by Stephen Thorpe (stephen_thorpe@yahoo.co.nz)

Research Associate, University of Auckland

The bees of New Zealand have been documented quite recently (2007) by the appropriately initialled B. Donovan. However, another one has recently turned up. So far, it is only known in N.Z. from six males collected by me, all on the Tamaki Campus, Auckland. It is a masked bee (see photo) belonging to the vast genus Hylaeus.

Keep on the lookout for this new bee in New Zealand. No females have been found yet.

It belongs to a subgenus, Gnathoprosopis, not otherwise represented in N.Z. I have identified it as Hylaeus euxanthus, a common and widespread species in Australia (see Houston, 1981). MPI are in the process of getting the ID validated. The first two specimens captured had black mandibles, which is unusual for the species in Australia, and therefore put the ID in a little doubt, but subsequent specimens clearly have yellow mandibles. It would be useful to find females, which will have less of a yellow mask, but so far no luck.

The species may be of some interest to those studying pollination ecology in N.Z. There is clearly a lot of scope for further research on this species in N.Z. How widespread is it? Is it spreading? Will it compete with native bees? What are its flower visiting preferences? My specimens were found visiting kanuka flowers in November and December, and sweet fennel flowers in late February. The males have a pair of tubercles on the underside of the gaster (abdomen), which are variably developed. They are clearly visible in the lower photo. The species is immediately distinguished from other Hylaeus in N.Z. by having the first antennal segment (scape) short and entirely yellow.

REFERENCES

Donovan, B.J. 2007: Apoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Fauna of New Zealand, (57) www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/books/fauna-of-nz-series/extracts/fnz57

Houston, T.F. 1981: A revision of the Australian hylaeine bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). II. Australian journal of zoology, supplementary series, (80) doi: 10.1071/AJZS080

Australian’s are well known for seizing an opportunity when in foreign lands, but is that the case for this new arrival in New Zealand?

by Stephen Thorpe (stephen_thorpe@yahoo.co.nz)

Research Associate, University of Auckland

Rodolia koebelei (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a fairly distinctive looking ladybird, about 3 mm in length. The extent of black markings on the elytra varies from none to that shown in the photo. This Australian species was reported as validated new to New Zealand by Biosecurity New Zealand (2006). Nobody knows how it got here. On 19 February 2015, I found a single specimen, on a cultivated Hebe, on the Tamaki Campus. So far, this is the only specimen I have seen on campus, and I have only ever seen two others elsewhere in Auckland, though one of those two was at the adjacent Morrin Reserve. Very little is known about this species in New Zealand. In particular, mystery surrounds what it preys on. According to one overseas study, larvae of R. koebelei could only be reared to adults on Icerya koebelei and when they were offered other species of scale insect (I. purchasii, I. aegyptiaca, or I. seychellarum), they failed to feed and all died (Sands & Van Driesche, 2004). The mystery is that I. koebelei is not known to be present in New Zealand. Perhaps it actually does prey on the closely related cottony cushion scale (I. purchasi), which is present on campus. If so, this is evidence that the results of host range testing experiments need to be treated with caution. At any rate, there is plenty of scope for further research on this ladybird in Auckland. Larvae need to be located, and the likely prey needs to be determined. The species could potentially be useful as a biocontrol agent for cottony cushion scale, in the same way as the cardinal ladybird (Rodolia cardinalis), the latter of which now appears to be very rare in Auckland (I haven’t seen any on campus). Continue reading →