrows of seabirds, such as broad-billed prions, mutton birds and storm petrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatham rail</span> Extinct species of bird

The Chatham rail is an extinct flightless species of bird in the family Rallidae. It was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, in the Chatham archipelago of New Zealand. The Chatham rail was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. Its Māori name was "mātirakahu".

<i>Xylotoles costatus</i> Species of beetle

Xylotoles costatus, the Pitt Island longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands. Once thought to be extinct, it is now known to survive on South East Island/Rangatira; being therefore an example of a so-called "Lazarus taxon".

<i>Anagotus stephenensis</i> Species of beetle

Anagotus stephenensis, commonly known as the ngaio weevil, is a large flightless weevil that is only found on Stephens Island in New Zealand. The ngaio weevil was discovered in 1916 by A.C. O'Connor on Stephens Island. Thomas Broun described it in 1921 as Phaeophanus oconnori after its collector. The weevils were observed at the time to be 'feeding on tall fescue and the leaves of trees'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flax weevil</span> Species of weevil endemic to New Zealand

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Imber's petrel is an extinct seabird of gadfly petrel from the Chatham Islands. The species' epithet commemorates New Zealand ornithologist Mike Imber (1940–2011).

<i>Hadramphus spinipennis</i> Species of beetle

Hadramphus spinipennis, commonly called the coxella weevil, is a large, nocturnal, flightless weevil only found on Mangere and Rangatira Islands in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

<i>Dolomedes schauinslandi</i> Species of spider

Dolomedes schauinslandi or the Rangatira spider is a large spider of the family Pisauridae. It is only found on South East Island (Rangatira), Houruakopara and Mangere Islands in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's largest and rarest spiders.

<i>Geodorcus capito</i> Species of beetle

Geodorcus capito is a large flightless species of stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. It is endemic to the Chatham Islands in New Zealand.

<i>Geodorcus sororum</i> Species of beetle

Geodorcus sororum is a large flightless species of stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. It was discovered in 1973 by Mr. A. Wright on an expedition to Middle Sister Island/Te Awanui, one of The Sisters Islands/Rangitatahi which are part of the Chatham Islands in New Zealand. This holotype specimen is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. It was first described by Beverley Holloway in 2007. The name sororum is translated from Latin to mean "belonging to the sisters".

<i>Austramathes squaliolus</i> Species of moth

Austramathes squaliolus is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the Chatham Islands on the Chatham, Pitt, Little Mangere and Rangatira Islands. The larvae of A. squaliolus is similarly patterned to the larvae of A. fortis and have lateral yellow markings that contrast with the dark dorsal marbling. However this marbling is darker in A. squaliolus in comparison to the lighter coloured A. fortis. Melicytus chathamicus is the larval host-plant for this species. The adult moth is again very similar in appearance to A. fortis and, as with A. fortis, the black line curved at the forewing base is the distinguishing feature. However the two species are unlikely to be confused as their ranges do not overlap. The adult moths are on the wing in November and December and have been observed flying at dusk.

<i>Lyperobius huttoni</i> Species of beetle

Lyperobius huttoni is a New Zealand weevil found in alpine areas of the South Island and at sea level around the Wellington coast. It feeds only on speargrass (Aciphylla). Weevils from the endangered Wellington population have been translocated to predator-free Mana Island.

<i>Amychus manawatawhi</i> Species of beetle

Amychus manawatawhi, commonly known as the Three Kings click beetle, is a large flightless click beetle in the family Elateridae, found only on the Three Kings Islands of New Zealand.

<i>Ichneutica thalassarche</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica thalassarche is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the Chatham Islands. It has been collected at Chatham Island, Pitt Island and Rangatira Island. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. The adults of this species are large with a pale grey thorax and forewing. A diagnostic feature is the pattern on its forewing which is a white subterminal line joined by black "teeth" markings. This species has been recorded as a winter flyer having been collected in June to August.

<i>Creophilus oculatus</i> Species of rove beetle

Creophilus oculatus or devil's coach horse is a species of large carrion-feeding rove beetle endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Carex ventosa</i> Species of sedge

Carex ventosa, also known as Chatham Islands forest sedge, is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to the Chatham Islands.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Clarke, Dave J. (2011). "Testing the phylogenetic utility of morphological character systems, with a revision of Creophilus Leach (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (3): 723–812. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00725.x.
  2. 1 2 Emberson, Rowan M. (2002). The beetle fauna (Coleoptera) of the Chatham Islands, with additional species, corrections, and updated taxonomic, biological and distributional information to end 2002. Lincoln, New Zealand: Lincoln University. p. 17. hdl:10182/4177.
  3. 1 2 Miskelly, Colin (11 April 2018). "The petrels of Rangatira Island, Chatham Islands". Te Papa’s Blog. Archived from the original on 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  4. 1 2 3 Miskelly, Colin (13 April 2018). "Giant spiders and other critters of Rangatira Island, Chatham Islands". Te Papa’s Blog. Archived from the original on 2018-04-15. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
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