Adventive herbivores
Every year invertebrate species from other countries continue to establish viable populations in New Zealand. In 2010, out of a total of 1585 adventive Hexapoda and 71 adventive Acari in New Zealand, the number of herbivorous species was estimated to be 670. Some of these species feed on New Zealand plants and are included in the Plant-SyNZ database.
In order to investigate if the risk to native plants from an adventive species invertebrate herbivore is linked to its taxonomic group and/or its host range, a spreadsheet with more than 620 species of adventive herbivores was created. The following information is documented for each species in the ‘species list’ page:
- Classification – searchable on order, superfamily, family, genus, species
- Weed biological control – w, released into New Zealand to control weeds
- Feeds on New Zealand plants – only species coded n(o), y(es) were analyzed; other species names were coded x (species not included for various reasons)
- Plant host range – polyphagous (plant species in more than one family), f-oligophagous (more than one genus in a family), g-oligophagous (species within on genus), monophagous (one plant species), unknown
- Notes – details of the organism, its host range and relevant reference
- References – where possible links to web sites are given.
The data was summarized for each invertebrate family (see ‘Summary’ page of the spreadsheet).
Further analysis is reported in a paper published in the New Zealand Entomologist: Martin NA, Paynter Q. 2014. Predicting risk from adventive herbivores to New Zealand indigenous plants. New Zealand Entomologist. 37: 21-28.
New information will be added to the spreadsheet at intervals. Any comments and information can be sent to Nicholas Martin martinn@landcareresearch.co.nz.
Nicholas Martin & Quentin Paynter, April 2015.