NZAC and holdings
NZAC has the most complete coverage of terrestrial invertebrates of all the collections held in New Zealand. In addition to its fundamental systematics value, the collection underpins quarantine and border control decisions i.e., verifying the presence or absence of species in New Zealand. The collection makes important contributions to conservation by helping to identify species-rich areas to target for protection. The CITES Registration Number for NZAC is NZ001.
New Zealand Arthropod Collection (NZAC) Overview
Contact a curator for information on specimen holdings
Download PDF file of NZAC Policies for Collection Management
NZAC News: an electronic newsletter covering terrestrial invertebrate biosystematics research and events at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection (NZAC), Auckland
Preparing and curating specimens. Download PDF file of Walker & Crosby (1988) "The Preparation and Curation of Insects". N.Z. DSIR Information Series 163 (3.76 Mb) This is a fully searchable PDF facsimile of the printed publication, which is now out-of-print. The book provides details on the standards used in NZAC for preparing and curating specimens; however, a few sections are no longer relevant, such as how labels are produced and equipment suppliers. The book has been made available for individual use only and is not to be posted on websites (links should be made to this page). Left click on the hypertext link to download and open the file directly; right click to save it without opening it directly or to choose to open the file in a new window or tab.
How to send insects through the post – A reliable method for sending live insects through the post in standard sized envelopes.
New Zealand Area Codes for recording specimen localities ("Crosby codes"). Download the data layer for the Area Codes to use in Geographic Information System (GIS) programs, or check online the Area Code polygon boundaries. There is no charge made to download this data layer, but you do need to register your name and email address and then sign in to access the website information. Check the conditions of use listed in the Licence, and acknowledge the source of the data in all derivative works: "Data reproduced with the permission of Landcare Research New Zealand Limited". Download a copy of the paper defining these Area Codes (Crosby, T.K.; Dugdale, J.S.; Watt, J.C. 1998. Area Codes for recording specimen localities in the New Zealand subregion. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 25(2): 175-183).
NZAC Primary type specimen holdings
- Acari (mites and ticks) primary type specimens in NZAC
- Araneae (spiders) primary type specimens in NZAC
- Diptera (true flies) primary type specimens in NZAC
- Hemiptera (virtual collection of primary types)
- Hymenoptera (ants, wasps and bees) primary type specimens in NZAC
- Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) primary type specimens in NZAC
NZAC Specimen Holdings
TFBIS-funded (Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) specimen information
Curation status of NZAC specimen holdings
N.Z. Literature
Pacific literature and plant-animal associations
Online version of the technical publication of Maddison (1993) "UNDP/FAO-SPEC Survey of Agricultural Pests and Diseases in the South Pacific Technical Report Volume 3. Pests and other Fauna associated with Plants"
Summary PDFs by Maddison & Crosby (2009) of the technical publication of Maddison (1993).
N.Z. Lepidoptera Project
- Static text documents
- Dynamically generated documents
- Lepidoptera images (compare 2 simultaneously). View 2 type specimens side-by-side with frames-capable browsers, plus collection details.
- Lepidoptera images. View 1 type specimen at a time, with its collection details.
N.Z. Onychophora project
- New Zealand Onychophora – a small group of terrestrial animals, commonly known as peripatus or ‘velvet worms’.
Education
- Insects & Spiders of New Zealand/Aotearoa / Ngā pepeke me ngā pūngāwerewere o Aotearoa- English/Māori education resource.
- What is this bug? / He aha tenei pepeke?- English/Māori guide to common invertebrates of New Zealand.
90th birthday of Dr Guillermo (Willy) Kuschel, 13 July 2008
Weevil specialist Dr Willy Kuschel celebrated his 90th birthday on 13 July 2008. Willy came to New Zealand in 1962 to be in charge of the then newly created Systematics Section of Entomology Division, DSIR. Through his initiatives, NZAC soon became recognised as the major insect collection for New Zealand. To celebrate his 90th birthday, his 2003 Fauna of New Zealand 45 contribution on Nemonychidae, Belidae, and Brentidae was made available as a free, searchable PDF.
As well , his renowned 1990 publication Beetles in a suburban environment: a New Zealand case study -- The identity and status of Coleoptera in the natural and modified habitats of Lynfield, Auckland (1974-1989), DSIR Plant Protection Report number 3, 118 p. was also made available as a PDF (you can still Purchase the printed book.).
Download PDF file of Beetles in a suburban environment
Printer quality
(11.36 Mb)
Screen quality (6.27 MB).
This is a PDF facsimile of the printed publication, and is fully searchable. It is supplied for individual use only and is not to be posted on websites (links should be made to this page). Left click on the hypertext link to download and open the file directly; right click to save it without opening it directly or to choose to open the file in a new window or tab.