ABSTRACT This study explored preliminary trends in how dietary fat composition may affect the total fat content and fatty acid profile of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) across three developmental stages: larval, pre-pupal, and pupal. Five experimental diets were formulated by supplementing a base substrate, wheat middlings, with 100 g/kg wet weight of different oils: coconut, sunflower, flaxseed, avocado, or olive. The larvae reared on the flaxseed oil diet (rich in alpha-linolenic acid) reached the pre-pupal stage significantly faster (12.3 days) than those in other treatments (14–15.5 days).

ABSTRACT The New Zealand genus Tetrachaetus Bickel & Dyte, 1989 (Dolichopodidae: Sympycninae), is a fairly common long-legged fly lineage often found in riparian habitats. As first described by Parent (1933), the genus included two species, Tetrachaetus bipunctatus and T. simplex. The species are similar and attempts by modern specialists to differentiate them have been unsuccessful. Here a large number of specimens from major New Zealand collections were reexamined and the genus is revised. Based on morphometric, phenotypic, chaetotaxic and genetic evidence the two putative species are in fact conspecific, and are here formally synonymised under Tetrachaetus bipunctatus Parent (1933). https://www.zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/6AD20BE2-77D2-4D04-8295-1AAAC7F3F2FF

ABSTRACT Both citizen science observations and taxonomic collections provide valuable data on species occurrences, typically including species identification, as well as the time and place of observation or collection. Comparing these datasets is intuitive and important for understanding biodiversity patterns. In this study, over 86,000 records of exotic insect species in New Zealand were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, comprising two record types: citizen science observations (from iNaturalist) and specimen records (from digitised museum collections). These datasets were compared across taxonomic levels, temporal and geographic scales, and species body size. Key differences emerged between the two data sources. Although the total number of exotic insect records was similar, exotic species accounted for a greater proportion of citizen science observations (1 in 5) than specimen records (1 in 10). Taxonomic composition varied significantly between the datasets at the order, family, and species levels, with citizen science observations disproportionately representing larger-bodied species. Consequently, many exotic insect species present in New Zealand were underrepresented in observation records. Despite these biases, the large volume of citizen science data makes it a valuable resource for biosecurity and invasion biology. Enhancing public awareness of diverse insect groups, including smaller or less conspicuous species, could improve data coverage. Ultimately, leveraging the complementary strengths of both record types will enhance biodiversity monitoring and biosecurity efforts.

ABSTRACT Porrhothele (Mygalomorphae: Porrhothelidae) is a genus of tunnelweb spider endemic to New Zealand. The most frequently encountered species, Porrhothele antipodiana, is widespread throughout New Zealand and it has been suggested that it might represent a cryptic species complex. A phylogenetic hypothesis was generated using sequences of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase 1 from specimens collected throughout New Zealand. The genetic evidence suggests that P. antipodiana comprises a single widespread species consistent with morphological evidence. However, additional novel lineages were revealed by the analysis for which morphology suggests the presence of undescribed species. One of these, Porrhothele peninsularis sp. nov. is described. http://lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F4159C21-C4BA-4982-BF0B-D24632A89734

ABSTRACT A checklist and synopsis of the family Braconidae (Hymenoptera) that are present in New Zealand is provided. The fauna consists of 17 subfamilies, 74 genera, and 147 described species (99 indigenous, 48 exotic). A large portion of the taxonomic names previously listed in the catalogue of Valentine and Walker (1991) have changed or are new. Twenty-five new indigenous species have been described in the last ten years and 57 species since the year 2000. Two species previously recorded are now not considered present, Fopius carpocapsae (Ashmead, 1900) and Parallorhogas pallidiceps (Perkins, 1910). Currently 83% of genera and 52% of described species in New Zealand have a COI barcode sequence. The indigenous Braconidae fauna is estimated at over 400 species, indicating only ∼25% of indigenous species are currently described.

ABSTRACT Burrows made by the lidless trapdoor spider Cantuaria huttoni were found in forested areas of eastern Otago, New Zealand, between Waianakarua, Kaka Point and Lawrence. In Dunedin – Ōtepoti, sites with a variety of canopy type, aspect, and slope were occupied, but sites without a forest cover and recently regenerated from having no forest cover, lacked spiders. Burrows were found at densities of up to 58 per m2 and the entrance diameter was correlated to the occupying spider’s size. Spiders were observed at burrow entrances more often at night. Adult males were found to leave the burrows between October and December and were capable of travelling 5 m per night and estimated at a density of 0.1 per m2. Burrow entrances were sometimes webbed shut, particularly in January and June, possibly in response to temperature, rainfall, breeding and feeding. The amount of time spent closed and the annual increase in burrow size was similar for different burrow sizes.

ABSTRACT A total of five specimens of the Australian fungivorous thrips species, Hoplandrothrips xanthocnemis (Karny, 1920) were found in New Zealand between 2009 and 2021. Four specimens were collected from kiwifruit. The fifth specimen was collected from Phomopsis sp. fungal culture isolated from a citrus leaf in the laboratory. This paper presents the diagnostic characteristics of H. xanthocnemis, its detection sites in New Zealand, and includes a morphological key to the species of Hoplandrothrips in New Zealand.

ABSTRACT The identification of invertebrates from standardised sampling methods such as pitfall traps is often time-consuming because of their high abundance and diversity. However, new technologies based on images and deep learning techniques are rapidly improving the efficiency of invertebrate identification, particularly for non-specialists. In this study, an image dataset of New Zealand ground invertebrates was used to train object detection and classification models to identify invertebrates. We captured a single image of the contents of a pitfall trap, annotated the specimens to a taxonomic group, and applied a two-stage YOLO deep learning model training for identification. Our model precision varied between taxa but had an overall mean average precision of 0.95 for the object detection stage. The classification stage achieved a top1 accuracy of 0.92. Groups with the highest observation counts were Coleoptera, Isopoda, and Formicidae, which also achieved the highest identification accuracy. Although deep learning technology is still in its infancy for entomology, such approaches could transform field sampling, laboratory counting, and identification of invertebrates.

ABSTRACT Mite harvesters (Arachnida: Opiliones: Cyphophthalmi) are tiny arachnids known to inhabit leaf litter on forest floors throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Recently, Cyphophthalmi in the genus Aoraki were discovered in caves in the northern South Island, representing the first records of cave-dwelling mite harvesters from New Zealand. A comparison of anatomical ratios taken from body and appendage measurements of the cave animals and epigean Aoraki species demonstrate that the cave animals display trends characteristic of troglobitic arthropods, suggesting adaptation to cavernicolous environments. We sequenced the mitochondrial loci COI and 16S rRNA from one of the cave specimens in order to better define the animal's phylogenetic position and to assess the possibility that it represents a new species. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, results suggest the animals are cave-adapted populations of Aoraki westlandica.