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

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They b ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It has been found on the

Hen and Chicken Islands The Hen and Chicken Islands (usually known collectively 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 Whangarei with a total ...

, 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 Whangarei, and offshore halfway between Bream Head an ...

and the

Three Kings Islands 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 n ...

Taxonomy

New Zealand entomologist Donald Spiller first described and named this species in 1942, based on two specimens collected by E. G. Turbott from the

, in November 1940. ''Anagotus turbotti'' was named in honour of its collector.

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 plant in the family Scrophulariaceae endemic to New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands. It is a fast growing shrub, readily distinguished from others in the genus by the tra ...

'' and ''

Corynocarpus laevigatus Karaka or New Zealand laurel (''Corynocarpus laevigatus'') is an evergreen tree of the family Corynocarpaceae endemic to New Zealand. It is common throughout the North and South Islands to Banks Peninsula (43°45′S) and Okarito (43°20′S) ...

''.

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 in New Zealand. The ngaio weevil was discovered in 1916 by A.C. O'Connor on Stephens Island. Thomas Broun describe ...

'' 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 An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

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''
Cyclominae Beetles of New Zealand Three Kings Islands Beetles described in 1942 {{Curculionidae-stub