New Zealand Arthropod Collection (NZAC) / Ko te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa -- Overview

CITES Registration Number NZ001

 

NZAC Summary

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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 e.g., verifying the presence or absence of species in New Zealand for ERMA, or for confirming identity of newly arrived potential pests for MAF Biosecurity. The collection makes important contributions to conservation -- helping identify species-rich areas to target for protection, or for prioritising areas for restoration projects as many of the collections come from areas which, subsequently, have been modified. Primary production sectors and researchers in universities and other Crown Research Institutes (Plant and Food, AgResearch, ESR, Scion) use NZAC as a repository for specimens and a source of information. Identification services are also provided to the general public.

Background

The collection was started in Nelson in 1920 as the Cawthron Institute collection. It became the collection of the Entomological Research Station when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) combined its entomological research with the Cawthron Institute in 1936. DSIR took over full stewardship of the collection in 1956 when all entomology was transferred to the new grouping of Entomology Division, DSIR. In 1973 the collection was moved to Auckland with Entomology Division, DSIR, and merged with the smaller DSIR Plant Diseases Division collection and given its present title (NZAC). Entomology Division merged with Plant Diseases Division in 1989 to form DSIR Plant Protection. In 1992 NZAC and its associated entomological research staff became part of Landcare Research. In April 2004 Landcare Research was relocated to the Tamaki Campus of the University of Auckland, and NZAC was housed in purpose-built space, with dried pinned specimens being transferred to Cornell drawers.

Functions

To acquire, preserve, and maintain a collection of New Zealand terrestrial arthropods; to support associated biosystematic research; to provide a specialist information service for various organisations and government departments both within New Zealand and throughout the Pacific; and to be a repository for records of terrestrial arthropods for New Zealand and the Pacific.

The Collection

Contents: NZAC is the world's foremost collection of New Zealand insects and mites, and is currently recognised as a Nationally Important Science Asset of New Zealand by the Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology. It is an unique, primary source of information on the insects and mites of New Zealand. Probably about three-quarters of the specimens have been collected over the last 45 years since the formation of the systematics group. All major groups of terrestrial arthropods are well represented, collected from both from natural and man-modified habitats. It is a repository for voucher specimens from surveys, importations of biocontrol agents, and newly intercepted species. There is a substantial South Pacific collection held in trust for Pacific nations. Parts of the collection are on electronic databases, focussing on groups considered to be of special importance (e.g., type specimens, wetas, orchard leafrollers, and Fauna of New Zealand revisions).

Important Collections: The Maskell collection of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea), now over a century old. The Broun duplicate collection of beetles and the Brookes beetle collection, acquired by PDD in 1955 by purchase of the Brookes collection. Some of the early Department of Agriculture specimens from the 1920s are in the collection. There is a significant collection of weevils from South America and other parts of the world originating from the Kuschel Collection purchased in 1963.

Collection Size: There are about 6.5 million specimens, of which about 1 million are pinned. There are about 2600 primary type specimens.

Geographic Coverage: Most specimens are from the New Zealand subregion (about 6 million) and neighbouring Pacific Island Countries (0.5 million).

Specimen Protection: The pinned specimen collection is housed in air-conditioned facilities, in Cornell-sized drawers in cabinets. Fire protection is provided by an inert gas flooding system (Argonite). Most primary type specimens are held in separate cabinets Baseboards of the collection room and surrounding offices are sprayed with a long-lasting permethrin-type insecticide once a year. Ethanol preserved specimens are stored in a darkened, locked room in an adjacent building to the pinned collection. Newly acquired specimens for pinning are held in a freezer until they can be processed.

Standards for specimen preparation and curation. These are published in a handbook (Walker, A.K.; Crosby, T.K. 1988. The preparation and curation of insects. New Zealand DSIR information series 163, 92 pages. Available from Manaaki Whenua Press).

Collection databases

  1. NZACbugs, which contains information on specimens in NZAC and species present in New Zealand. Because of the large number of specimens in the collection, this part is restricted to groups that are considered to be of special importance or have been recently revised, e.g., type-specimens, wetas, orchard leafrollers, and Fauna of New Zealand revisions. There are currently more than 25000 records representing about 50000 specimens of 3500 species. Parts of this information are available as Web documents (images of Lepidoptera type specimens; genera of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera in NZAC).
  2. BUGS, which is a bibliographic database of 16000 records on New Zealand terrestrial invertebrates, covering the period 1775-1993. This has been published on CD-ROM and is available from Manaaki Whenua Press. Most of this literature is now publicly available for searching and viewing at www.bugz.org.nz. This means that published information on specimen localities, collection dates, and host plants are all now searchable in the historical literature.
  3. Pacific, a database of information on species of the Pacific, created in collaboration with UNDP / FAO-SPEC. Distribution information being made available on the SPC/FAO Web.
  4. Administration databases. Dispatch: all dispatches sent from NZAC since written records began (approximately 3000), which provides an indication of research activity on the collection. Litter: over 5000 records of bulk collections made since 1961.

Associated with the collections is one of the most extensive entomological libraries in the southern hemisphere.

Collection Users

Manaaki Whenua's invertebrate systematics researchers are the major users of NZAC databases. Information is also provided on request to many external users, and around 130 dispatches of several thousand specimens from the physical collection are sent to researchers throughout the world in a typical year.

Specimen availability

Specimens are made available to all bona fide researchers. Charges are made for identification and use of the specimens where appropriate.

Funding

Foundation for Research, Science and Technology as part of the OBI (Outcome Based Investment) Defining New Zealand's Land Biota.

Contribution to Science Goals

This asset underpins biosystematics research. Nearly all systematics revisions and monographs over the last 89 years on New Zealand's insects and mites are based entirely or in part on specimens in the collection (the Maskell collection underpins publications on scale insects from 1879). The collection also underpins quarantine and border control decisions. Current systematics work being underpinned by NZAC is the Fauna of New Zealand monograph series.

Linkages

A network of New Zealand and overseas researchers use NZAC as a repository for voucher specimens of their studies, and for type specimens of new taxa.

New Zealand: Landcare Research staff, and staff of educational and scientific institutions, particularly Crown Research Institutes (Plant and Food, AgResearch, ESR, Scion). Other users include: general public (through the identification service); government organisations (AsureQuality, MAF Biosecurity, Department of Conservation);.

International: All major entomological systematics institutes (e.g., Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra; Canadian National Insect Collection, Ottawa; The Natural History Museum, London; U.S. National Museum, Washington D.C.; Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris) and university departments; Secretariat of the Pacific Community, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation; Pacific Island Countries, BioNET.

[Last updated July 2009] Trevor K. Crosby, Email Send email to Trevor Crosby