Karocolens tuberculatus
Encyclopedia
Hadramphus tuberculatus (known as the Canterbury knobbed weevil, Spaniard weevil or Banks Peninsula speargrass weevil) is a rare weevil
endemic to the Christchurch
area in the South Island
of New Zealand
. It was thought to be extinct from 1922 to 2004. The correct name for this weevil is Hadramphus tuberculatus, the synonymy of Karocolens with Hadramphus is disputed, but in any case the name Hadramphus has priority and isn't a junior homonym, nor a nomen oblitum, nor has it been suppressed by the ICZN (see Wikispecies link for details and references).
in the 1870s. The causes for its disappearance were possibly the removing of the speargrass
, its host plant, by farmers and the arrival of rats in that region which had eaten the beetles. It was last seen in 1922 until it was rediscovered in late 2004 by research students of the University of Canterbury at Burkes Pass near Lake Tekapo
, South Canterbury, New Zealand. It is now listed as nationally endangered in the red list of New Zealand but still listed as extinct in the 2008 IUCN Red List because their assessment for this species was made in 1996.
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
endemic to the Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
area in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It was thought to be extinct from 1922 to 2004. The correct name for this weevil is Hadramphus tuberculatus, the synonymy of Karocolens with Hadramphus is disputed, but in any case the name Hadramphus has priority and isn't a junior homonym, nor a nomen oblitum, nor has it been suppressed by the ICZN (see Wikispecies link for details and references).
Description
H. tuberculatus is a flightless weevil with a knobbed back. It reaches a length of 11.7 to 16.3 mm and a width of 6.5 to 8.3 mm. It has a dark brown body with greyish-brown scales.Status
It was apparently common over the Canterbury PlainsCanterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
in the 1870s. The causes for its disappearance were possibly the removing of the speargrass
Aciphylla
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of plants in the Apiaceae family, endemic to New Zealand and Australia. They generally grow as tall spikes surrounded by rosettes of stiff, pointed leaves....
, its host plant, by farmers and the arrival of rats in that region which had eaten the beetles. It was last seen in 1922 until it was rediscovered in late 2004 by research students of the University of Canterbury at Burkes Pass near Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand...
, South Canterbury, New Zealand. It is now listed as nationally endangered in the red list of New Zealand but still listed as extinct in the 2008 IUCN Red List because their assessment for this species was made in 1996.