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History of weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) translocation in New Zealand: lessons learned, islands as sanctuaries and the future

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Insect Conservation and Islands

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Abstract

Establishing new populations by transferring founder individuals from source populations has been effective for managing the recovery of many threatened species including some weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) in New Zealand. These large-bodied flightless insects are ‘flagship species’ for insect conservation in New Zealand and many are rare or threatened. The declining abundance of most weta species, particularly giant weta, can be attributed to the introduction of mammalian predators, habitat destruction, and habitat modification by introduced mammalian browsers. New populations of some weta have been established in locations, particularly on islands, where these threats have been eliminated or severely reduced in order to reduce the risk of extinction. Some populations were established to provide food for endemic vertebrates, ecosystem restoration and ready access for the general public. We illustrate how methods for both transferring weta and monitoring them have become more sophisticated by using a series of case studies. Other transfers of weta not included in the case studies are also summarised. We conclude by re-iterating the importance of documenting the transfer and post-release monitoring for all insect transfers, both for biogeographical reasons and to provide information to improve future transfers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Corinne Watts

  2. Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10-420, Wellington, 6143, New Zealand

    Ian Stringer & Greg Sherley

  3. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    George Gibbs

  4. Department of Conservation, Private Bag, 68908, Newton, Auckland, New Zealand

    Chris Green

Authors
  1. Corinne Watts
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  2. Ian Stringer
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  3. Greg Sherley
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  4. George Gibbs
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  5. Chris Green
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Corinne Watts .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    T. R. New

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Watts, C., Stringer, I., Sherley, G., Gibbs, G., Green, C. (2008). History of weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) translocation in New Zealand: lessons learned, islands as sanctuaries and the future. In: New, T.R. (eds) Insect Conservation and Islands. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8782-0_14

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