Utilising museum data for comparative analysis of threatened insect species

Abstract

Insect conservation is often impeded by a lack of species-specific data leading to difficulties in assessment of conservation and threat status. Utilising specimens and records held within natural history museums may help to overcome such limitations. We used specimens and their associated data from the New Zealand Arthropod Collection to provide a comparative analysis of threatened species and their related non-threatened congeners. A range of insect groups were covered, including families from the five mega-diverse insect orders. Data on the locality, date, habitat, and morphological measurements, were recorded for nearly 25,000 specimens from 460 species, of which 31 are Threatened and 104 are At Risk. Results found the Protected Area Network provided significantly less coverage for insect species classified as Threatened or At Risk. Body size, geographical distribution, and environmental variables were not consistent predictors of the current threat classification system. There were a disproportionately large number of At Risk species found on offshore islands. The current New Zealand threat classification system, based on trends in geographical occurrence and population sizes, does not accurately reflect the conservation needs of most insect species. This has significant implications for the utility of threat assessments for insect conservation.