| Stethaspis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stethaspis longicornis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Subfamily: | Melolonthinae |
| Genus: | Stethaspis Hope, 1837 |
Stethaspis is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Melolonthinae. [1]
Like other Melolonthinae, adult Stethaspis are oval and robust in shape. The antennae are relatively short and have the last few segments flattened and finger-like. The elytra leave the end of the abdomen exposed. Stethaspis are green in colour and range from 13 to 24 mm in length. [2]
Larvae are creamy white with a prominent head, relatively large legs and a darkened posterior end (this darkening is due to the gut contents showing through the body wall). The body is curled up into a C-shape. When mature, Stethaspis larvae can be up to 45 mm long. [2]
Similar to other melolonthines, Stethaspis beetles feed on plant foliage as adults and plant roots as larvae. Adults are known to damage Douglas fir. [2]
Larvae of S. longicornis are eaten by Polynesian rats. [3] Additionally, Stethaspis larvae are potential hosts for the introduced scoliid wasp Radumeris tasmaniensis, an ectoparasitoid of scarab larvae. [4]
Stethaspis follow the usual beetle life cycle of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The life cycle takes two years. [2] Adults emerge en masse in summer. [5]
Stethaspis contains the following species: [1]
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Philocryptica is a monotypic genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Tortricinae of the family Tortricidae. It contains only one species, Philocryptica polypodii, the leather-leaf star-miner, which is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been recorded in both the North Island and the South Island, as far south as Banks Peninsula. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest where the species' larval host is present. The larvae feed on Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, mining the host plant leaves. P. polypodii pupates within the final blotch-mine. Adults are on the wing in November and December.
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Listronotus bonariensis is a species of weevil that is native to South America and is commonly known as the Argentine stem weevil. It is a pest of grasses and cereals, with the larvae being more destructive than the adult insects. It has spread to Australia and New Zealand, where it is regarded as a pest species.
Euura proxima is a species of sawfly belonging to the family Tenthredinidae. The larvae feed on the leaves of willows, creating galls. It was described by Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville in 1823. The species was placed in the genus Euura in 2014 and was previously known as Nematus proximus and Pontania proxima.
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Oemona hirta, the lemon tree borer, also known as the whistling beetle or the singing beetle, is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. Its larvae are generalist feeders, boring into the wood of a wide variety of trees, native and introduced. When citrus orchards were first established in New Zealand, this beetle started inflicting serious damage, and so gained the name "lemon tree borer". Four species within the genus Oemona have been identified, suggesting that more species could be found. When disturbed by predators or humans, the adult beetle stridulates creating a "rasp" or "squeak" sound by rubbing its thorax and head together against an area of thin ridges. Māori would eat a liquid called "pia manuka", which was produced by manuka trees when its wood was damaged by the larvae. When Captain Cook first arrived in NZ, his naturalists, Banks and Solander, collected a lemon tree borer in their first collection between 1769 and 1771. This oldest collected specimen can be found in the British Museum. A few years after the first collection, the species would be first described by the Danish naturalist Fabricius in 1775.
Rhantus suturalis, commonly known as the supertramp beetle or cosmopolitan diving beetle, is a species of diving beetle (Dytiscidae) with a cosmopolitan distribution.