Tim New

La Trobe University · Department of Zoology

Pitfall trapping is one of the most commonly used methods to survey surface-active invertebrates, but has many potential biases that may affect the catch of invertebrates. The distance between pitfall traps (inter-trap spacing) is one such factor. The abundance, richness and composition of invertebrate orders, and species of ants and beetles was ex...

Native grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in south eastern Australia. Conservation of grassland remnants and development of effective indicator groups to monitor their quality is a high priority. Recent surveys of epigaeic invertebrates have revealed several candidate groups for this. Ants are a popular focal group for invertebrat...

We introduce an initiative to assess and compare landscape changes related to human activities on a global scale, using a single group of invertebrates. The GLOBENET programme uses common field methodology (pitfall trapping), to appraise assemblages of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in visually-similar land-mosaics (urban-rural gradients)....

A series of alate Zoraptera from Sabah, East Malaysia, is identified tentatively as Zorotypus caudelli Karny. Augmented description of both sexes is provided and used to augment understanding of generic limits in the order.

Selection of informative focal groups is an important avenue to increasing the applications of invertebrates in conservation assessments and inventory studies, and to help overcome the challenges of high diversity, all-taxon surveys and taxonomic inadequacy. Spiders are a possible focal group of wide relevance in terrestrial ecosystems, but conside...

Advantages and shortcomings of listing insect species for conservation priority are discussed, and the limitations of species focusing as a primary conservation strategy are emphasized. Possible methods to improve the listing process for enhanced conservation effects are noted.

The phylogeny of the 40 species of the genus Phoracantha is cladistically analyzed. Phoracantha faunal composition, biogeographic distribution patterns of species groups, and pest status of economically important species are described and discussed. Phoracantha is a monophyletic genus containing all species of the former Tryphocaria. Two large spec...

Sampling of larval and adult Odonata from 16 sites along the Kiewa River, Victoria, yielded 34 species: 10 Zygoptera, 24 Anisoptera. Patterns of larval and adult incidence were appraised, and showed that most species were restricted in incidence to several consecutive sites along the river, and that there is clear distinction also between the fauna...

xvi+395 pp.

xvi+395 pp

Interest in insects as conservation foci and as tools in broader conservation assessment has accelerated markedly in recent years, but the diversity and complexity of insect life demands a more focussed and structured approach to 'biodiversity' and inventory studies than has commonly occurred. Strategies for insect conservation are reviewed, togeth...

This chapter outlines the principles and conditions for use of some of the techniques used to sample invertebrates from aquatic habitats, both fresh¬ water and marine. Many of the principles and apparatus are similar for the two habitats, but there are numerous differences due to scale and ease of access. Many of the marine-based devices used in de...

The major practical barriers to increasing wider interest in invertebrate conservation and conducting effective surveys have been stressed repeatedly in earlier chapters, but devolve into three major categories. 1. The adverse images and public profile or, at least, general apathy with which invertebrates are regarded. 2. The widespread lack of app...

The methods described, or alluded to, in the previous chapters exemplify the great variety of active or passive techniques available to extract invertebrates from natural habitats, and many of the difficulties of quantification or of relying on any single method to provide definitive information. Most groups of invertebrates can thus be collected o...

The majority of creatures are invertebrates. Invertebrate animals are the major energy conduits and agents of nutrient and material recycling in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world, and the sustainability of the earth's life-support systems depends on their well-being. Despite this, conservation managers and practiti...

Our appreciation of conservation need comes commonly from noticing de¬ cline of species’ abundance or distribution, or changes to ecosystems, and the realization that these may lead to them becoming extinct or non-sustainable. The enormous variety of threats to species and habitats as a consequence of human activities leading to declines or losses...

This is the first of two chapters that introduce some of the equipment and practical tools which may be used to sample invertebrates by collecting and extracting them from samples of habitat, such as soil, vegetation or fresh¬ water or marine sediments. The separate major invertebrate habitats, which demand rather different sets of apparatus and ap...

Gaining consistent and reliable samples of invertebrates is the first stage in the process of detecting the presence of particular taxa or of interpreting the diversity and ecology of invertebrate assemblages, and many of the subsequent stages pose even greater problems, both in ensuring reliability and in the costs involved. Indeed, simply gaining...

The expense and complexity of single species invertebrate conservation renders it impracticable as the sole-or, even, major-strategy to pursue, because only a minute proportion of the taxa needing conservation could possibly be treated, even though the wide taxonomic spectrum of taxa considered provides a solid framework for development. Funding an...

There are several distinct levels for focus in practical conservation and invertebrate surveys. The questions posed may differ substantially both be¬ tween and within each level, and on whether the invertebrates are direct targets for conservation or tools for broader environmental assessment in setting priorities among sites or assemblages. The pr...

The practicalities of sampling and sample analysis, particularly the recogni¬tion and identification of taxa at finer levels of separation, tend to ensure that not all the groups of organisms in invertebrate surveys are processed for incorporation into analysis, synthesis and decision-making. The dearth of practical identification guides, coupled w...

Single species studies have been a major impetus for invertebrate conserva¬tion, and will continue to capture the imagination and to test the ingenuity of biologists and managers alike. Studies on assemblages or particular taxo-nomic groups commonly purport to assess change in diversity or relative abundance over space or time. Much decision-making...

Eumantispa spp. usually show markedly asymmetrical wing venation, and this character is used in defining the genus. This is illustrated and discussed in relation to fluctuating asymmetry, which is used as a measure of environmental stress. Rapid Science Ltd. 1998

Use of the diverse Australian carabid fauna in environmental assessment is at present restricted, because of lack of ecological and faunistic information and the difficulties of identifying most taxa. They are not yet a core focal group in monitoring studies. In contrast to groups such as ants, in particular, many carabids are usually captured in o...

Lepidoptera have attracted more attention than other insects in the development of insect conservation, commonly as charismatic ‘flagship‘ species. Wider benefits of conservation studies on single species include developing and clarifying their role as putative ‘umbrella‘ taxa whereby their protection also confers protection on coexisting organisms...

Acrodipsas myrmecophila is a focal species of a threatened butterfly assemblage at Mount Piper, Victoria. Caterpillars are myrmecophagous and develop within colonies of a coconut ant, Papyrius 'nitidus'. Elucidating the biology of the ant is thus an important component of defining 'critical habitat' for the endangered butterfly. The use of trap nes...

Reviews butterfly conservation efforts.

The amount of protein in a single butterfly is small, yet the discarded bodies of butterflies whose wings are used in Taiwan to construct tourist items such as laminated tablecloths and placemats are sufficiently numerous to be used for pig food. But, unlike most of the other taxa discussed in this book, the major commercial appeal for butterflies...

Six biogeographic subregions of the phoracanthine beetles are proposed on the basis of 136 valid species in all eleven genera of this Australasian group of insects: the Kosciuskan, Western, Eyrean, Torresian, Timorian and New Guinean. Both phenetic and cladistic approaches are employed in the biogeographic study of these beetles. Phenetically, the...

Biodiversity and invertebrates Why conserve invertebrates? A changing world: the threats to invertebrates Practical invertebrate conservation: approaches and setting priorities Captive breeding and the introduction of invertebrates Regulation, legislation and assessment of status Some case-histories of invertebrate conservation The future of invert...

Developmental stages of larvae of eight species of Anisoptera from the Kiewa River and Middle Creek, Victoria, were determined and their phenology investigated. The last six to nine instars of each species were distinguished by size frequency and scatter plots, using labium width, metafemur and wing-pad measurements, and the early instars were esti...

The immense ecological importance of invertebrate animals is discussed in relation to using ecological values in setting priorities for their conservation. The spectrum of values, from taxa that we know perform vital ecological roles to taxa that may be ecologically redundant, is outlined.

The development of the eggs of six species of Anisoptera from the Kiewa River and Middle Creek, Victoria was studied by incubating eggs over a range of temperatures, comparable to that found in the two streams. The eggs of each species developed directly, with an increase in development rate with increase in temperature. There appeared to be differ...

Studies in many countries show the complexity of management needs for single species, and examples of management and recovery plans demonstrate the worth of this approach. In many tropical regions however, where butterfly faunas are more diverse than in temperate zones and the resources for practical conservation are restricted, the major emphasis...

A new species of Zorotypus Silvestri, Z. lawrencei, sp.nov., is described from female specimens collected on Christmas Island, marking the first species of the insect order Zoraptera from an Australian territory.

Surveys for juvenile Mythimna convecta throughout the agricultural and arid regions of eastern Australia were conducted from 1986 to 1989. Armyworm populations north of 33 degrees S were generally dominated by M. convecta, and further south by Persectania ewingii. M. convecta was most widely distributed in spring. Incidence during autumn and winter...

Development of the science of butterfly conservation in northern temperate regions has set a sound basis on which other parts of the world, less advanced in aspects of their conservation capability, awareness or planning, can draw. But equally, incorporation of experiences and perspectives from other zoogeographical regions can contribute to more e...

Butterflies are the prime group of "flagship' invertebrates for conservation studies in Australia. Examples of priority-interest butterfly species are discussed. A conservation status evaluation has been accomplished for many species as a basis for designing management or recovery plans, and progress towards these is evaluated and discussed for sel...

Only a small number of recovery programmes have been proposed for threatened Australian invertebrate species. This highlights the shortage of precise data on distribution and abundance that makes it difficult to determine which invertebrate species are actually threatened. The planning and implementation of recovery programmes for threatened Austra...

Butterfly ranching is an important facet of promoting habitat conservation in tropical regions. Recent developments, emphasizing centralized co-ordination of rural cottage industries, are summarized to indicate progress in integration of trade and larger scale species and habitat sustainability.

Two new species of Australian Mantispidae, Theristria taroom from inland, southeastern Queensland and Campion kroombitensis, from Kroombit Tops, central Queensland, are described and figured.

The genus Thoris Pascoe is revised. Two species are described as new: T. octoguttata from Australia and T. brandti from New Guinea. Diagnoses of all other species are given and their terminaha described. T. moerens Blackburn is transferred to Allotisis Pascoe. A key to the eight species is provided. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that this genus be...

The massive diversity of invertebrates, lack of taxonomic and ecological knowledge of most groups, and the low likelihood of greatly increased logistic capability to acquire this, ensure that conventional "inventory' approaches will remain unfulfilled. In order to incorporate invertebrates meaningfully into a broad range of conservation assessment...

Problems of measuring invertebrate diversity in natural communities are discussed, together with the rationale of setting priorities for effective conservation of invertebrates. The “Crisis” in invertebrate conservation has scientific, logistic, and ethical dimensions. There is need to estimate these in conjunction with a range of values and educat...

Aquatic insects. By WilliamsD. Dudley and FeltmateBlair W. (Wallingford, Oxon: CAB International, 1992). 360 pp. Soft cover £24.50, US$46.50. ISBN 0-85198-782-6. - Volume 83 Issue 2 - T. R New

Callistoleon manselli New, sp.n., from central Queensland, Australia, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to C. illustris (Gerstaecker), with which it has been confused in the past.

Records are given for 10 species of Pseudocaeciliidae from East Malaysia, representing the genera Pseudoscottiella Badonnel (1 species), Ophiodopelma Enderlein (3), Heterocaecilius Lee & Thornton (4, of which 2, H. leei and H. anareolatus are described as new and illustrated), Pseudocaecilius Hagen (1) and Lobocaecilius Lee & Thornton (1).

The ppaer re-examines three suggestions previously made concerning the colonization of the Krakatau islands since the extirpating 1883 eruption that involve the more recently emergent volcanic island Anak Krakatau, which itself suffered a devastating eruption in 1952. The suggestions re-addressed in the light of recent comments by other workers are...

The development of understanding of butterfly conserva-tion in Australia is reviewed. A summary is given of the dramatic changes to Australian terrestrial environments which have occurred since Caucasian settlement, and some factors leading to butterfly decline in recent years are itemised. The study of Australian butter-flies is summarised, and th...

Arrival of invertebrates on the Krakatau islands, and the development of invertebrate assemblages there since 1883, are reviewed. Many data are imprecise, and difficulties of interpretation are outlined. A few well-known groups, such as butterflies, are used to suggest that much colonisation so far has been by relatively generalist species,and that...

The Pseudocaeciliidae of West Malaysia are reviewed, and 27 new species, belonging to five genera, Lobocaecilius Lee & Thornton (5 new species), Allocaecilius Lee & Thornton (2), Pseudocaecilius Enderlein (3), Heterocaecilius Lee & Thornton (10), and Pseudoscottiella Badonnel (7), are described. Pseudoscottiella, one of two pseudocaeciliid genera w...

A new species of Trichadenotecnum, viz., T. gombakensis, sp. nov. is described, and new distributional records given of five others, from West Malaysia. A key to the eight species recorded from the area is provided.

Three species of Philotarsidae are recorded from West Malaysia, representing the genera Aaroniella Mockford (A. kepongensis, sp. nov.) and Haplophallus Thornton (H. orientalis Thornton, H. cubitalis New & Thornton), and are the first records of the family from Malaysia.

Records are given for 20 species of Ectopsocidae (Ectopsocus 19, Ectopsocopsis 1) from West Malaysia. Eight species of Ectopsocus are described as new and a further five are recorded from Malaysia for the first time.

When describing an unusual species of Psyllipsocus Sélys-Longchamps from Malaysia, we inadvertently used a preoccupied specific name. A new name is, therefore, needed for the Malaysian species as a replacement for the junior homonym.

Psocoptera were collected from soil (by Kempson extraction) and from tree trunks (by arboreal photoeclectors) at two contrasting sites near Manaus, Brazil, for one year. The predominant soil taxa were Epipsocetae, especially Isthmopsocus, and a number of minor constituents are probably casual litter‐frequenters. Tree trunks yielded several taxa abs...

Information is given on Osmylidae from Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. The regional fauna is dominated by Spilosmylinae, and keys are given to facilitate identification of species of Thaumatosmylus Krüger (5 species, 2 described as new) and Spilosmylus Kolbe (14 species, 3 described as new). A new species of Osmylus Latre...

Fifteen species of Peripsocus Hagen are recorded from West Malaysia, of which seven are described as new and illustrated. The male of P. valvulus Thornton and Wong is described for the first time, and P. bifidus Thornton recorded from West Malaysia for the first time.

Twenty four species of Psocoptera are recorded from southern China, predominantly from Guangdong Province or Hainan Island. Six are described as new and illustrated, representing the genera Isophanes, Caecilius, Heterocaecilius, Mesopsocus and (?)Neoblaste.

Psyllipsocus ornatus, sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the Cameron Highlands, W. Malaysia, and is unusual in Psyllipsocidae in having heavily patterned fore wings.

Additional records from West Malaysia are provided for seven described species of Epipsocidae, three of them recorded from the area for the first time. A new species, Epipsocopsis cameronensis is described and illustrated.

Two species of Lachesilla, L. pedicularia (L.) and L. brinchangensis sp. nov., are recorded from West Malaysia. The latter is described and illustrated.

Examination of cases of turnover in animal species on the Krakataus since 1883, particularly vertebrates, supports the findings of plant ecologists that very little, if any, turnover is stochastic. Successional, rather than equilibrium turnover is still occurring in all animal groups for which analyses can be made; for no group of animals is there...

Psocoptera collected from a range of vegetation associations at The Grampians and Mt Arapiles, 2 inland highland localities in western Victoria, are listed and discussed. Ten visits during 1988 yielded 32 species of Psocoptera (The Grampians 27, Mt Arapiles 13). The faunas of the 2 areas are compared, and a more extensive comparison is made with ea...

Malaise trap catches in the Reserva Nacional Magallanes, Chile, over about 10 months yielded only two species of Neuroptera, both Hemerobiidae. Notes on these species and their relationships are given. Hemerobius chilensis Nakahara was known previously from southern Chile, and Mega‐lomus magallanicus is described as new and illustrated.

The Myrmeleontidae known from New Guinea are revised, and keys and illustrations provided to facilitate identification of the 17 species. They are referred to 11 genera, and 12 species are not known from elsewhere. Seven species (Mossega – 2, Dendroleon – 1, Bandidus – 3, Stenogymnocnemia – 1) are described as new. Most species are closely related...

A key is presented to 24 named species of Heteroconis Enderlein known for the New Guinea area. Nine new species are described, including the first known male of the subgenus Drepanoconis Tjeder, and two which appear to be intermediate between this and true Heteroconis. Two further species, which are unnamed, are noted on the basis of single females...

Psocoptera collected from a range of vegetation types on 5 visits to Hinders and King Is in 1987–1988, and on a visit to Deal I. in April 1987 are listed. They are discussed in relation to the Psocoptera of Cape Otway and Wilson's Promontory, Victoria. 38 species were found on Flinders I., 24 on King I. and 10 on Deal I. Some species occurred mainl...

The three larval stages of the sole species of Norfolius Navás, N.howensis (Tillyard), are described and figured. Features of possible phylogenetic value are discussed in relation to other known nymphid larvae, and differences between instars are appraised for the first time in the family.

The endemic Australian stenosmyline genus Oedosmylus is revised, and its affinities with Euporismus are discussed. Four new species are described and illustrated, and a key to the eight species now known is provided. The female of Euporismus is described.

Adult Geitoneura klugii klugii (Guerin-Meneville) and G. acantha ocrea (Guest) were collected throughout the 1985-86 flight season. Females were dissected to determine mating state and ovarian development on each occasion. Fecundity and duration of egg development were measured. Most females mate when pre-reproductive. Females were predominantly mo...

Geitoneura klugii klugii (Guerin-Meneville) and G. acantha ocrea (Guest) coexist over much of south- eastern Australia. Their adult phenology, sex ratios, population sizes, longevity and habitat distribution were compared at several sites near Melbourne, in 1985-86. Both species are univoltine and protandrous. G. klugii appears slightly earlier in...

Eighty species of Psocoptera, of 15 families, were collected on the four Krakatau islands in 1982-86, about a century after the 1883 eruption of Krakatau. The most abundant species on the Krakataus (in the families Lepidopsocidae, Ectopsocidae and Peripsocidae, which are also three of the four most diverse families on the Krakatau group) are typica...

The Neuroptera of the Krakatau Islands are reviewed and discussed. One new species of Coniopterygidae is described, and representatives of Berothidae and Hemerobiidae recorded from the islands for the first time. Ten species were found in 1984-85, and their geographical affinities are discussed. Spilosmylus modestus (Gerstaecker) is redescribed and...

Collections of butterflies from the Krakatau Islands made from 1982-85 are discussed. Twenty species new to the island group and many new records to particular islands imply that the butterfly fauna is far from equilibrium. The colonization trends are discussed in relation to the habitats available, and conservation measures are suggested.

Catches of arthropods in white water traps on ash-covered lava flows on Anak Krakatau, Indonesia, in August 1985 included more than 70 species representing 10 orders: Araneae, Collembola, Orthoptera, Dermaptera, Psocoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera. Diptera and Hymenoptera made up more than half the total catch. T...

The most abundant arthropod on bare lava flows of Anak Krakatau, Speonemobius sp. (Orthoptera, Gryllidae), is flightless, nocturnal or crepuscular, and omnivorous. Its role as a key species dependent on arthropod fall-out is discussed.

Three small ponds, one on Sertung and two on Panjang, are the only known permanent freshwater bodies on the Krakatau Islands. Their macroinvertebrates were investigated in 1986. The three ponds differ substantially, each being dominated by different invertebrate groups. Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera are recorded for the Krakatau Islands for the fir...

The results of surveys made of the invertebrate fauna of the Krakatau Islands in the 1980s, about 100 years since Krakatau's destructive eruption, are reviewed in the context of earlier surveys, and as a reference for future work on the islands as colonization continues. The possibility of invertebrates surviving the 1883 eruption is discussed and,...