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Stick insects and their grotesque shadows. From the portfolio: Untitled (insects)

2010-03-12T18:05:30.447Z

Development of a mass rearing technique for the Tasmanian brown lacewing, Micromus tasmaniae Walker

2010-03-12T18:05:22.758Z

Aphids are one of the most important insect pests of greenhouse crops yet to be controlled by biological means. Broad spectrum chemical control is becoming increasingly difficult to use in integrated pest management programmes, therefore, there is a need for a suitable biocontrol agent to be mass reared and released. The Tasmanian brown lacewing, Micromus tasmaniae Walker is an aphid predator that is found commonly throughout Australasia and has suitable characteristics that make it a candidate for mass rearing. A technique for rearing M. tasmaniae was developed. Eggs of M. tasmaniae were reared in batches of 50, 100 and 200 in 20 litre clear plastic containers. The oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi L. was fed to the larvae. The results revealed that the highest initial egg density (200 eggs per container) produced the cheapest adults at 22 cents per adult. However, mass rearing adults was considered not practical because of the high production cost, although, mass production of eggs is considered to be economically viable. The cost of producing one egg was 0.015 cents. M tasmaniae was maintained in mass culture for six generations. Simple experiments were carried out to monitor the quality of laboratory-reared insects. The 'wild' insect was used as a quality standard and comparisons with laboratory-reared insect populations were made. The fecundity, development rates and tolerance to pirimicarb, a carbamate insecticide, were determined. Fecundity was found to decline with successive generations in mass culture. The lacewing development experiment indicated that larval stages of each generation suffered the highest mortality rate and that between 35-45% of individuals emerged as adults. The tolerance of adults to pirimicarb did not alter over five generations. Recommendations for improving the mass rearing of M. tasmaniae are discussed.

[Showing a sterescopic view of two wetas on a branch....]

2010-03-12T17:52:25.363Z

Showing a sterescopic view of two wetas on a branch

[Showing a stereoscopic view of two wetas on a branch....]

2010-03-12T17:52:25.303Z

Showing a stereoscopic view of two wetas on a branch

[Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect larvae from F O....]

2010-03-12T17:52:16.444Z

Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect larvae from F O Peat's Titirangi Treasure House, South Titirangi Road, Titirangi

[Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect from F O Peat's....]

2010-03-12T17:52:16.194Z

Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect from F O Peat's Titirangi Treasure House, South Titirangi Road, Titirangi

[Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect larvae from F O....]

2010-03-12T17:52:15.760Z

Stereoscope showing an unidentified insect larvae from F O Peat's Titirangi Treasure House, South Titirangi Road, Titirangi

[Showing a stereoscopic view of a stick insect on a bush....]

2010-03-12T17:51:27.104Z

Showing a stereoscopic view of a stick insect on a bush

[Showing a stereoscopic view of a stick insect....]

2010-03-12T17:51:23.425Z

Showing a stereoscopic view of a stick insect

Identification of genes regulating the plant-specific expression of the ItmM gene in Epichloe festucae : this thesis is presented as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Msc) in Genetics at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

2010-03-12T17:32:48.647Z

The fungal endophyte Epichloë festucae forms a largely mutualistic association with the ryegrass species Lolium perenne. E. festucae produces a range of bio-protective alkaloids that protect the host grass from herbivory by both mammals and insects. One such alkaloid, Lolitrem B, is a potent mycotoxin and the causative agent of ryegrass staggers in livestock. Ten genes required for biosynthesis of lolitrem B are encoded in the ltm gene cluster. The ltm genes are expressed in a plant-specific manner, with high levels of expression in planta and very low levels of expression in culture. The mechanism regulating ltm gene expression is unknown but it is predicted to involve signalling from the host plant. The ltmM gene was chosen for use in the investigation of ltm gene regulation because the flanking regions do not contain retrotransposon sequence, which surrounds much of the ltm gene cluster. To identify fungal genes involved in the plant-induced expression of ltmM, a mutagenesis and screening system was developed using a PltmM-gusA ‘knock-in’ construct to detect expression from the ltmM promoter. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated T-DNA mutagenesis was used to create a set of mutants with random insertions in the genome. Mutants were then screened for altered PltmM-gusA expression, both in culture and in planta. Three mutants were identified with increased PltmM-gusA expression in culture, however, no mutants were identified with loss of PltmM-gusA expression in planta. This indicates that a mechanism of repression is involved in the plant-induced expression of ltmM, either directly or indirectly. TM mutants of interest were also observed for altered symbiosis phenotypes. Mutants were identified with reduced colonisation rates and altered hyphal growth in planta. Integration sites were identified for two colonisation mutants and the disrupted genes are predicted to be the CTP:cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase (CCT) gene PCT1 and the mitogen-activated protein kinsase kinase (MAPKK) gene mkk2.

Patterns and processes in animal evolution : molecular phylogenetics of Southern Hemisphere fauna : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics

2010-03-12T17:32:39.128Z

Three kinds of processes are known to modify the geographical spatial arrangement of organisms: dispersal, extinction and vicariance. The Southern Hemisphere has an intriguing and complicated geological history that provides an ideal backdrop to study these processes. This thesis focuses on three historical events that illustrate these processes: the proposed marine inundation of New Zealand in the Oligocene, the asteroid impact at the K – Pg boundary, and the continental breakup of Gondwana. It investigates what impact these events had on species diversification by studying the phylogenetic relationships of two groups of taxa – the family Anostostomatidae (insects), and Neoaves (birds). Anostostomatidae were studied in relation to the Oligocene drowning and the break up of Gondwana as they have a wide southern distribution, found on all “Gondwanan” fragments with the exception of Antarctica, and are thought represent an ancient lineage that predates the Gondwanan breakup. Birds, in particular Neoaves, were studied in relation to the asteroid impact at the K – Pg boundary. Although birds are mobile and many circumnavigate the globe between seasons, they are suggested to have originated in the Southern Hemisphere in Gondwanan times, and subsequently undergone range expansion and diversification around the world. In order to address the relationship (if any) between modern biotic diversity and historical geological events, phylogenetic relationships were determined and where possible, molecular clock analysis carried out. Timing information provided by molecular clock analysis is important as it enables distinction between opposing hypotheses such as vicariance and dispersal. In Chapter Two, the phylogenetic relationships within the family Anostostomatidae are investigated. One of the most controversial times in New Zealand’s geological history is during the Oligocene. Some suggest that the lack of fossils and evidence for recent dispersal of numerous taxa support the notion that all modern biota reached the region during the last 25 million years. Anostostomatidae were chosen as they represent a group of insects that are thought to be ancient and there is little published data in the literature. Previous studies focused on the relationships within Hemideina and Deinacrida suggesting that these groups diversified in the early Miocene. The data presented here are from mitochondrial (COI and 12S) and nuclear (18S and 28S) sequences. Molecular dating using a relaxed clock as implemented in BEAST suggest that in fact some lineages were present at or shortly after continental breakup and could have survived throughout this turbulent time. As there were no definitive fossils to use for calibration points, geological events were used as calibration points for the molecular clock. Mutation rates obtained from the different analyses were compared to those published for other insects in an attempt to identify the most likely model. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses support the presence of three distinct ecological groups in New Zealand; Hemiandrus (ground weta), Anisoura/Motuweta (tusked weta) and Hemideina–Deinacrida (tree–giant weta). With regards to their Australasian relatives (taxa from Australia and New Caledonia) it appears that the family is divided with the most northern New Zealand taxa (tusked weta) more closely related to New Caledonian taxa while all other New Zealand taxa are more closely related to Australian taxa. There does not appear to be any link between the Australian and New Caledonian taxa studied here. Results should be viewed with caution however as an increased mutation rate was observed in the New Caledonian-tusked weta lineage, something future studies will have to address. Chapter Three presents new sequence data and phylogenetic analyses that go towards resolving the apparent basal polytomy of neoavian birds. This chapter includes analyses carried out on previously published data with the addition of nine new mitochondrial genomes. My contribution to this larger project was to perform the phylogenetic analysis and to sequence three of the nine mitochondrial genomes. The genomes I sequenced were the Southern Hemisphere species: dollar bird (Eurystomus orientalis), Owlet nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus cristatus) and great potoo (Nyctibius grandis). The inclusion of these nine new genomes allows assessment and comparison of the six hypothesised groups reported in Cracraft (2001). First an improved conditional down-weighting technique is described reducing noise relative to signal, which is important for resolving deeper divergences. Second, a formula is presented for calculating probabilities of finding predefined groupings in the optimal tree. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian based phylogenetic analyses were carried out and in addition, dating using a relaxed molecular clock was performed in BEAST. Results suggested that the six groups suggested by Cracraft (2001) represent robust lineages. The results suggested that one group, the owls, are more closely related to other raptors, particularly accipitrids (buzzards/eagles) and the osprey rather than the Caprimulgiformes, which could indicate morphological convergent evolution. In addition, a group termed shorebirds appears to be distinct from the large group referred to as ‘Conglomerati’ to which previous publications have suggested they belong. The ‘Conglomerati’ is the least well studied group and may actually comprise of at least three subgroups (as suggested by Cracraft). Within the three suggested groups, Cracraft grouped shorebirds with pigeons and sandgrouse, neither of which (pigeons or sandgrouse) were analysed here. So although the shorebirds are at least close to the ‘Conglomerati’ and may be within that group, their exact position is still not clear. The molecular dating reported here utilised two fossil calibrations (Vegavis and Waimanu), for which there is relatively little dispute as to age or the lineage to which they belong. Calibrations resulting from BEAST analyses suggest that at least 12 distinct lineages were present prior to the K – Pg boundary, a finding supported by previous studies. Robust phylogenies will allow future studies to investigate not only the relationships within Neoaves, but look more closely at the biological and ecological evolution of the group. Chapter Four for the first time investigates whether the phylogenetic relationships within the family Anostostomatidae follow the conventionally accepted order and timing of Gondwanan breakup. Following the initial restults for taxa studied in Australasia (Chapter Two) an attempt to resolve family relationships in a wider spatial (geographic) context was carried out to determine if Australasian taxa are monophyletic when other members of the family are included. Again both maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were carried out on both mitochondrial (COI and 12S) and nuclear (18S and 28S) sequences. In this chapter, datasets included samples from across the geographic range of Anostostomatidae (South Africa, Madagascar, South America, Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand), and two clades were observed, congruent with earlier findings. Sequence divergence within geographic regions was found to be relatively high in the mitochondrial genes (COI and 12S) while low in the nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (18S and 28S) as expected given their relative mutation rates. Under the vicariance paradigm, phylogenetic relationships should follow the order of continental breakup, but this was not found. Further, if dispersal and colonisation were continuous, no geographic substructure is expected, however distinct geographic substructure within clades was consistently observed. This interesting phylogenetic pattern may be a case of convergent evolution or paraphyletic sampling which highlights taxonomic issues of the group. Future studies need to include not only molecular data but information on morphology, ecology and behaviour along with the implementation of biogeographic programs that can test alternative hypotheses (such as dispersal and vicariance) directly. Also, the inclusion of the recently reported fossil from the subfamily Euclydesinae (Martins-Neto 2007) should allow for more accurate date estimates within the family. Taken as a whole the results presented in this thesis suggest that microevolutionary processes are sufficient to explain modern diversity without the need to invoke abiotic events. The three cases investigated here - marine inundation, asteroid impact and continental drift - all appear to have had only a limited effect on the diversity of taxa studied. To reach even stronger conclusions future studies should incorporate different data (for instance nuclear genes, intron position, and genome structure) and use biogeographic software capable of including ecological, morphological and habitat information.

Rates of spread of marine pathogens

2010-03-12T17:31:53.878Z

Epidemics of marine pathogens can spread at extremely rapid rates. For example, herpes virus spread through pilchard populations in Australia at a rate in excess of 10 000 km year(-1), and morbillivirus infections in seals and dolphins have spread at more than 3000 km year(-1). In terrestrial environments, only the epidemics of myxomatosis and calicivirus in Australian rabbits and West Nile Virus in birds in North America have rates of spread in excess of 1000 km year(-1). The rapid rates of spread of these epidemics has been attributed to flying insect vectors, but flying vectors have not been proposed for any marine pathogen. The most likely explanation for the relatively rapid spread of marine pathogens is the lack of barriers to dispersal in some parts of the ocean, and the potential for long-term survival of pathogens outside the host. These findings caution that pathogens may pose a particularly severe problem in the ocean. There is a need to develop epidemic models capable of generating these high rates of spread and obtain more estimates of disease spread rate.

Differences in benthic fauna and sediment among mangrove (Avicennia marina var. australasica) stands of different ages in New Zealand

2010-03-12T17:31:52.388Z

Management of coastal environments requires understanding of ecological relationships among different habitats and their biotas. Changes in abundance and distribution of mangroves, like those of other coastal habitats, have generally been interpreted in terms of changes in biodiversity or fisheries resources within individual stands. In several parts of their range, anthropogenically increased inputs of sediment to estuaries have led to the spread of mangroves. There is, however, little information on the relative ecological properties, or conservational values, of stands of different ages. The faunal, floral and sedimentological properties of mangrove (Avicennia marina var. australasica) stands of two different ages in New Zealand has been compared. Older (>60 years) and younger (3-12 years) stands showed clear separation on the basis of environmental characteristics and benthic macrofauna. Numbers of faunal taxa were generally larger at younger sites, and numbers of individuals of several taxa were also larger at these sites. The total number of individuals was not different between the two age-classes, largely due to the presence of large numbers of the surface-living gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum at the older sites. It is hypothesized that as mangrove stands mature, the focus of faunal diversity may shift from the benthos to animals living on the mangrove plants themselves, such as insects and spiders, though these were not included in the present study. Differences in the faunas were coincident with differences in the nature of the sediment. Sediments in older stands were more compacted and contained more organic matter and leaf litter. Measurement of leaf chemistry suggested that mangrove plants in the younger stands were able to take up more N and P than those in the older stands. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Onnamide F: A new nematocide from a southern Australian marine sponge, Trachycladus laevispirulifer

2010-03-12T17:31:46.928Z

A southern Australian marine sponge, Trachycladus laevispirulifer, has yielded a potent new nematocide with antifungal activity which has been identified as onnamide F (1). The structure for 1 was assigned by detailed spectroscopic analysis and chemical conversion to the methyl ester 2. Onnamide F contains a common structural motif previously described in a number of natural products exhibiting interesting pharmacological activities, including the insect chemical defense agent pederin (3), and the sponge metabolites the onnamides, mycalamides, and theopederins.

Cicindela tuberculata,Tiger Beetle

2010-03-12T17:25:08.597Z

Photo by Phil Bendle. :sony DCS 35:

Hemideina male Tree weta

2010-03-12T17:25:07.827Z

Photo by Phil Bendle. :sony DCS 35:

Hemideina male Tree weta

2010-03-12T17:25:07.767Z

Photo by Phil Bendle. :sony DCS 35:

Female Weta

2010-03-12T17:25:01.357Z

Photo by Dave Clarkson

Tree Weta, Te Henui Walkway

2010-03-12T17:24:45.127Z

Photo by Phil Bendle

Gallopers And Guano

2010-03-12T17:23:27.370Z

A paper delivered to the 2008 Conference of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand , Otago University, Dunedin, 28 August 2008. Dr Stephen Hamilton, Hamilton City Archives I am an archivist working in the Hamilton City Archives in the Central Library in Garden Place. I previously worked as Community Archivist with the Upper Hutt City Council and this paper describes one of the more interesting experiences I had in that role. This paper is about the way in which the archive of the Wellington Racing Club was rescued from atrocious storage conditions. While I, as it were, uncovered the archive, I was not actually responsible for undertaking the work of removing it from where it was found, conserving it and making it available for use by researchers. The credit for that feat, which (by the way) in the world of archives must be regarded as nothing less than heroic, goes to my successor at the Upper Hutt Community Archive Jolene Russell, and to the volunteers and City Library staff who helped. So although Jolene is not able to be here today, I'd like to acknowledge that without her efforts this paper would have a much less celebratory tone.To explain a little of the background, the Upper Hutt Community Archive was established in 1998 by Nicola Frean, using Lottery funding and the volunteer labour of the local Rotary club. It has a small, 20 square metre climate controlled storeroom and collects archives, photographs, maps and rare published works relating to the community and history of Upper Hutt. I was employed there 10 hours per week for several years until mid 2007. The Wellington Racing Club traces its origins back to September 1840 when, as part of the nascent colony's first anniversary celebrations, four horses raced along what was to become Taranaki Street, behind the still occupied Te Aro pa. The winner was Calmuc Tartar ridden by Henry Petre. The Wellington Provincial Jockey Club was formed in 1865 and racing began at the Hutt Park course over two days in late March 1867, including the first running of the Wellington Cup for a purse of 40 sovereigns. In 1879 the club changed its name to the Wellington Racing Club. Hutt Park soon proved too small a venue, hemmed in as it was by river and swamp, and by the 1890s it was clear a new site was needed. In 1904 240 acres of valley floor was purchased north of Silverstream and adjacent to the Wairarapa railway line. In January 1906 the first Wellington Cup was run at the new Trentham Race Course. As a place, Trentham Racecourse is full of artefacts of an earlier age, most obviously in what is now referred to as built heritage. The stands themselves, the public stand and the members' stand, are the largest stressed-concrete buildings in the upper Hutt valley. But of even greater interest is the totalisator building, with its art deco exterior holding the huge mechanical computer that was the totalisator machine. Crowd and totalisator building, Trentham racecourse. Photo Charles P S Boyer. ca 1939. National Library of New Zealand Reference No. PAColl-3060-053. Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. To celebrate the centenary of the first running of the Wellington Cup at Trentham, the curator of Upper Hutt's new cultural centre, Expressions, had arranged an exhibition of racing paraphernalia, equipment, photographs, cups and such like. Included among the items displayed were some tantalising archival records. Totalisator machine mechanism. Ref. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bconlon/img13.htm (accessed 25 August 2008) Over coffee the curator told me that there were many other records in the attic of the Public Stand. Intrigued and concerned at his comment that conditions in the attic were less than ideal for historical archives, I rang the Course General Manager and arranged access. As I recall he himself was only vaguely aware of the archive's existence but as a former student of history at Victoria (he was taught by my wife), he was keen to help in any way he could. Stewards Stand, Trentham Racecourse, Trentham, Upper Hutt [ca 1925]. National Library of New Zealand Refernce number: Pan-0950. Part of Moore, Robert Percy, 1881-1948. Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. It was a warm sunny February day in 2005 when I was led up ramps and flight after flight of stairs to a locked door which gave access to the area underneath the upper stands. A final flight of rickety wooden steps led to the attic proper, a space which receded thirty or forty metres into the distance. To my right tall vaulted windows on the high western side of the room let in plenty of light, while to the left a wooden rail edged a void beyond which the undersides of the stand's concrete seating could be seen. At the far end of the attic I could see the shelves where I'd been told the archive was stored. But it was what I found I found at my feet that made me pause a moment. The floor was covered in pigeon guano, dry, dusty lumps of it. Below where the birds had roosted on the beams and struts of the roof, the guano was piled into neat ridges one or two centimetres high. As a boy my father had kept chickens, so I was familiar with how bird droppings can build up over time. The mild, slightly musty, but not too unpleasant smell of the roof space further enhanced my memory of that back corner of our section in Morrinsville. But even more remarkable than the amount of guano, which, by the way, being dry and undisturbed (except by me and my guide), gave off little smell, was that, or so it seemed at first, every square meter or so lay a long dead, now desiccated, pigeon. Each bird, having been poisoned several years before, was now a pathetic flattened corpse, splayed wings and tattered feathers, with threadbare skull and beak, bony legs and contracted claws. Rat and mice too had been poisoned, though by different means, one which led them to seek water and so leave the roof space. With no rodents to disturb the dead pigeons, they lay as they had fallen, and are still lying there now. To reach the archive I had to pick my way carefully between the dead pigeons and the more prominent accumulations of guano, negotiating along the way collapsed furniture, exposed plumbing and electrical conduits and the recently installed cables for a Trackside television transmitter installed in this, the highest building on the course. As one might expect, on first inspection the Archive proved to be in a very sorry state. Shelving used for the WRC Archive. Photographer Stephen Hamilton, 2005. Although the windows had been repaired, for years if not decades a number of them had been broken, allowing in not just the pigeons but also rain and wind. The most obvious and dramatic problem was that one end of the second set of shelves had partly collapsed due to a major leak in the roof above. Several large bound volumes of weigh-in books (in which were recorded the details of each race, horses, trainers, jockeys, scratchings, handicaps, times and placings), were damaged beyond repair. Bound volumes exposed to guano. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006. Other items which had accidently or inadvertently been left lying exposed to the rain of pigeon droppings from above, had accumulated dense layers of guano. One volume which for some reason had been left lying on the top of a pile of other material was completely covered in droppings from edge to edge. Everything I touched was covered in a grey dust. Beyond the shelves benches and tables had been piled high with the Club's daily records from the 1930s and 1940s. Records exposed to guano from roosting pigeons. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006 These comprised scores of brown paper packages tied up with string, although I doubt Julie Andrews would have numbered these among her favourite things. As with everything else in the archive, the packages were covered in a thick dust. Written in faded pencil on the exterior were lists of the contents: receipts, invoices, correspondence, and such like. But when I picked a parcel up I dropped it immediately as not one but several silverfish fell from its underside and scuttled for cover. The trestles were at least three metres long, and piled a half a metre high with parcels. The silverfish population must have numbered in the tens of thousands. Other similar parcels were piled in drifts on the floor and against the end wall of the building. Several boxes lay tumbled on the floor. Tea chest and othe boxes. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006. One, which you can see here, was a large tea-chest, lying on its side and with one edge split open under the weight of its contents. Gingerly, not wishing to disturb more silverfish or perhaps rodents (I was not sure they had all been disposed of), I pulled at the rotten plywood to see what the chest contained. A manila folder offered itself, and on inspection proved to be notes from a hearing of the course judiciary. I don't recall the horse's name but realised immediately that the folder and its contents presented me with a difficult question, which I will return to later. I replaced the folder and turned my attention to a row of almost thirty large cardboard packing boxes. Bound volumes of racing journals. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006 These proved to be full of bound volumes of the main New Zealand racing journals including the Racing Calendar, the New Zealand Racing News and Flash. I was later able to arrange for the Turnbull Curator of Serials to visit the course and take whatever he required to supplement Turnbull's own broken runs of these magazines. Elsewhere in the roof space, near the top of the access stairs, hundreds if not thousands of pages of records from the 1980s and 1990s had been dumped, no doubt kept for audit purposes but never intended to be held for longer than required. Beyond the stairs, at the other end of the roof space from the archive were the former jockey's quarters, a small apartment with kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a living room. Records from the 1990s found in the former Jockey's quarters. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006. Long abandoned, these too had been used as a place to dump records, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s, plus more racing journals and a number of photographs, portraits of winners I presume, along with unwanted furniture and a number of desiccated pot plants. As you might imagine, I was now confronted with, at one and the same time, an archivist's worse nightmare and, dare I say it, a dream acquisition of national significance. I immediately began to plan how best to deal with the challenges presented by the parlous state of the Racing Club's records. How did one remove bird droppings from the covers of bound volumes; how did one deal with a massive infestation of silverfish and who knows what other insects? Photographs of race winners. Photo Stephen Hamilton 2006 So this paper is less about the archival treasures found in the attic of the Wellington Racing Club's Public Stand, as it is about how I went about developing a practical and affordable methodology for their rescue and preservation. The first question was, should the Upper Hutt Community Archive collect this material? The second was, were we capable of doing so? Did we have the funding, the expertise, or the storage space? The first question was answered, at least initially, by reference to the geographical aspect of our collection policy: clearly Trentham was within Upper Hutt City. Moreover, here was an opportunity to obtain a collection of national significance, a collection which would otherwise go to Turnbull Library, if it was collected at all. Upper Hutt, being only 30 minutes north of Wellington, was also at risk of losing items and collections, be they archival or object based, to the capital's larger institutions. Indeed, Upper Hutt had long been guilty of not valuing its heritage, although that was changing and had changed since the establishment of the community archive in 1998. A conversation with David Colquhoun, Curator of Mss at Turnbull, confirmed the national significance of the WRC archive. David pointed out the there were no other major racing club archives in public hands. In light of Trentham's historic significance (and not just because of Phar Lap's brief sojourn in its stables), David indicated that Turnbull would be very happy to add the collection to its holdings. More importantly, David and other staff at Turnbull expressed their support for Upper Hutt to retain the collection, and their advice proved invaluable. My first challenge, however, was persuading the City Library (within which the Community Archive is housed) that I should take on the challenge, especially in light of my being contracted to work only 10 or 12 hours a week. Fortunately, I managed to have an informal conversation about the WRC archive with Mayor Wayne Guppy (of course if would never do for a lowly employee of Council to approach a local politician directly, but Upper Hutt is a small town and Wayne just happened to be getting out of his car as I walked by). The Mayor also happens to be a long serving member of the Wellington Racing Club Board, so his immediate response was one of encouraging me to go ahead with rescuing the archive. With his support there was no longer any question of whether I should proceed, only the question of how to proceed. Were we capable of adding the collection to our holdings? There appeared to be such a large amount of material, with much of it in a very bad state, that the logistics of collecting and processing it were clearly going to be a challenge, even for an institution made up of more than a ten hour a week archivist and a four hour week volunteer. A conversation with friend and racing historian David Grant gave some encouragement. Certainly, he thought, the collection should be saved, but no researcher would need or want to go through the detailed daily records of any organisation, least of all records in such condition. So the brown paper parcels could be left to moulder away in the attic? Not at all, I quickly realised. While acknowledging their status as records of an organisation over which no collecting archivist has a right to determine the value, even if we were forced through sheer weight of logistics to collect only the more historically interesting parts of the collection, we were still faced with the task of checking each parcel, if only by reading the faded writing on the outside, to determine what was and was not worth attending to. The discovery of the notes from a judiciary hearing discovered in the burst tea chest confirmed that there was no way to know what was dross and what gold, without first handling and examining the item. I didn't leave after my first visit without something to show for it. I already had the half-a-dozen volumes that had been used in the centennial display in Expressions. I'm not sure where these had been sourced, but they were all very tidy, showing no sign of bird droppings or insect attack, so I presume they had been stored elsewhere at the course. I was later to learn that a certain history buff in the Upper Hutt community, a friend of the Community Archive, and a member of the Racing Club, let me know that he had been through the collection many years before and removed several of the choicer volumes to add to his personal collection. This might explain some of the gaps in the shelves you might recall seeing in the earlier slides. Among the items I brought back from my first visit to the course was a letter book from the 1890s, so from a period prior to the establishment of the club at Trentham. This included letters to British suppliers of crockery and cutlery detailing the club's requirements, written in a beautiful, clear copperplate hand, these were shown to anyone who drew too close to my desk in a bid to drum up support for the project. Before my next visit to the track I persuaded a friend to accompany me. We brought along a sack-barrow and a dozen or so banana boxes to help move the bound volumes from their decrepit shelving to the comparative safety of the jockey's quarters at the further end of the attic. Before we undertook the work I issued disposable gloves and dust masks for us to use, fully aware of the dangers bird droppings pose to human health. Bird flu was on my mind, as it was on all our minds in 2006, but I was also aware of the risk of contracting psittacosis and other diseases from inhaling the dust from dried bird faeces. Indeed, in the late 1990s a student employed by the Upper Hutt City Council to ready the council archive for off-site storage became ill from inhaling the dust from the mess made by sparrows which had nested in the rafters of the storeroom. Clearly dust masks, PVC gloves and disposable overalls were going to be de rigueur for anyone handling the WRC archive. With the bound volumes stored more or less safely off the floor in the jockey's quarters (I had to ask that a leaking tap be repaired in kitchen next to the room in which we placed the items), I began to work on a methodology for dealing with them and the other records. Research indicated that freezing was probably the best method to kill off the silverfish and their eggs. I had used naphthalene on small amounts of infested archives. A few flakes sealed with the records in a plastic rubbish bag for a couple of weeks dealt with insects and eggs. There is some slight risk of damage to the paper from the gas, but this can be reduced by airing the material before placing it in enclosures. And any risk is more than compensated for by the destruction of the insects. Freezing carries its own risks, mainly during the thawing stage. Paper itself copes with freezing very well, as long as it is dry enough. (Freeze drying is a widely practiced method for recovering documents caught in flooding.) The risks can be reduced by wrapping items in tissue paper and enclosing them in plastic bags. Any moisture which forms on the inside of the bags as the items are brought back up to room temperature is absorbed by the tissue paper. One of the first people I contacted for advice about how to deal with the archive was Jocelyn Cummings, National Preservation Officer, someone no doubt familiar to many of you here. Jocelyn agreed to meet me at the racecourse to see for her self the condition the records were in. I think it's safe to say she was as shocked as I was. But she was full of very practical advice. She pointed out that, rather than attempting to clean the volumes of their encrusted guano, it was better to remove the covers entirely. It was the contents which were of archival value, and they would be better preserved in an acid-free enclosure than in their damp and poisoned original bindings. My proposal that the records be frozen gained Jocelyn's approval and that is indeed what eventually happened. I then wrote a methodology for how to do this, at minimal cost and as quickly and easily as possible. It would entail hiring a portable freezer which could be installed at the course, setting up a processing room at the archive, and enlisting the help of as many volunteers as we could muster. Consumables would include disposable coveralls, dust masks, gloves, banister brushes, acid free tissue paper, and a variety of plastic bags. And then, regrettably (but for the best possible reasons), I resigned from the Archive left and Upper Hutt in mid 2007. Fortunately, I was able to hand over to a very competent Archivist, Jolene Russell, formerly of Archives New Zealand. Jolene has recently stepped up to 20 hours per week, great news for the Archive. But when she took over from me, she was employed just 10 hours per week. In that 10 hours she's achieved an amazing amount, not just with the Racing Club archive but with several other projects I initiated but was unable to see through to completion. I rely on her account of the processing of the Archive. Upper Hutt Community Archivist Jolene Russell (centre) working with volunteers to process the archive. Photo Upper Hutt City Library 2007. On a Saturday in November 2007, Jolene led a team of six Library staff, all volunteers, to the racecourse where they spent about five hours processing the material. (I was glad to see in the photograph that disposable coveralls, gloves and dust masks were issued.) This entailed bringing items down that rickety staircase from the attic, filling in a form for each item and assigning a reference number. Each item was then carefully wrapped in tissue paper then sealed in a plastic bag, before being placed in a rubbish bag for added protection during freezing.The team had to go back to the race course for another 4 hours to complete this job and came away with approximately 400 items. The plan was to cull any unnecessary items after the freeze.The items were then sent to an industrial freezing company in Tawa to be held for two weeks at -20 degrees to kill the silverfish. Jolene reports, there were many and they were huge, the biggest silverfish we had ever seen'. Fortunately, the items were all very dry so no material was lost during the freezing process, which quite frankly, I find to be a fantastic and very gratifying outcome.Once the items were removed from the freezer and brought back up to room temperature, December and January of last year were spent arranging and describing the collection, assigning reference numbers and making the listing, They were then boxed up, labelled and sent to a storage company in Tawa. If people wish to view this material they have to lodge a request and wait for the box to be delivered to the library before they can view the records.Jolene estimates the total number of hours spent on this project by herself alone would be around 100, plus the time given by the volunteers. There is still a room at the race course that has a large number of photographs and records that are not collected as yet. They are planning to do this in November of this year. As many of the photographs as possible will be digitised and added to the Archive's online database. So I guess this project, while not fully completed, has had a very good result to date. At first I was somewhat daunted by the sheer size of the archive let alone its sorry state. But by working with advisors from Turnbull and the National Library, and calling on the resources of the Upper Hutt community, the outcome has been the best possible. I'd like to conclude by again thanking Jolene Russell and the staff at the Upper Hutt City Library, including the volunteers, for taking this project on. It was not the only thing I had to leave unfinished at Upper Hutt, but it was the one I most wanted to see through to its conclusion. BibliographyHilton, Tony The Wellington Racing Club : a centennial history (Wellington : A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1979).

KWS fence scale

2010-03-12T16:53:58.085Z

KWS fence scale.jpg Karori Wildlife Sanctuary fence mesh with scale to give scale to other photographs of insects on the fence

TecomantheSpeciosa2057

2010-03-12T16:52:22.737Z

TecomantheSpeciosa2057.jpg Tecomanthe speciosa . Clusters of flowerbuds arise directly from the stems in autumn or early winter. Auckland, New Zealand. Just visible on the plant stem is a Steelblue ladybird, Halmus chalybeus , a predatory beetle that feeds on scale insects.

MetrosiderosrobustaKing

2010-03-12T16:52:02.527Z

MetrosiderosrobustaKing.jpg Branch of the Northern Rātā, ( Metrosideros robusta ) , with flowers and leaves. A stick insect is crawling up the main stalk. The accompanying text reads: This is the monarch of the New Zealand forest, generally as large as the largest English oaks. It is originally a pa...

Yellowhead: New Zealand native land birds

2010-03-12T16:44:12.856Z

The mohua/yellowhead is a small, insect eating bird which lives only in the forests of New Zealand's South Island and Stewart Island.

Bug kids: Meet the Locals videos

2010-03-12T16:43:53.537Z

The Edwards kids love their bugs. This video shows how they find interesting native insects to study, and why they’re mad about insects.

Black Insects, Red Primitives

2010-03-12T16:34:28.849Z

Predation of lizards by feral house cats (Felis catus) and ferrets (Mustela furo) in the tussock grassland of Otago

2010-03-12T16:22:16.964Z

Executive Summary Investigation Title: Predation of lizards by feral house cats (Felis catus) and ferrets (Mustela Juro) in the tussock grassland of Otago. Investigation Overview: Giant skinks (Otago skinks Oligosoma otagense and grand skinks O. grande) are thought to be declining and are therefore classified by DoC as threatened. These two species are now only found in two 'small' and widely spaced areas of Otago (Macraes Flat/Middlemarch and the Lindis Pass; Whitaker & Loh 1995). All known populations live on schist outcrops, either in the form of bluffs or as free standing tors. The habitat around the tors is a variety of developed and undeveloped native tussock grassland. Sympatric with giant skinks are five other lizard species:- Hoplodactylus maculatus (common grey gecko), O. maccanni (common spotted skink), O. nigriplantare polychrome (common striped skink), O. chloronoton (green skink), and O. inconspicuum (speckled skink). The common skinks are not threatened but potentially affect the giant skinks. They may compete for food or affect predation pressure on giant species by being alternative prey for predators. Accordingly, both common and giant skink ecology was studied. Predation was identified by the giant skink recovery plan (Whitaker & Loh 1995) as a potential cause of the decline of both giant skink species. Feral cats, ferrets, stoats, ship rats, Norway rats, mice, little owls, white backed magpies, falcons and humans are all known to prey on lizards and are all present in giant skink areas (Whitaker & Loh 1995). Feral cats definitely eat giant skinks (Baker 1989; Daugherty & Towns 1991). However, there was no conclusive evidence that any of the potential predators poses a significant threat to the continued survival of giant skinks. This study determined the abundance and diet of mammalian predators in giant skink habitats. It also investigated how biotic factors, such as rabbit abundance and habitat development, affect predator abundance and diet. The abundance of grand skinks declines following the conversion of tussock into exotic grassland (Whitaker 1995). The mechanism for the decline is not understood but Whitaker (1995) believes the problem is occurring off the tors. Changes to the grassland may have an impact on skinks by reducing food availability. Habitat changes may alter the predator abundance or diet so more skinks are preyed on. This study investigated changes in predator abundance and diet following grassland development. When this study started very little information was available on the impacts of predators on lizard popu1ations living in tussock grassland. This study aimed to produce baseline information on predator abundance as well as lizard predation rates, to enable informed decisions on the need for predator control to conserve giant skinks. Predator control is expensive and has potential unwanted side effects such as the poisoning of non target species (especially important it affects giant skinks), rabbit eruptions and possible changes in the predator guild. Therefore the decision on whether to control predators should be based on reliable knowledge. The study aimed to provide some of that knowledge and identify areas where information is still needed. Objectives: 1. Describe the abundance of potential mammalian predators of lizards in tussock grassland. 2. Describe the summer diet of cats and ferrets in tussock grassland. 3. Describe intraspecific and interspecific differences in diet within and between predator species. 4. Describe the effect of rabbit abundance on cats and ferret abundance. 5. Describe the effect of grassland development on mammalian predator abundance and diet. 6. Measure the power of a scan-counting technique for diurnal tor dwelling lizards and advise on the sample size required to accurately assess the true population mean. 7. Develop recommendations on the implementation of a long term monitoring programme to detect changes in giant skink abundance. 8. Describe a method for determining relative abundance for ground dwelling skink species which can be used to compare with lizard predation rates as attained from stomach/scat analysis.. 9. Describe the affects of grassland development on capture rates of common skinks (0. maccanni, O. n. polychroma). 10. Describe the affects of lizard sex and age on mammalian predation rates in common skinks (0. maccanni, O. n. polychroma). 11. Measure the number of giant skinks removed by cats and ferrets and scale these predation rates against population size and productivity. 12. Provide managers with advice on whether predator control is needed or a wasted effort. Methods: 1. Predators were trapped from twenty five 2 km long trap lines in the Macraes Flat/Middlemarch are. The cats and ferrets were autopsied and their gut contents examined to determine the prey species eaten. Cat and ferret scats were also collected and analysed Lizard species were identified from scale colouration or subdigital lamellae counts. Lagomorphs, rodents and possoms were identified by examining the fur under the microscope. 2. Relative abundance of tor dwelling lizards was determined by scanning the rock tors on standardised transects. 3. The species and size/age distribution of common skink species in the grassland were assessed by pitfall trapping. 4. Risk assessments were carried out using a high and low risk scenario. The high risk scenario used the highest predicted predation rate from this study combined with the lowest giant skink population density (Patterson 1992). The low risk scenario used the lowest predicted predation rate with the highest population density (Whitaker & Loh 1995). Results, Conclusions and Recommendations: 1. The mammalian predator guild consists of cats, ferrets, mice and low densities of stoats and rats. Ferrets are present in high densities. Cats were the most frequent mammalian predator caught after hunting during the day. Recommendation: If predator control is carried out for giant skink conservation then cats should be targeted. 2. No stoats were caught during this study. Subsequently however, stoats have been caught and observed in giant skink habitat. The largely diurnal behaviour and the highest proportion of lizard in the diet of any mustelid potentially make stoats a major predator of giant skinks. There is an indication from previous studies that long term suppression of cat and ferret abundance may result in increase stoat abundance. Recommendation: Using a non removal technique, monitor all mammalian predators in giant skink habitats. Ensure that a mechanism is developed to prevent the establishment of large stoat populations. 3. Lagomorph was the main prey species for both cats and ferrets. However, no linear relationship was found between rabbit and predator abundance. Manipulating rabbit abundance to control predators may result in the predators including more giant skink in the diet. Not enough is known about rabbit/predator interactions to stop diet switches from occurring. Rodent was infrequent in the diet. This probably reflects low rodent abundance in mid-altitude tussock grassland. Recommendation: Given the lack of understanding of rabbit/predator interactions no attempt should be made to control predator numbers through manipulating rabbit abundance. 4. Predator abundance and diet were not significant different in developed and undeveloped grassland. The capture rates of common skinks species declined following grassland development. The capture rates of lizards within remnant tussock within developed sites did not differ significantly from those in undeveloped areas. The decline of ground dwelling skinks following grassland development may be explained by habitat destruction. Giant skink declines can not be explained in this manner since tors are not destroyed. Recommendation: Investigate whether giant skinks decline following grassland development is a direct result of vegetation change or an indirect result of changes in insect species composition and abundance. 5. Harriers are potentially important in tussock grassland as their main prey species (rabbits) is the same as ferret and cats. Harriers are also known to prey on lizards. Significantly more harriers were caught in developed pasture. Recommendation: Determine the amount of predation by harriers qf giant skinks, particularly in the inter-tor region of developed pasture. 6. Significantly more hedgehogs were found in developed pasture. Although nocturnal, hedgehogs may act as a giant skink competitor since both are insectivorous. Recommendation: Determine diet overlap of hedgehogs and giant skinks in developed grassland to predict their potential impact on giant skinks and advise on the need or otherwise for their control. 7. DoC has decided to remove grazing from land purchased for giant skink conservation. The expected result will be vegetation regrowth. This has potential harmful impacts on giant skinks since long grass is known to increase prey species such as rabbits and rodents. Predator abundance may increase as a result. If the increased prey abundance is insufficient to sustain the increased predator abundance then increased lizard predation may occur. Recommendation: Monitor rodent and rabbit abundance before and after grazing removal. Monitor predator species abundance and known giant skink populations after grazing removal to ensure no detrimental effects. Have in place, before grazing removal, a contingency plan for the protection of giant skinks if large scale increases in predation occur. 8. By using a variation of the standard scanning technique used for giant skink distribution surveys it may be possible to estimate giant skink relative abundance. Eight repeated surveys were needed on each trap line to estimate the population mean within 50%. It is vital to develop an accurate population estimate to measure the affects of future management practises. Recommendation: A single method of population estimate should be chosen which is used for all population estimates. Carry out a power analysis to determine the sampling effort to required to detect a 30% (or less) change in abundance over 5 years. Then develop a long term plan (and funding) for regular monitoring of populations. The monitoring should not occur only at the 'best' sites since these are likely to be the last sites affected by population collapse. 9. There were no conclusive examples of giant skink predation by ferrets found in this study. Difficulties in the identification of lizard species meant one lizard specimen was potentially from a giant skink. High densities of ferrets in giant skink habitat mean if ferrets only kill one giant skink annually predation rates may be as high as 19.54 giant skinks km-2 year-1. Therefore ferrets should not be excluded when considering reasons for giant skink decline. Recommendation: If the technique used for cat and ferret control is not the same and if funding is extremely limited then only cats should be targeted. However every effort should be made if carrying out predator control to include ferret control as a component. 10. Only one example of giant skink predation by a cat was found. All known and potential examples of giant skink predation were used to calculate a cat predation rate of between 4.24 - 42.47 giant skinks km-2 year-1. Even in high density populations such as the Redbank Conservation Area 43% of annual production by giant skinks may be removed by cat predation. Recommendation: The implementation of a structured experimental management programme is needed with replicates and non reatment controls so the potential positive and negative effects of wide scale predator control can be determined.

Boek van J. J. Schwencke

2010-03-12T16:21:24.825Z

Bookplate; Included in the exhibition "Every picture tells a story : exquisite ex libris, 1900-1950 (insecta botancia)" Auckland Museum September 7 - October 28th, 2007.; Insects, including a beetle, snail and bee are seen in grasses.

Induced defences in kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum): do caterpillars avoid previous leaf damage?

2010-03-12T16:21:12.215Z

This study examined whether two species of lepidopteran larvae (Cleora scriptaria and Epiphyas postvittana) were deterred from feeding on the leaves of kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) after the leaves had been damaged in three different ways: by larval feeding, using a hole punch or a metal rasp. A hierarchy of choice experiments was performed in the laboratory, examining the feeding 'preference' of these insects between undamaged or previously damaged tissue within the same leaf, between differe...

New Zealand, North Island-308

2010-03-12T16:14:51.633Z

The crater on White Island. The water inside is about 75 degrees centigrade (180 degrees farenheit) and MINUS 1 on the PH scale meaning it is amazingly acidic. If you dipped your had in your flesh would start burning away almost instantly! White Island is the most active Volcano in New Zealand and is an island 48km off the coast of the North Island. It last erupted in 2000. When visiting you have to wear gas masks and hard hats, the places reeks of eggs from the sulphur and is deathly quiet as there is practically no animal, bird or insect life

New Zealand, North Island-325

2010-03-12T16:14:51.574Z

Remains of the corroded 1930's sulphur mine on White Island, the most active Volcano in New Zealand. White Island is an island 48km off the coast of the North Island. It last erupted in 2000. When visiting you have to wear gas masks and hard hats, the places reeks of eggs from the sulphur and is deathly quiet as there is practically no animal, bird or insect life

Mating Mantises

2010-03-12T16:12:39.275Z

Two Praying Mantises mating on the hibiscus outside our front door. Thankfully the little fella didn't lose his head...

Summer Afternoon Arrival at Loch Maree

2010-03-12T16:12:33.936Z

Taken from atop the wire bridge over the Seaforth River as it flows languidly underneath into Loch Maree ... I remember it being such a paradise-like spot we arrived at here, after climbing down the steep forest track from up on the Pleasant Range. The late summer sun was out and the warm air was filled with the sounds of tweeting insects and flowing water... You can see Shaun there wading in to see if the river is shallow enough to cross without the bridge - way too deep, as it turned out... This bridge has since been replaced by quite a different design (see here from a fellow flickr member's photo: www.flickr.com/photos/8227444@N07/1517745279/ ). Which was probably a good thing because the far end of this old model leaves the bridge user in a very worried state. You see, on the day we crossed this worn-out bridge back in 1999, some of those support wires visible in the foreground holding the hand-rail wires at a safe proximity to the foot wire were actually broken - over where the water was the deepest, near that far bank - So as you made your way over, your arms gripping the hand rails became more and more outstretched and wobbly. Felt a bit like walking a tightrope and you needed to employ an improvised mix of deft weight-shifting and speed to make it to the other side... We both made it OK (after a few concerned red-face moments above the water) but unfortunately a girl from another party we encountered at Loch Maree hut wasn't so lucky and had earlier fell from the wires to the water - no serious injuries thankfully except a leg graze from one of the wires on the way down apparently. At least we didn't have flood conditions... Was a truly memorable spot though and we cooked the last of our shrink wrapped fresh meat that night (steak) and finished the last two cans of beer we had packed too, - with sunny daylight saving it felt like a BBQ we had there at enigmatic Loch Maree..... . . Magic . . .

Stick insect

2010-03-12T16:12:25.636Z

weta in my bathroom 1

2010-03-12T15:23:16.556Z

I went upstairs last night to bed, and found this crawling around in our bathroom. My first inclination, after shutting the bathroom door, was to run down and get the camera. After its photoshoot, it was carefully removed and taken outside. I've decided that weta must be good climbers, as the only way into our upstairs bathroom would be through the open roof window, so he must have scaled the 2-story wall onto the roof and crept along the roof until finding the window. I am so thankful that he was already on the floor when I got there, because I couldn't imagine my reaction if he'd fallen through the window while I was standing there. EEEK! I must say I've lived in New Zealand for almost 9 years and this is my first ever glimpse of a weta.

kotare

2010-03-12T15:23:15.076Z

With a very distinctive profile, the kotare (NZ kingfisher) makes for an unusual sight perched here on our fence post. The New Zealand Kingfisher is native to NZ, and is also known as the Sacred Kingfisher. My NZ book gives the names "Halcyon sancta" but Clements calls this "Todirhamphus sanctus". The kotare uses its long beak not for fishing, as the "kingfisher" name might imply, but as a tool to dig its nest. It picks out a spot and flies straight at the earth, poking a hole in the dirt. It does this until the hole is big enough to perch on and then completes its nest building by excavating with its beak until he has created a tunnel in the earth, sloping upwards and ending in a small cavern for the nest. This nest may also be built in a rotting tree. Kotare eat insects, small mammals such as mice, and even other birds.

monarch butterfly outside my window

2010-03-12T15:23:14.306Z

I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eye. It was this monarch butterfly fluttering outside my window.

weta (deceased)

2010-03-12T15:14:39.446Z

dead Weta - Owhiro Bay, New Zealand (now made famous by a villainous cameo in KING KONG)

Weta

2010-03-12T15:04:13.469Z

One of New Zealand's lovely native animals. I think this one is a female Wellington tree weta, otherwise known as Hemideina crassidens. This fine specimen was found on our bathroom floor.

Te Papa Tongarewa--The Museum of New Zealand (wellington)

2010-03-12T15:02:31.421Z

Te Papa Tongarewa--The Museum of New Zealand One of the largest national museums in the world, Te Papa is redefining the word museum. Built at a cost of NZ$317 million ($133 million), it is believed to be 5 years ahead of anything of its kind in the world, combining interactive technology with stunning world-class displays that tell the story of New Zealand--its history, art, and natural environment. Advanced motion simulators take visitors back in time to the explosive formation of New Zealand and the prehistoric landscape, and in the present you can try virtual-reality bungee jumping, shear a sheep, or ride on the back of a whale. Te Papa is also a partnership between Pakeha (the majority culture of European descent) and Maori culture. It includes a range of magnificent exhibitions featuring * Manu Whenua, some of the country's most significant Maori treasures, as well as * Te Marae, a unique 21st-century carved meetinghouse. Visitors can share in formal Maori welcomes and iwi (tribal) ceremonies, see how the Maori navigated the Pacific, and learn the stories behind the carvings and the Treaty of Waitangi. The second level contains Mountains to Sea, which puts the spotlight on the natural world. From minuscule insects to the gigantic skeleton of a 21m (69-ft.) pygmy blue whale, it presents both the familiar and the bizarre of New Zealand's natural inhabitants. Mana Pasifika explores how Pacific Island cultures have influenced and affected New Zealand. On the Sheep's Back examines the place of those friendly, woolly creatures in the lives of New Zealanders, often in a surprising and witty manner. * Passports explores the migrant story of New Zealand in a fantastic exhibition and audiovisual presentation that is one of the highlights of the museum. Spread over five levels, the museum includes much more and warrants at least half a day's exploration. It's playful, imaginative, bold, and more than impressive. It is an essential destination if you're keen to learn more about New Zealand. Few people leave unmoved. It's stunningly high-tech and loads of fun. On top of that, the architecture isn't bad, either. Read more and see more pictures at my blog: www.irish-guy.com or browse my blog entries on Wellington below. Wellington - New Zealand (First Impressions, Te Papa Museum) , Wellington - New Zealand (The Parliament Buildings, Museum of Wellington City & Sea, National Tattoo Museum) , Wellington - New Zealand (Old Saint Pauls, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul) , Wellington - New Zealand (City Gallery, Archives New Zealand, National War memorial) , Wellington - New Zealand (Rugby at Wespac Stadium) ,

Stick Insect

2010-03-12T14:55:27.079Z

I helped my friend tidy up his garden and while I was trimming the hedge I noticed this little fellow... its lucky for him I noticed too otherwise he would have been in two pieces. Unfortunately it's not quite in focus but the light was fading.

OD9Q0064

2010-03-12T14:53:29.237Z

5 September, 2008. A visit to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand, which is a safe haven for some of New Zealand's most iconic and endangered native animals.

4J5P0600

2010-03-12T14:53:29.172Z

5 September, 2008. A visit to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand, which is a safe haven for some of New Zealand's most iconic and endangered native animals.

OD9Q0006

2010-03-12T14:53:29.112Z

5 September, 2008. A visit to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand, which is a safe haven for some of New Zealand's most iconic and endangered native animals.

Native New Zealand Weta

2010-03-12T14:52:02.264Z

wetas like cheese

2010-03-12T14:50:21.706Z

He came to our barbecue so we gave him some cheese. :)

ladybird

2010-03-12T14:43:42.444Z

Stick Insect

2010-03-12T14:11:51.233Z

weta

2010-03-12T14:03:54.502Z

Natures Way.

2010-03-12T13:53:56.014Z

Not sure if the insect is enjoying the flower or the flower is enjoying the insect. Roxburgh NZ.

Patterns of invertebrate distribution and abundance on Cordyline australis in human-modified landscapes

2010-03-12T13:53:02.305Z

Fragmentation of forest habitat by urban and rural development has had profound effects on the distribution and abundance of many native species; however, little is known about the ecological processes driving patterns in community structure (species richness and composition) of host-specialised herbivores in modified habitats. I examined patterns in community structure of 9 specialist and 19 generalist invertebrate herbivores of cabbage trees (Cordyline australis Laxmanniaceae) across a highly-...

insect gallery

2010-03-12T13:52:14.546Z

R uses only his left arm as his tattoo gallery. i like that it’s a permanent and growing exhibition. he said he’s going to add a few more and that’s it.

unfurling monarch 3

2010-03-12T13:52:09.726Z

The wings of the emerging Monarch butterfly slowy uncurl before hardening. Third in a series of 3.

Face to (Fuzzy) Face

2010-03-12T13:50:47.878Z

Biggie Bee is watching you....

Insects associated with the lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) cultivars Fest and Uniharvest

2010-03-12T13:50:43.718Z

The insect fauna of two Lupinus angustifolius cultivars (Fest and Uniharvest) was surveyed between October, 1978 and March, 1979. The main sampling methods were sweepnetting, use of the D-Vac, and pod removal. Glasshouse experiments were carried out with species showing pest potential (based on the survey). These species were Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), Nysius huttoni White, and Sidnia kinbergi (Stalenberg). While A. pisum and S. kinbergi had their pest potential confirmed, N. huttoni did not. Although the aphids Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thompson) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) were not studied in the laboratory, field data indicated their pest potential. Insects to show lesser pest potential were Calocoris norvegicus (Gmelin), Hylemyia deceptiva Malloch, and Hylemyia platura (Meigen). Important potential predators or parasites were Austromicromus tasmaniae (Walker), Coccinella undecimpunctata L., Tropiconabis capsiformis (Germar), some Araneae species and single unidentified species of Braconidae and Eulophidae. The cultivar Uniharvest was the preferred host presumably because it does not possess the toxic alkaloids of Fest. However, crop loss through insect damage appeared unimportant compared to the 10% loss of Uniharvest caused by the aphid-borne bean yellow mosaic virus.

Understorey management for the enhancement of populations of a leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) parasitoid (Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron)) in Canterbury, New Zealand apple orchards

2010-03-12T13:50:42.968Z

This study investigated understorey management in Canterbury, New Zealand, apple orchards for the enhancement of populations of Dolichogenidea tasmanica (Cameron) (Braconidae) for leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) biological control. The first objective was to determine the influence of understorey plants on the abundance of D. tasmanica and leafroller parasitism, and to investigate the mechanisms behind this influence. The second was to determine the most suitable understorey plants in terms of their ability to enhance parasitoid abundance, leafroller parasitism, parasitoid longevity, parasitoid fecundity and its ability to not benefit leafroller. Results from three consecutive field trials showed that buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), alyssum (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv), and, to a lesser extent, broad bean (Vicia faba L.), enhanced parasitoid abundance and leafroller parasitism. The mechanisms behind the effects of understorey plants had previously been unexplored. However, results here showed that it was the flowers or the buckwheat that 'attracted' the parasitoid to the plant and not the shelter, aphids or microclimate that the plant may also provide. Providing flowering plants in the orchard understorey also increased immigration of parasitoids and enhanced parasitoids and enhanced parasitoid longevity and fecundity in the laboratory. In contrast, the understorey plants had no influence on the female:male ratio of D. tasmanica. Although coriander enhanced leafroller parasitism three-fold in field experiments compared with controls, it failed to enhance the longevity of both sexes of D. tasmanica in the laboratory compared with water-only. Broad bean significantly enhanced parasitoid abundance three-fold and significantly increased parasitism from 0% to 75% compared with the controls on one leafroller release date. However, laboratory trials showed that of male D. tasmancia but it did not enhance female longevity. Also, female D. tasmanica foraging on broad bean produced a total of only three parasitoid cocoons, but this result was based on an overall 6.5% survival of larvae to pupae or to parasitoid cocoon. Furthermore, results suggested that extrafloral nectar secretion decreased as the plants matured. Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.) did not significantly enhance parasitism rate in the field compared with controls, and numbers of D. tasmanica captured by suction sampling were significantly lower in phacelia treatments compared with alyssum, buckwheat and control plots. Also, laboratory experiments showed that survival of D. tasmanica on phacelia flowers was equivalent to that on water-only and significantly lower than on buckwheat. These results suggest that phacelia does not provide nectar to D. tasmanica, only pollen, and therefore is not a suitable understorey plant for D. tasmanica enhancement in orchards. Buckwheat and alyssum showed the most potential as understorey plants for the enhancement of natural enemies. Buckwheat not only increased numbers of D. tasmanica seven-fold, but also increased numbers of beneficial lacewings (Micromus tasmaniae (Walker)) and hover flies (Syrphidae) captured on yellow sticky traps compared with the controls. It significantly increased leafroller parasitism by D. tasmanica from 0% to 86% compared with the controls (on one date only), and in the laboratory enhanced D. tasmanica longevity and increased fecundity compared with water-only. Similarly, alyssum significantly increased parasitism rate compared with controls, and two-fold more D. tasmanica were suction sampled in these plots compared with controls. It also enhanced longevity of both sexes of D. tasmanica compared with water, and showed the most favourable characteristics in terms of being of no benefit to leafrollers. This is because it was not preferred over apple by leafroller larvae and when they were forced to feed on it, it caused high mortality (94.3%) and low pupal weight (15 mg). Furthermore, alyssum did not enhance the number of fertile eggs produced by adult leafrollers compared with water only. However, further research is required to address the overall effect of buckwheat and alyssum on crop production and orchard management, including effects on fruit yield and quality, frost risk, disease incidence, soil quality, weeds and other pests. Also, research into the ability of these plants to survive in the orchard with little maintenance, and into the optimal sowing rates, would be useful. Sampling natural populations of leafroller within each treatment showed that damage from leafrollers and the number of leafroller larvae were respectively 20.3% and 29.3% lower in the flowering treatments compared with the controls. Furthermore, field trials showed up to a six-fold increase in leafroller pupae in controls compared with buckwheat and alyssum. This suggests that increasing leafroller parasitism rate from understorey management in orchards will translate into lower pest populations, although neither larval numbers/damage nor pupal numbers differed significantly between treatments. Trapping D. tasmanica at a gradient of distances showed that this parasitoid travels into rows adjacent to buckwheat plots, indicating that growers may be able to sow flowering plants in every second or third row of the orchard, and still enhance leafroller biocontrol while minimising the adverse effects of a cover crop. Sowing buckwheat and alyssum in orchard understoreys may enhance biological control of apple pests in organic apple production and reduce the number of insect growth regulators applied in IFP programmes. However, the challenge still remains to investigate whether conservation biological control can reduce leafroller populations below economic thresholds.

The role of resource subsidies in enhancing biological control of aphids by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae)

2010-03-12T13:50:33.448Z

In this thesis, experiments were conducted in the laboratory and the field to determine whether the provision of floral resources to hoverflies could enhance the biological control of aphids. The overall aim was to clarify hoverfly behaviour and ecology in an agroecosystem in order to understand the potential of these insects for biocontrol under a conservation biological control (CBC) regime. A preliminary experiment in New Zealand compared the effect of different coloured water-traps on catches of the hoverflies Melanostoma fasciatum (Macquart) and Melangyna novaezelandiae (Macquart). Significantly more individuals were caught in completely yellow traps than in traps with green outer walls and yellow inner walls or in completely green traps. This suggested that if a measure of hoverfly numbers relating to a particular distance along a transect is required, consideration should be given to the ability of hoverflies to detect yellow traps from a distance. The use of traps that are green outside would more accurately reflect the local abundance of hoverflies, as the insect would be likely to see the yellow stimulus only when above or close to the trap. Also, the addition of rose water significantly increased the number of M. fasciatum caught. From a suite of flowering plants chosen for their ability in other studies to increase hoverfly visit frequencies, laboratory experiments were conducted in France to determine the plant’s effectiveness at enhancing Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer) ‘fitness’, and to evaluate whether adult feeding on flowers was related to performance. Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Bentham cv. Balo), followed by buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench cv. Katowase) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) gave the optimal reproductive potential of female E. balteatus. There was no correlation between pollen and nectar consumption, and there was no discernible positive correlation between the quantity of pollen ingested and the resulting female performance. Phacelia and buckwheat were then studied as resource subsidies in the field in New Zealand. The effect of incorporating phacelia or buckwheat in the margins of 5 m x 5 m broccoli plots was tested for hoverfly activity and floral ‘preferences’. Hoverflies which had fed on phacelia and buckwheat pollen were found up to 17.5 m from the floral strips and females of M. fasciatum and M. novaezelandiae consumed more phacelia pollen than that of buckwheat in the field. These results support the choice of phacelia as an ideal floral resource subsidy in crops for enhanced biological control by these New Zealand species. The need for studying hoverfly movement in a large-scale field experiment was apparent from the field studies, so the next experiment was carried out in a field 450 × 270 m and flies were marked via their ingestion of the pollen of phacelia. The focus was on the proportion of flies having consumed the pollen. Although large quantities of pollen were found in some hoverfly guts, most did not contain phacelia pollen and very few were captured at 50 m from phacelia, compared with numbers at the border of the floral strip. A possible explanation was that hoverflies feed on a large variety of pollen species, reducing the relative attraction of phacelia flowers. Another possibility was that hoverflies dispersed from the phacelia away from the crop. Also, pollen digestion rates are likely to be a factor. Finally, a series of experiments was conducted in the field and laboratory to study hoverfly efficacy through oviposition and larval behaviour. In field experiments, female M. fasciatum and M. novaezelandiae laid more eggs where buckwheat patches were larger; however higher oviposition rates did not lead to improved aphid population suppression. In greenhouse experiments, larvae of E. balteatus could initiate a decline in aphid numbers at the predator: prey ratio 1: 8.3, however this control did not persist. Experiments in the laboratory showed that hoverfly larvae became more active and left the system while aphid numbers declined or numbers of larvae increased. This behaviour was caused by two factors: hunger and avoidance of conspecific larvae. Further experiments showed that the avoidance of conspecifics was caused by mutual interference rather than cannibalism. The results of this work highlight the importance of hoverfly dispersal ability. Given the observations of foraging behaviour of females and mutual interference observed between larvae, and the lack of success in CBC by hoverflies in experiments at the crop scale, it is essential to assess the impact of insect predators and parasitoids at a landscape scale.

Modelling the spread of invasive species across heterogeneous landscapes

2010-03-12T13:50:32.198Z

Invasive species are well known to cause millions of dollars of economic as well as ecological damage around the world. New Zealand, as an island nation, is fortunate because it has the opportunity to regulate and monitor travel and trade to prevent the establishment of new species. Nevertheless foreign species continue to arrive at the borders and continue to cross them, thus requiring some form of management. The control and management of a new incursion of an invasive species would clearly benefit from predictive tools that might indicate where and how quickly the species is likely to spread after it has established. During the process of spread an invasing species must interact with a complex and heterogeneous environment and the suitability of the habitat in a region determines whether it survives. Many dispersal models ignore such interactions and while they may be interesting theoretical models, they are less useful for practical management of invasive species. The purpose of this study was to create and investigate the behaviour of a spatially explicit model that simulates insect dispersal over realistic landscapes. The spatially explicit model (Modular Dispersal in GIS, MDiG) was designed as am open-source modular framework for dispersal simulation integrated within a GIS. The model modules were designed to model an an approximation of local diffusion, long distance dispersal, growth, and chance population mortality based on the underlying suitability of a region for establishment of a viable population. The spatially explicit model has at its core a dispersal module to simulate long distance dispersal based an underlying probability distribution of dispersal events. This study illustrates how to extract the frequency of long distance dispersal events, as well as their distance, from time stamped occurrence data, to fit a Cauchy probability distribution that comprises the dispersal module. An investigation of the long distance dispersal modules behaviour showed that, in general, it generated predictions of the rate of spread consistent with those of analytical partial differential and integrodifference equations. However, there were some differences. Spread rate was found to be mainly dependent on the measurement technique used to determine the invasion front or boundary, therefore an alternative method to determine the boundary of a population for fat-tailed dispersal kernels is presented. The method is based on the point of greatest change in population density. While previously it was thought that number of foci rather than foci size was more important in stratified dispersal and that finer resolution simulations would spread more quickly, simulations in this study showed that there is an optimal resolution for higher spread rates and rate of area increase. Additionally, much research has suggested that the observed lag at the beginning of an invasion may be due to lack of suitable habitats or low probability of individuals striking the right combination of conditions in a highly heterogeneous environment. This study shows an alternative explanation may simply be fewer dispersal event sources. A case study is described that involved the application of the spatially explicit dispersal model to Argentine ant spread to recreate the invasion history of that species in New Zealand. Argentine ant is a global invasive pest which arrived in New Zealand in 1990 and has since spread to both main islands of New Zealand, primarily through human mediated dispersal. The spatially explicit simulation model and its prediction ability were compared to that of a uniform spread model based on equivalent total area covered. While the uniform spread model gave more accurate predictions of observed occurrences early in the invasion process it was less effective as the invasion progressed. The spatially explicit model predicted areas of high probability of establishment (hot spots) consistent with where populations have been found but accuracy varied between 40-70% depending on the year of the simulation and parameter selection. While the uniform spread model sometimes slightly outperformed or was equivalent to the simulation with respect to accuracy early in the invasion process, it did not show the relative risk of establishment and was less effective later in the invasion when stochastic random events generated by the simulation model were averaged to represent trends in the pattern of spread. Additionally, probabilistic predictions as generated by the spatially explicit model allow the uncertainty of prediction to be characterised and communicated. This thesis demonstrates that heterogeneous spread models can give more insight and detail than one dimensional or homogeneous spread models but that both can be useful at different stages of the invasion process. The importance of compiling appropriate data on dispersal and habitat suitability to aid invasion management has been highlighted. Additionally, a number of important hypotheses that need to be addressed to increase understanding of how species interact with the complex environment, have been identified and discussed.

Biodiversity management: Lake Rotoiti choice modelling study

2010-03-12T13:50:17.559Z

Invasive species are non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitat they invade. The adverse impact can be ecological (e.g. extinction of indigenous species), environmental (e.g. altering ecosystem function) and/or economic (e.g. reducing tourism). Introduced Vespula wasps have successfully invaded beech forests in New Zealand. They are now found throughout New Zealand up to altitudes of 1,600 metres. Honeydew, produced by an endemic scale insect which inhabits about 1 million hectares of beech forest land, is a key source of carbohydrate. Wasps also need protein which is sourced from insects and birds in the forest. These abundant invaders compete for food directly with indigenous species. They are also known to kill insects, pollinators, and young birds. Social wasps also impact business and reduce the quality of outdoor recreational activity. Values changed by wasps can be broadly described as use values and existence values. Examples of use value include recreation and viticulture. Existence values may arise from knowing that the habitat for endangered indigenous species is being preserved. Estimates of these values provide information to decision makers charged with allocating scarce funds for biodiversity conservation. This paper reports on the application of a choice experiment to estimate community preferences and values associated with the impact of wasps on indigenous species in the South Island. Economic valuation focuses on changes in utility associated with changes in the flow of services from the natural environment. In the case of wasps the aim is to measure the change in utility that attaches to changes in indigenous biodiversity.

Economic analysis of issues surrounding commercial release of GM food products in New Zealand

2010-03-12T13:50:15.059Z

This paper concentrates upon the market impact of commercially releasing current generation genetically modified (GM) food and food production in New Zealand (NZ). It evaluates the producer benefits of growing GM food and consumer attitudes towards GM food. Current commercially released GM products affect the type of production rather than the nature of the product itself and include herbicide resistant soybean and canola as well as insect resistant corn. Evidence of producer benefits from growing GM products is mixed, with some reports of increases in producer returns. However, there has been a definite shift in consumer preference away from GM food. This is seen both in the development of price premiums for GM-free food; trade diversion away from GM sources to GM-free sources, particularly in the Japanese market; and the positioning of key retail outlets in Europe as GM-free. However, issues remain as to how preferences will develop and whether current trends are short term or not. Of relevance to NZ is what would impact be of different preferences and impact of GM technology on key commodities for NZ. Therefore in this paper the impact of GM food on producers, consumers and trade in NZ is simulated under various scenarios using the LTEM (Lincoln Trade and Environment Model). The model simulates, against various assumptions of proportions of GM/GM-free production, the impact of various scenarios relating to preference for or against GM production. The results from this preliminary analysis show that the greatest positive impact on NZ income is the GM-free strategy where it is assumed such markets as the EU and Japan have a large switch in preference away from GM food, followed by a 20 percent preference for GM-free. In conclusion the analysis shows that the preferred option for NZ would be to delay the commercial release of GM food until the extent of the negative consumer attitude can be seen and the producer benefits become more apparent. This would enable NZ to position itself as being GM-free and obtain current price premiums and preferential market access.

sun dew

2010-03-12T13:45:31.514Z

Karangahake sun dew feeding on a insect

Nest

2010-03-12T13:45:14.664Z

Ant Macro - Profile shot, another worker having a feed

2010-03-12T13:45:06.935Z

Ant Macro - Having a nibble

2010-03-12T13:45:06.865Z

Ant Macro - Three workers having a feed

2010-03-12T13:45:06.704Z

Bee Collection Pollen Macro

2010-03-12T13:45:06.525Z

Monarch Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:45:00.315Z

Gecko lunchtime

2010-03-12T13:44:59.285Z

Lavender bush with bee (with filter overlay)

2010-03-12T13:44:46.115Z

Cocoon

2010-03-12T13:44:40.235Z

Weta

2010-03-12T13:44:39.475Z

Weta

2010-03-12T13:44:39.283Z

Weta

2010-03-12T13:44:39.155Z

Weta

2010-03-12T13:44:38.765Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:37.205Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:37.145Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:37.095Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:37.035Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.975Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.905Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.845Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.765Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.705Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.645Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:44:36.575Z

Bumble bee, macro, on bright purple flower

2010-03-12T13:43:51.936Z

Bumble bee, macro, on bright red flower

2010-03-12T13:43:51.876Z

Green bottle fly on a nursery web spiders web

2010-03-12T13:43:41.616Z

Green bottle fly on a nursery web spiders web

2010-03-12T13:43:41.546Z

Bee

2010-03-12T13:43:34.486Z

Carabidae beetle

2010-03-12T13:43:34.436Z

Cicada

2010-03-12T13:43:34.366Z

Female tree weta

2010-03-12T13:43:34.317Z

Tree weta

2010-03-12T13:43:34.257Z

Female tree weta

2010-03-12T13:43:34.127Z

In the rain

2010-03-12T13:43:04.848Z

The Web

2010-03-12T13:43:04.787Z

Green aphid on pink rose petals

2010-03-12T13:43:03.867Z

Green aphid on rose

2010-03-12T13:43:00.927Z

Fly on magnolia bud

2010-03-12T13:42:48.667Z

Buzzing the field

2010-03-12T13:42:33.477Z

One way street

2010-03-12T13:42:32.257Z

A bee struggles to leave a flower after gathering pollen

2010-03-12T13:42:13.888Z

A queen bee center laying eggs surrounded by drones working inside a beehive

2010-03-12T13:42:13.838Z

A bee eating honey in a hive

2010-03-12T13:42:13.788Z

A bee working on a honeycomb in a hive

2010-03-12T13:42:13.608Z

A katydid blends with leaves on a lemon tree, New Zealand

2010-03-12T13:42:12.878Z

A katydid, New Zealand

2010-03-12T13:42:12.808Z

Quality in the New Zealand wheat and flour markets

2010-03-12T13:42:11.009Z

Interest in the quality of New Zealand wheat and flour is ever ongoing. A further catalyst to interest in the topic was the announcement that New Zealand farmgate wheat prices would be directly linked with world prices as from the 1981 harvest. This greater exposure of the wheat industry to international market forces has caused wheat millers and flour bakers to advocate more forcefully for quality improvements. Quality is the set of attributes which the different sectors of the market look for in wheat based products. The objective of this study is to compare the market quality demands with the existing quality supplies of New Zealand grown wheat and flour, in order to suggest management changes that would bring quality supplies closer to quality demands. The market for wheat and flour is segmented, and centres around that required for milling (300,000 tonnes), animal foods (60,000 tonnes) and seed (13,000 tonnes). For every 100 tonnes of wheat milled approximately 78 tonnes of flour is extracted for human consumption and industrial use, whilst the remaining 22 tonnes becomes bran and pollard byproducts for animal use. The resultant flour is sold mainly to bakers for the production of bread. Other flour buyers include householders, starch and gluten manufacturers, biscuit makers, cake makers and pasta manufacturers. Wheat for milling needs to have a low screenings content, low moisture content, low sprout index, freedom from insect and bug damage, and heavy grain weight. Millers also require to know grain hardness, protein content and dough strength. Animal feed wheats need to have desirable nutritional qualities primarily in the form of high total energy yield. The seed wheat market requires varieties that are profitable to growers, and multiply into grain that meets the quality requirements of the market to which it is destined (i.e. milling grade or animal feed). Milling grade wheat products and associated quality requirements are varied. The breakfast cereal market often requires health promoting products that are high in both fibre and protein. Good bread flour comes from high protein, relatively hard wheats exhibiting strong dough characteristics. Other products requiring this flour type are cracker biscuits, fruit cakes and puff pastry. Biscuit flour needs a lower protein, softer wheat exhibiting weaker dough characteristics. Products requiring this flour type are sweet biscuits, plain cakes and short pastry. Pasta flour is best made from certain hard wheat varieties. Starch flour needs a high protein content and a high paste viscosity potential. Quality is affected by management applied at various points along the distribution chain. An organisation that exercises considerable control over this management is the New Zealand Wheat Board. Important quality management aspects include breeding, farm pricing and segregation. This latter topic includes the segregation of milling grade wheat, the segregation and blending of the resultant flour, plus the associated storage and transport. Suggestions that would bring existing standards closer to the qualities required in the market include the introduction of: (i) Milling grade protein payments to growers (ii) Animal feed contracts (iii) An industrial flour category (iv) A lower flour extraction rate (v) A minimum grain weight for defining milling grade wheat. The institution that has the power to implement and coordinate these suggestions is the New Zealand Wheat Board, because it is the single authority responsible for marketing New Zealand wheat and flour. Further research needed, to establish how best to implement some of these suggestions, is also discussed.

Data analysis and preliminary model development for an odour detection system based on the behaviour of trained wasps

2010-03-12T13:42:05.608Z

Microplitis croceipes, one of the nectar feeding parasitoid wasps, has been found to associatively learn chemical cues through feeding. The experiments on M. croceipes are performed and recorded by a Sony camcorder in the USDA-ARS Biological Control Laboratory in Tifton, GA, USA. The experimental videos have shown that M. croceipes can respond to Coffee odour in this study. Their detection capabilities and the behaviour of M. croceipes with different levels of coffee odours were studied. First, ...

Short notes on some insects

2010-03-12T13:41:57.838Z

Brief observations on several insect species.

Insect performance and host-plant stress: a review from a biological control perspective

2010-03-12T13:41:56.569Z

Paper presented at the XI International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, Canberra, Australia, 27 April - 2 May 2003. Three hypotheses predict how insect herbivores perform on stressed host plants. The plant stress hypothesis (PSH) predicts improved insect performance on stressed hosts. The plant vigour hypothesis (PVH) predicts that insects closely associated with their host, such as gall-formers, will perform better on vigorously growing non-stressed hosts. The third hypothesis, the Insect Performance Hypothesis (IPH) predicts that wood-feeders, sap-feeders and miners will perform better on stressed hosts, while leaf-feeders and gall-formers will perform better on non-stressed hosts. These hypotheses were developed, however, without separating different types of plant stress. In this review we tested these hypotheses across five insect feeding-guilds and twelve host-plant stress types, from more than 200 published studies on insect performance. When all host-plant stress types were pooled, the results suggested wood, sap and leaf-feeders performed better on stressed host plants, while miners and gall-formers performed better on non-stressed host plants, thus supporting the PVH. However, when all insect feeding-guilds were pooled, it was found that host-plant-stress type also influenced insect performance, which was generally higher when host plants were growing under reduced moisture, light or CO₂, increased soil nitrogen or on younger plants. When host-plant-stress type and insect feeding-guild were separated, it was found that insect performance across feeding guilds varied with the type of host-plant stress encountered suggesting that insects in different feeding guilds may respond to different physiological and morphological changes in the plant. This review highlights the fact that insect performance is often significantly affected by host-plant stress, but that the direction of the response is variable. Although this review did not fully support any of the three theoretical hypotheses tested, there were consistent relationships between some insect-feeding guilds and host-plant-stress types that would allow the prediction on whether a specific biological control agent might perform better under a specific host-plant stress.

Endemic biodiversity, natural enemies, and the future of biological control

2010-03-12T13:41:56.509Z

Paper presented at the X International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, Bozeman, Montana, U.S.A., July 4-14, 1999. In recent public comment on proposed introductions for biological control of weeds in New Zealand, the issues of dilution of endemic biodiversity and homogenization of the fauna, have been raised as a reason for not introducing biological control agents. Although the impact of biological contol agents can be shown to be minimal in this process, the issue of homogenization appears to be gaining currency with government agencies and regulators. The main current causes of homogenization of the fauna and flora in New Zealand, and probably in most other countries, come from the purposeful introduction of plants for horticultural and other purposes, often with minimal assessment of their weediness, followed by their subsequent naturalization, and the accidental introductions of insects and other invertebrates. In New Zealand, naturalized alien plant species already outnumber native species and adventive insects are estimated to comprise 13% of the insect fauna. Only about 2.5% of all exotic insects have been introduced for biological control purposes. Up to the present, 20 carefully screened, host specific, species of insects have been established for biological control of weeds. These represent less than 1% of the exotic insect fauna. Recent developments in the regulatory environment outside New Zealand, suggest that the issue of global homogenization of the fauna and flora is also being considered in other jurisdictions, and has the potential to place severe limitations on the practice of classical biological control, even though the contribution of biological control agents to the process is almost negligible in most places.

A model system using insects to vector Fusarium tumidum for biological control of gorse (Ulex europaeus)

2010-03-12T13:41:45.178Z

The overall objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that insects can vector F. tumidum conidia to infect gorse plants with the aim of developing an alternative approach to mycoherbicide delivery to control weeds. Four potential insect species (Apion ulicis, Cydia ulicetana, Epiphyas postvittana and Sericothrips staphylinus) were assessed for their ability to vector F. tumidum conidia. To achieve this, the external microflora (bacteria and fungi) and the size and location of fungal spo...

Close up of cobweb

2010-03-12T13:41:28.389Z

Bee in a flower

2010-03-12T13:41:25.229Z

A bumblebee sits on a lavender flower

2010-03-12T13:41:24.669Z

Bee pollinates a lavender flower

2010-03-12T13:41:19.449Z

Bee rests on and pollinates a lavender flower

2010-03-12T13:41:18.739Z

Sunflower with bee

2010-03-12T13:41:18.529Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:15.099Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:15.030Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.969Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.909Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.839Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.779Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.729Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.669Z

Spiderweb in the forest

2010-03-12T13:41:14.609Z

Hebe bush with a bee against a Wellington suburban street background complete with a road cone

2010-03-12T13:41:11.159Z

Monarch butterfly

2010-03-12T13:41:03.290Z

Weta

2010-03-12T13:40:59.730Z

Bumble Bee

2010-03-12T13:40:59.369Z

Green fern

2010-03-12T13:40:54.480Z

Praying mantis resting on top of leaves

2010-03-12T13:40:50.440Z

Bees pollinating Pohutukawa flowers

2010-03-12T13:40:50.380Z

Closeup of a pink rose

2010-03-12T13:40:45.810Z

Bee and flower

2010-03-12T13:40:44.550Z

Busy bee

2010-03-12T13:40:43.770Z

Bee and pink flower

2010-03-12T13:40:43.720Z

Bee & pink flower

2010-03-12T13:40:43.670Z

Close up of a number plate covered in bugs after a long holiday drive

2010-03-12T13:40:40.128Z

A butterfly busy at work

2010-03-12T13:40:36.680Z

Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:40:25.560Z

Young girl holding a stick insect

2010-03-12T13:40:22.820Z

Young girl holding stick insect

2010-03-12T13:40:21.660Z

Cicada

2010-03-12T13:40:19.050Z

Cicada Shell

2010-03-12T13:40:18.970Z

Beetle on Hebe

2010-03-12T13:40:18.900Z

Bumble Bee and Poppy

2010-03-12T13:35:47.246Z

Giant weta

2010-03-12T13:35:46.206Z

Spring Butterfly

2010-03-12T13:35:39.046Z

Pollen time

2010-03-12T13:35:38.216Z

Sunflowers

2010-03-12T13:35:38.156Z

Bee line up

2010-03-12T13:35:38.047Z

Monarch Butterfly sitting on top of a Zinnia Flower

2010-03-12T13:35:32.156Z

Young girl looking at a butterfly resting on her hand

2010-03-12T13:35:29.646Z

Young girl looking at a butterfly resting on her hand

2010-03-12T13:35:29.417Z

Bumble bee in flight

2010-03-12T13:35:22.607Z

Two butterflies

2010-03-12T13:35:18.727Z

Young monarch butterfly just emerged

2010-03-12T13:35:17.847Z

Monarch caterpillar

2010-03-12T13:35:17.317Z

Monarch caterpillar

2010-03-12T13:35:17.257Z

Monarch caterpillar

2010-03-12T13:35:17.197Z

Bumblebee collecting pollen

2010-03-12T13:35:16.857Z

Monarch butterfly on swan plant

2010-03-12T13:35:16.117Z

Bumblebee on lavender

2010-03-12T13:35:15.177Z

Wasp and nest

2010-03-12T13:35:12.287Z

Bumble bee eating pollen from the bluebell flowers

2010-03-12T13:35:10.007Z

Bumble bee eating pollen from the bluebell flowers

2010-03-12T13:35:09.937Z

Glowworm (lavae) inside his slimy tube above where his sticky silk threads hang down to catch insects for his food

2010-03-12T13:35:02.663Z

Glowworm threads hanging down from tree roots under a damp forest bank.

2010-03-12T13:35:02.548Z

Glowworm (lavae) inside his slimy tube above where his sticky silk threads hang down to catch insects for his food.

2010-03-12T13:35:02.467Z

Monarch caterpillar shedding his skin to form a chrysalis

2010-03-12T13:35:00.037Z

Monarch caterpillar has just shed his skin forming a chrysalis

2010-03-12T13:34:59.977Z

Monarch caterpillar has just shed its skin forming a chrysalis

2010-03-12T13:34:59.917Z

Monarch butterfly chrysalis. 20minutes old

2010-03-12T13:34:59.847Z

Monarch butterfly chrysalis. 45minutes old

2010-03-12T13:34:59.787Z

Monarch butterfly chrysalis. 24 hours old

2010-03-12T13:34:59.727Z

Butterfly & blossom with copy space

2010-03-12T13:34:52.167Z

Butterfly & blossom with copy space

2010-03-12T13:34:47.087Z

Red Admiral butterfly feeding on the nectar of blossoms

2010-03-12T13:34:42.817Z

Praying mantis from above

2010-03-12T13:33:58.238Z

Praying mantis from above with perfect shadow

2010-03-12T13:33:58.178Z

Praying mantis face on

2010-03-12T13:33:58.128Z

A Praying Mantis peers inside an open door

2010-03-12T13:33:57.958Z

A praying mantis seems to be ready to press a doorbell

2010-03-12T13:33:57.718Z

Praying mantis sits on arm of outside chair

2010-03-12T13:33:55.678Z

Praying mantis sits on arm of outside chair

2010-03-12T13:33:55.619Z

Praying mantis attacks a cicada

2010-03-12T13:33:55.478Z

Cicada

2010-03-12T13:33:55.418Z

A fly sitting on the lips of a relaxed seal

2010-03-12T13:33:44.248Z

A back lit spider web hanging off a branch

2010-03-12T13:33:40.979Z

Macro photo of a honey bee on a yellow flower

2010-03-12T13:33:36.569Z

Macro photo of a honey bee on a yellow flower

2010-03-12T13:33:36.499Z

Glowworms

2010-03-12T13:33:26.809Z

Birdhouse

2010-03-12T13:33:24.969Z

Birdhouse

2010-03-12T13:33:24.909Z

Bumble bee on thistle

2010-03-12T13:33:24.699Z

Bumble bee on thistle

2010-03-12T13:33:24.599Z