The pseudoscorpions of New Zealand,Norfolk, and Lord Howe

Nearly 20 000 specimens of pseudoscorpions from a full range of habitats have been examined. For New Zealand, 70 species and subspecies in 28 genera are recognised, and for Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands, 11 species in 9 genera. Endemism is very high in this area: in New Zealand, 13 out of 25 indigenous genera are endemic; 2 others (Apatochernes, Nesochernes) are shared with Norfolk Island; and 4 (Sathrochthonius, Austrochthonius, Synsphyronus, Protochelifer) extend their distribution to Australia (Austrochthonius is known also from South America and South Africa). The rest of the native genera have a wider distribution in the Pacific. Three species (Lamprochernes savignyi, Withius subruber, Chelifer cancroides) have a wide and disjunct distribution induced by human traffic, and are considered to be an introduced element.     

Cephaloziella tahora Bever. & Glenny,a new species of Cephaloziella (Jungermanniopsida,Cephaloziellaceae) from eastern Taranaki,New Zealand

Cephaloziella tahora, a new species of Cephaloziella is described and illustrated from a lowland forest habitat in eastern Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand. It has similarities to six other New Zealand species of Cephaloziella, and appears closest in New Zealand to Cephaloziella aenigmatica R.M.Schust. It is defined by a unique combination of features and distinguished from C. aenigmatica and other New Zealand species by having entire, distant leaves that reach the dorsal stem mid-line, and have large conspicuous hemispherical and hemi-ellipsoidal papillae, underleaves on gemmiparous and gynoecial shoots, and by its dioecy. The addition brings the number of New Zealand species of Cephaloziella to 18, 12 of which are endemic to New Zealand.     

Welcome back New Zealand: regional biogeography and Gondwanan origin of three endemic genera of mite harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi)

Aim Biogeographers have long been intrigued by New Zealand’s biota due to its unique combination of typical ‘continental’ and ‘island’ characteristics. The New Zealand plateau rifted from the former supercontinent Gondwana c. 80 Ma, and has been isolated from other land masses ever since. Therefore, the flora and fauna of New Zealand include lineages that are Gondwanan in origin, but also include a very large number of endemics. In this study, we analyse the evolutionary relationships of three genera of mite harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) endemic to New Zealand, both to each other and to their temperate Gondwanan relatives found in Australia, Chile, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Location New Zealand (North Island, South Island and Stewart Island). Methods A total of 94 specimens of the family Pettalidae in the suborder Cyphophthalmi were studied, representing 31 species and subspecies belonging to three endemic genera from New Zealand (Aoraki, Neopurcellia and Rakaia) plus six other members of the family from Chile, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Australia. The phylogeny of these taxa was constructed using morphological and molecular data from five nuclear and mitochondrial genes (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and histone H3, totalling c. 5 kb), which were analysed using dynamic as well as static homology under a variety of optimality criteria. Results The results showed that each of the three New Zealand cyphophthalmid genera is monophyletic, and occupies a distinct geographical region within the archipelago, grossly corresponding to palaeogeographical regions. All three genera of New Zealand mite harvestmen fall within the family Pettalidae with a classic temperate Gondwanan distribution, but they do not render any other genera paraphyletic. Main conclusions Our study shows that New Zealand’s three genera of mite harvestmen are unequivocally related to other members of the temperate Gondwanan family Pettalidae. Monophyly of each genus contradicts the idea of recent dispersal to New Zealand. Within New Zealand, striking biogeographical patterns are apparent in this group of short‐range endemics, particularly in the South Island. These patterns are interpreted in the light of New Zealand’s turbulent geological history and present‐day patterns of forest cover.     

Ultrastructure of the Geogarypus nigrimanus Spermatozoon (Arachnida,Pseudoscorpionida)

The ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of Geogarypus nigrimanus (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpionida) is described. The spermatozoon is composed of a small elliptic nucleus, a short flagellum and a very long and complex acrosome. In the male genital ducts, as in other studied species of pseudoscorpions, the sperm components are rolled up to form a globular structure enclosed in a cyst wall. The Geogarypus spermatozoon with a reduced flagellum and a giant acrosome seems to be evolutionary more advanced than spermatozoa from other pseudoscorpions.     

Leaf hoppers of New Zealand: Subfamilies Aphrodinae,Jassinae, Xestocephalinae,Idiocerinae, and Macropsinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae)

The cosmopolitan subfamilies Aphrodinae, Jassinae, Xestocephalinae, Idiocerinae, and Macropsinae are diagnosed and the New Zealand species described and illustrated. Each subfamily is represented in New Zealand by only one or two species, those in Idiocerinae having been introduced from Europe or North America. The species Euacanthella brunnea Evans (Aphrodinae) is synonymised with the Australian species E. insularis Evans (new synonymy).     

Two unusual species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Physalacria</Emphasis> (Basidiomycetes,Agaricales) collected in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea during mycological expeditions by the National Science Museum,Tokyo

Two unusual species of Physalacria from New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are described and illustrated. Physalacria pseudotropica from South Island in New Zealand and P. tropica from Papua New Guinea are recorded for the first time.     

First record of the brown lanternshark,Etmopterus unicolor, from the waters around New Zealand, and comparison with the southern lanternshark,E. granulosus

Specimens of the brown lanternshark,Etmopterus unicolor, reported here for the first time from the waters around New Zealand, were caught on bottom longlines. This study compares morphometeric and meristic characters of New Zealand and Japanese specimens ofE. unicolor and New Zealand specimens of the southern lanternshark,E. granulosus. E. unicolor andE. granulosus are clearly distinguishable by the height of the first dorsal fin, number of spiral valves, number of vertebrae, and shape of the dermal denticles and teeth.     

Conservation status of New Zealand frogs, 2009

Abstract

A reappraisal of the conservation status of the New Zealand frog fauna is presented using the 2008 version of the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Of New Zealand's four extant endemic species, three are judged to be ‘Threatened’ (Leiopelma hamiltoni being ‘Nationally Critical’, and L. pakeka and L. archeyi being ‘Nationally Vulnerable’) and one ‘At Risk’ (L. hochstetteri ‘Declining’). Three Leiopelma species are listed as extinct—they are known from bone deposits in caves throughout the country until some time in the last 1000 years. Three introduced and naturalised Litoria species are abundant in New Zealand although two (L. aurea and L. raniformis) are threatened in their country of origin (Australia). An additional unidentified frog taxon from northern Great Barrier Island is listed as ‘Data Deficient’.     

Classification,origins, and patterns of diversification in New ZealandCarmichaelinae (Fabaceae)

Analysis of ITS sequences provides support for a clade that includes Carmichaelia, Clianthus, Montigena, and Swainsona. We provide a node-based definition and recommend that this clade be called Carmichaelinae. Results suggest that Carmichaelinae are derived from northern hemisphere Astragalinae. The clade has extensively radiated in Australia, and two independent lineages have diversified in New Zealand. The New Zealand lineages differ in species richness. One lineage consists of 24 species placed in Carmichaelia and Clianthus, while the other corresponds to the monotypic genus Montigena. The pattern of relationships inferred from ITS sequences suggests that the New Zealand radiation was recent and possibly accompanied episodes of mountain-building and glaciation.     

Phylogeny, biogeography and adaptive radiation of Pachycladon (Brassicaceae) in the mountains of South Island, New Zealand

Aim To report analyses and propose hypotheses of adaptive radiation that explain distributional patterns of the alpine genus Pachycladon Hook.f. – a morphologically diverse genus from New Zealand closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana. Location South Island, New Zealand. Methods Morphological and nrDNA ITS sequence phylogenies were generated for Pachycladon. An analysis is presented of species distributional patterns and attributes. Results Phylogenetic analyses of morphological characters and nrDNA ITS sequence data were found to be congruent in supporting three New Zealand clades for Pachycladon. Monophyletic groups identified within the genus are geographically distinct and are associated with different geological parent materials. Distribution maps, latitude and altitude range, and data on geological parent material are presented for the nine named and one unnamed species of Pachycladon from New Zealand. Main conclusions (a) Panbiogeographic hypotheses accounting for the origin and present‐day distribution of Pachycladon in New Zealand are not supported.
(b) Species diversity and distributions of Pachycladon are explained by a Late Tertiary–Quaternary adaptive radiation associated with increasing specialization to geological substrates. Pachycladon cheesemanii Heenan & A.D.Mitch. is morphologically similar to the closest overseas relatives. It is a geological generalist and has wide latitudinal and altitudinal ranges, and we suggest it resembles the ancestral form of the genus in New Zealand. Pachycladon novae‐zelandiae (Hook.f.) Hook.f. and P. wallii (Carse) Heenan & A.D.Mitch. are a southern South Island group that predominantly occurs on Haast Schist, are polycarpic, have lobed leaves, and lateral inflorescences. Pachycladon enysii (Cheeseman) Heenan & A.D.Mitch., P. fastigiata (Hook.f.) Heenan & A.D.Mitch., and P. stellata (Allan) Heenan & A.D.Mitch. are restricted to greywacke in the eastern South Island, and are facultatively monocarpic, have serrate leaves, and stout terminal inflorescenes.
(c) Present distributions of Pachycladon species may relate to Pleistocene climate change. Pachycladon enysii reaches the highest altitude of New Zealand species of Pachycladon and is most common in the Southern Alps in Canterbury. We propose that this species survived on nunataks at the height of the last glaciation. In contrast, P. fastigiata grows at a lower altitude and is absent from the high mountains of the Southern Alps. We suggest it was extirpated from this area during the last glaciation.     

Occurrence of the common wasp,Vespula vulgaris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

Abstract

After occurring sporadically in New Zealand since 1921, the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris (L.), was found in March and April 1983 to be established in Dunedin, where 6 nests were discovered. Subsequent examination of museum specimens showed that queens had been collected in Wellington in 1978, and nests by January 1982. Christchurch was invaded in early 1984, several workers were collected near Auckland in March and April 1984, and workers were reported at Nelson in March and May 1984. The Dunedin nests were up to 6 times the size of nests recorded from the Northern Hemisphere, and produced up to 23 times as many new queens. Workers, nest size, and nest productivity were sufficiently different from those reported in western North America to suggest that the New Zealand population originated elsewhere. Colour patterning of the head and pronotum readily separate New Zealand V. vulgaris from New Zealand V. germanica. The nest carton of V. vulgaris is brown; that of V. germanica is grey. Conditions in New Zealand appear to be favourable for V. vulgaris; it can be expected to spread and it may at times reach the high population levels experienced in Europe and the western United States.     

New records of rotifers from the South Island lakes,New Zealand

Thirty-five lakes in the South Island of New Zealand were surveyed for rotifers during 1988–1991. Of 85 taxa identified, 31 are first records for New Zealand, bringing the rotifers recorded from the country to 331. Four species (Keratella australis, K. slacki, Lecane herzigi and L. tasmaniensis), previously recorded as endemic forms only in Australia, are now added to the New Zealand checklist. Several of the new records are photographed, and scanning electron micrographs of the trophi are shown. Comments are made on the Australasian endemics and rotifer biogeography in New Zealand.     

Polytrichum commune Hedw. and Polytrichadelphus magellanicus (Hedw.) Mitt. used as decorative material on New Zealand Maori cloaks

Abstract

Confirmation of the occurrence of the moss Ptychomnion densifolium on the main islands of New Zealand is provided and the features which separate it from the more common P. aciculare are outlined. A brief account of the history of P. densifolium in New Zealand is given and its morphology there is discussed. A key to the two species in New Zealand is provided and habitat differences between them outlined. New Zealand material differs from type locality (Tristan d' Acunha) material in having longer and more twisted acumens, and in this respect is similar to New Zealand material of P. aciculare. New Zealand populations of P. densifolium are recognisable in having stem leaves reflexed from an oblong sheathing base, and well developed basal leaf plications. It is a relatively widespread species in New Zealand, occurring in mostly upper elevation, open sites.     

The distribution of keratinophilic fungi in soils from New Zealand,and from two polynesian Islands

Summary (1) A total of 312 soils, 271 from New Zealand, 24 from Rarotonga, Cook Islands and 17 from Tokelau Islands was examined by the hair-baiting technique.(2)Microsporon gypseum was isolated from 1.5% of New Zealand soils and from 36.6% of Pacific Island soils. The difference in incidence in the two areas is significant.(3)Keratinomyces ajelloi andMicrosporon cookei were recovered from 52.8% and 7.7% of New Zealand soils respectively but neither species was isolated from the Island samples.K. ajelloi was found to be significantly associated with strongly acid soils, andM. cookei with a farmyard substrate.(4)Trichophyton terrestre was isolated from 1.1% of New Zealand and from 12.2% of Pacific Island soils. Two strains ofChrysosporium keratinophilum were isolated from New Zealand soils and an unidentifiedChrysosporium from one Rarotongan sample.(5) The distribution of the different species is discussed and compared with those reported in surveys carried out in other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. The effects of ambient temperature, and source and pH of the soil, on the distribution of keratinophilic fungi are considered, but there is insufficient detailed evidence to determine the importance of these factors in the ecology of these organisms.     

Pselaphotumulus,a new genus of pselaphine endemic to New Zealand (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Pselaphitae)

ABSTRACT

Pselaphotumulus Owens and Carlton, gen. nov., is described as the sixth genus in the tribe Pselaphini known from New Zealand. Three new species are described: Pselaphotumulus aorerei, sp. nov., Pselaphotumulus dubius, sp. nov. and Pselaphotumulus unus, sp. nov.. Three species, Pselaphus cavelli (Broun 1893), Pselaphus oviceps (Broun 1917) and Pselaphus urquharti (Broun 1917) are transferred to Pselaphotumulus, nov. combs. Lectotypes from type series in the New Zealand Broun Collection (Natural History Museum, London) are designated for these three species. Habitus photographs, distributional maps and line drawings of diagnostic characters are provided for each species. A key to species is provided. Searches of museum collections have not yielded representatives outside of New Zealand, suggesting that this is the first endemic genus in the tribe Pselaphini described from the New Zealand’s main islands, specifically, the South Island. Pselaphotumulus species exhibit restricted distribution patterns that approximately coincide with the Pacific/Indo Australian Plate boundary.     

Few genetic differences between Victorian and Western Australian blue penguins,Eudyptula minor

Abstract

Blue penguins, Eudyptula minor, breeding on Penguin Island, Western Australia are considerably larger than other blue penguins in Australia. If genetic isolation is the cause, it may have implications for the conservation status of some blue penguin populations. We compared the sequences of two mitochondrial gene regions (cytochrome‐b and the control region) from Western Australian blue penguins with other populations of blue penguins from Australia and New Zealand. We found few differences between sequences from Western Australia, Phillip Island, Victoria and Otago, New Zealand, although all three differed considerably from other New Zealand blue penguins. Sequences for the control region from the Western Australian blue penguins and 30 more birds breeding at various Australasian sites provided further support for two major clades within Eudyptula; an Australian clade (including Otago) and a New Zealand clade.     

Paradasyhelea harrisoni n.sp. from the Auckland Islands,and additional records of subantarctic Ceratopogonidae

Abstract

A new species of Paradasyhelea Macfie is described from females found on the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, and a key is presented to separate it from its five known congeners. New distribution and habitat records are presented for the three ceratopogonid species previously reported from the subantarctic islands of New Zealand—Forcipomyia kuscheli Sublette & Wirth, F. tapleyi Ingram & Macfie, and Dasyhelea aucklandensis Sublette & Wirth.     

Support for vicariant origins of the New Zealand Onychophora

Aim The distribution of Onychophora across the southern continents has long been considered the result of vicariance events. However, it has recently been hypothesized that New Zealand was completely inundated during the late Oligocene (25–22 Ma) and therefore that the entire biota is the result of long-distance dispersal. We tested this assumption using phylogenetic and molecular dating of DNA sequence data from Onychophora. Location New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile (South America). Methods We obtained DNA sequence data from the nuclear genes 28S and 18S rRNA to reconstruct relationships among species of Peripatopsidae (Onychophora). We performed molecular dating under a Bayesian relaxed clock model with a range of prior distributions using the rifting of South America and South Africa as a calibration. Results Our phylogenetic trees revealed that the New Zealand genera Ooperipatellus and Peripatoides, together with selected Australian genera (Euperipatoides, Phallocephale and an undescribed genus from Tasmania), form a monophyletic group that is the sister group to genera from Chile (Metaperipatus) and South Africa (Peripatopsis and Opisthopatus). The relaxed clock dating analyses yielded mean divergence times from 71.3 to 78.9 Ma for the split of the New Zealand Peripatoides from their Australian sister taxa. The 0.95 Bayesian posterior intervals were very broad and ranged from 24.5 to 137.6 Ma depending on the prior assumptions. The mean divergence of the New Zealand species of Ooperipatellus from the Australian species Ooperipatellus insignis was estimated at between 39.9 and 46.2 Ma, with posterior intervals ranging from 9.5 to 91.6 Ma. Main conclusions The age of Peripatoides is consistent with long-term survival in New Zealand and implies that New Zealand was not completely submerged during the Oligocene. Ooperipatellus is less informative on the question of continuous land in the New Zealand region because we cannot exclude a post-Oligocene divergence. The great age of Peripatoides is consistent with a vicariant origin of this genus resulting from the rifting of New Zealand from the eastern margin of Gondwana and supports the assumptions of previous authors who considered the Onychophora to be a relict component of the New Zealand biota.     

First record of the genus Dudresnaya (Dumontiaceae,Rhodophyta) in New Zealand waters

The genus Dudresnaya is reported for the first time in New Zealand waters. Samples were collected in Bay of Islands, northern New Zealand, on rhodolith beds and at the edge of a rocky reef, between ?5 and ?10 m depth. The species was identified by morphological and anatomical characters as Dudresnaya capricornica and its identity was confirmed by molecular sequence data. This species is characterized by terete radial branches, outer cortical cells cylindrical, presence of hexagonal crystals, lack of annulation and mucilage coat on auxiliary cell branches, oblique division of carpogonium and cystocarps no cleft. The rbcL phylogenetic analysis showed the genus Dudresnaya is strongly supported and sister to taxa in the family Dumontiaceae. This family is also closely related to the families Rhizophillidaceae and Kallymeniaceae. This is the first record of the family Dumontiaceae in New Zealand.     

Genetic structure of an introduced paper wasp,Polistes chinensis antennalis (Hymenoptera,Vespidae) in New Zealand

Several eusocial wasps are prominent invaders to remote islands. The paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis is native to East Asia, was introduced to New Zealand in 1979 and has expanded its distribution there. This provides an excellent opportunity to examine the impacts of an initial bottleneck and subsequent expansion on genetic structure. We analysed and compared the genetic population structures of the native (Japan and South Korea) and invasive New Zealand populations. Although 94% of individuals had shared haplotypes detected across both populations, the remaining 6% had private haplotypes identified in only one of the three countries. The genetic variation at microsatellite loci was lower in New Zealand than in native countries, and the genetic structure in New Zealand was clearly distinct from that in its native range. Higher frequencies of diploid‐male‐ and triploid‐female‐producing colonies were detected in New Zealand than in the native countries, showing the reduction in genetic variation via a genetic bottleneck. At least two independent introductions were suggested, and the putative source regions for New Zealand were assigned as Kanto (central island) and Kyushu (south island) in Japan. Serial founder events following the initial introduction were also indicated. The estimated dispersal distance between mother and daughter in New Zealand was twice that in Japan. Thus, the introduction history of P. chinensis antennalis in New Zealand is probably the result of at least two independent introductions, passing through a bottleneck during introduction, followed by population expansion from the point of introduction.