Fauna of NZ 45 - Landcare Research

6 Kuschel (2003): Nemonychidae, Belidae, Brentidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)
Conventionally, weevils are divided into two convenient
groups: Orthoceri, defined by having all antennal segments
following a straight line, and Gonatoceri, characterised by
‘broken’or elbowed antennae, the result of a deviation in
an angle of the segments following the basal one (scape).
All Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous weevils were Orthoceri
with straight antennae associated with gymnosperms. The
vast majority of extant Nemonychidae, and some Belidae,
retain an association with gymnosperms and still live
exclusisvely on Araucariaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Pinaceae.
This contribution is devoted to the 3 Orthoceri families
Nemonychidae, Belidae, and Brentidae (the other Orthoceri
family Anthribidae, with 58 species, has been revised by
Holloway (1982), Fauna of New Zealand 3). Although
these 3 families are poorly represented in New Zealand,
with only 16 native and 1 introduced species, they are of
considerable biological, phylogenetic, and biogeographical
interest. All 4 species of Nemonychidae, and 5 out of 6
species of Belidae, are associated with Podocarpaceae
(totara, rimu, matai, kahikatea and relatives) and
Phyllocladacaeae (tanekaha, toatoa). Whilst the
Nemonychidae of New Zealand are closer to the Chilean
species found on Podocarpaceae than to the Australian
ones found on Araucariaceae, 5 species of Belidae show a
definite close affinity to Australia. The sixth belid species
belongs to a New Caledonian genus associated with
Araliaceae.
The family Brentidae has 2 dissimilar subfamilies in
New Zealand: Brentinae and Apioninae. Brentinae are
represented by an endemic genus and species known as the
giraffe weevil (pepeke nguturoa): The size difference and
the sexual dimorphism of this species is spectacular. The
giraffe weevil is unique in being the sole weevil species in
the world with a visible scutellum. It is also unique in that
some of its males can be over 8 cm long, thus easily
surpassing the length of any other brentine. The subfamily
Apioninae is represented by 5 native and 1 foreign species,
the latter purposely introduced for a partial control of
gorse (Ulex europaeus). Three genera, with a single species
each, are endemic. They are not close to each other or to
anything else outside New Zealand. One genus (Zelapterus)
has a very small, smooth, and shiny species that is flightless
and still has no known host. Another genus (Cecydophyus)
is represented by a large, dull, and hairy species, whose
host is silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii). The third genus
(Strobilobius) has a species with hairless, deeply sculptured
elytra, and is of considerable interest because of its
association with the coniferous pahautea (Libocedrus
bidwillii) of the cypress family. The fourth apionine genus
(Neocyba) is also endemic, with 2 species associated with
rata and pohutukawa (Metrosideros spp.). It is closely
related to a genus from New Caledonia.
i te ao. He whai ngutu roa ng~ w§whara o neher~, he roa, he
tÇhihi te kauwae, he roa anÇ ng~ hihip~ i ng~ ngutu me te
kauwae. E tohu ana te waha koinei te hanga he kai hae pea
ng~ w§whara o tua whakarere. He whai huainohi rahi - he
t~ne ‘tahi, he w~hine ‘tahi – (ka k§ia he strobili) ng~ tipu
kano tahanga, ~, in~ k‘ te nui o te hae mÇmona ka hangaia
e ng~ huainohi t~ne. NÇ reira, e whakapaetia ana ko te hae
anake pea te kai a ng~ w§whara o te takiw~ Jurassic. Ka
mutu, katoa ng~ momo nemonychid e ora tonu ana, he kai
hae anake, he tino kai r~nei te hae n~ r~tou.
Kua wehea e te ao pãtaiao ng~ w§whara kia rua ng~
karangatanga wh~nui: ko te Orthoceri t‘tahi, ko te tohu
tautuhi i t‘nei karangatanga, ko te noho r~rangi tÇtika mai
o ng~ w~hanga katoa o ng~ pãhihi; ko ng~ Gonatoceri anÇ
t‘tahi, ~nÇ nei kua whati, he whai ‘tuke’ r~nei Ç r~tou
pãhihi (i p‘r~ ai i te mea he kotiti te ahunga o te w~hanga
tuarua o ng~ pãhihi, ar~, te w~hanga ka whai i muri mai i te
w~hanga i te pãtake). Katoa ng~ w§whara o te takiw~
Jurassic me te Cretaceous o Raro, nÇ te karangatanga
Orthoceri, ~, he rere tÇtika ng~ pãhihi, e tohu ana i te
hononga ki ng~ tipu kano tahanga. Ko te tino nuinga o ng~
Nemonychidae, tae atu ki ‘tahi o ng~ Belidae, e honoa
tonutia ana ki ng~ tipu kano tahanga, ~, kei te noho
motuhake ki ng~ Araucariaceae, ng~ Podocarpaceae, me
ng~ Pinaceae.
Kei te aro wh~iti t‘nei o ng~ t~nga kÇrero ki ‘tahi
wh~nau Orthoceri e 3, ar~, ng~ Nemonychidae, ng~ Belidae,
me ng~ Brentidae (kua oti i a Holloway (1982) te ~ta
tirotiro t‘r~ atu wh~nau Orthoceri, me ng~ momo
Anthribidae e 58, i Te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa 3).
Ahakoa k~ore e kaha nohoia ana a Aotearoa e ‘nei wh~nau
e 3 (16 ng~ momo nÇ konei taketake ake, 1 te momo
r~waho), he wh~nau e ~ta arohia nuitia ana e te hunga
m~tai pepeke mÇ te w~hi ki te koiora, te whakapapa, me
te arowhenua-koiora. Katoa ng~ momo Nemonychidae e
4, me ‘tahi momo Belidae e 5 o roto i te 6, e whai hononga
ana ki ng~ Podocarpaceae (te tÇtara, te rimu, te mata§, te
kahikatea me ‘r~ atu o t‘nei k~hui r~kau) me ng~
Phyllocladacaeae (te t~nekaha me te toatoa). He tata ake
ng~ Nemonychidae o Aotearoa ki ng~ Nemonychidae noho
Podocarpaceae o Chile, t‘n~ i ‘r~ o Ahitereira e noho ana
ki ng~ Araucariaceae, engari e 5 ng~ momo Belidae e kaha
rite ana ki Ç Ahitereiria. Ko te belid tuaono, nÇ t‘tahi
puninga o New Caledonia, ~, e honoa ana ki ng~ Araliaceae.
E rua ng~ wh~nau wh~iti o nga Brentidae i Aotearoa,
k~ore e tino rite t‘tahi ki t‘tahi. Kotahi te puninga
Brentinae nÇ Aotearoa taketake ake, kotahi anÇ te momo
o roto i taua puninga. Koia t‘r~ ko te pepeke nguturoa.
Me kÇrero te rerek‘ o te rahi me te hanga o te tinana o te
toa me te uwha o t‘nei momo. He ahurei te pepeke
(haere tonu)