Turbott's weevil (''Anagotus turbotti'') is a

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It has been found on the

Hen and Chicken Islands The Hen and Chicken Islands, usually known as the Hen and Chickens, lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They lie east of Bream Head and south-east of Whangārei with a total area of . H ...

, the

Poor Knights Islands The Poor Knights Islands (Māori: ''Tawhiti Rahi)'' are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They lie to the northeast of Whangārei, and offshore halfway between Bream Head ...

and the

Three Kings Islands 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...

Taxonomy

New Zealand entomologist Donald Spiller first described this species in 1942, originally named as ''Phaeophanus turbotti''. The description was based on two specimens collected by E. G. Turbott from the

in November 1940, leading the weevil to be named in honour of its collector. Turbott's weevil was recombined into the genus '' Anagotus'' in 1982 by

Guillermo Kuschel Guillermo Kuschel (13 July 1918 – 1 August 2017) was a Chilean/New Zealand entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of weevils. After studies in philosophy and theology, he attained a PhD in biological sciences from the Univ ...

Description

Turbott's weevil is one of the largest and most colourful of New Zealand's endemic weevils. This species is flightless and ranges in length from 18-25mm. It has conspicuous white markings and obvious tubercles.

Life cycle

The larvae of Turbott's weevils are wood borers and have been discovered in several different tree species. However they are most commonly found in ngaio and karaka trees.

Distribution and habitat

The locality from which the type specimen of this species was collected is the island of Aorangi. As well as the Poor Knights Islands, Turbott's weevil can also be found on the

and on Muriwhenua of the

. Adult beetles have been collected from ''

Myoporum laetum ''Myoporum laetum'', commonly known as ngaio ( , ) or mousehole tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae and is Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. It is a fast growing shrub or small tree with lance-shaped leaves, the ...

'' and ''

Corynocarpus laevigatus ''Corynocarpus laevigatus'', commonly known as karaka or the New Zealand laurel, is a medium-sized evergreen tree in the family Corynocarpaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is common throughout the North Island and less common in the Sou ...

''.

Behaviour

Adult weevils are active both day and night and have been observed consuming the leaves of the ngaio tree.

Predation

The Turbott's weevil is prone to rat predation. This is due to it being large and slow moving. The extinction of its sister species, ''

Anagotus stephenensis ''Anagotus stephenensis'', commonly known as the ngaio weevil, is a large flightless weevil that is only found on Stephens Island (New Zealand), Stephens Island in New Zealand. The ngaio weevil was discovered in 1916 by A.C. O'Connor on Stephen ...

'' from the mainland was probably due to rat predation. The Turbott's weevil was probably more widespread historically, but is now only found on predator-free islands.

Conservation status and efforts

In September 2006 the

Department of Conservation Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

translocated 30 Turbott's weevils from Muriwhenua Island to Lady Alice Island, a predator free Island also in the

group. This was done in the hope that they would become established on that Island. To assist with their establishment the weevils were placed inside cages situated in West Bay containing tree species the weevils are known to consume. Turbott's weevil are protected under Schedule 7 of The 1953 Wildlife Act, making it an offense to hunt, kill or possess a specimen.

References

External links

The New Zealand Organisms register entry for ''Anagotus turbotti''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21243290 Cyclominae Endemic beetles of New Zealand Fauna of Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands Beetles described in 1942