The battle of the bugs
The small but mighty chasing entomological title
The hunt is on for New Zealand’s Bug of the Year for 2024. This is the second year the competition has been run by The Entomological Society of New Zealand, which aims to raise the profile of some of Aotearoa’s smaller, more forgotten species.
This year 20 bugs are vying for the top spot, including the venomous katipō spider, a species of tick found only on tuatara and a many-legged giant centipede.
With voting open until February 12, the Waikato Herald asked some conservationists and kaitiaki of the future which critter they’re backing this year.
Patrick Wilson (10), Kids Greening Taupō student leader:
I will vote for the New Zealand praying mantis. When I was 5, I became fascinated with these sleek and deadly (to a fly) insects that look like leaves. They would make a great Bug of the Year. We have lots of baby ones hatching in our hebes every summer, and they end up all over our garden. I even looked after a “pet” one for five weeks that I found in the garden missing a leg, and I fed it flies every day. New Zealand praying mantis, Orthodera Novaezealandiae, have a blue dot on the inside of their front legs, or a black dot when they are young.
Sue Graham, Taupō artist and conservationist:
The NZ endemic red admiral butterfly gets my vote. Living near the Waitahanui River where ongaonga (native nettles) grow, we are fortunate to see red admirals frequently during the warmer months and they often feature in my artworks. One summer when riding my bike near a raupō wetland, I was awestruck to see many kahukura butterflies flutter by all at once, like a fantasy woodland scene from a Walt Disney cartoon. People can help these dramatic-looking butterflies by eradicating wasps and planting flowers such as hebe.
Heidi Pritchard, Kids Greening Taupō education coordinator:
My vote for this year’s Bug of the Year is the red admiral butterfly or kahukura, red cloak in Mā ori. It is a beautiful butterfly that you can see around Taupō , it is a perfect example of why native plants are so important. It uses ongaonga or stinging nettle as its host plant to lay its larvae, curling the leaves around itself to create a protective tent.
Zara Pritchard, (11) Kids Greening Taupō student leader: I have chosen the NZ glowworm. I find it fascinating that they don’t actually poop but turn their waste into light which attracts more insects for them to eat. You don’t have to go to Waitomo caves to find glow worms, but you can search around damp overhangs here in Taupō to see their glowing lights.
Adelyn Pritcard (9), Kids Greening Taupō student leader: I have chosen the orange-spotted ladybird. They are caped crusaders; though they are cute with their orange dots on their backs, they are feisty when eating the aphids that kill some plants. They are important for helping other bugs and plants.
Zane Pritchard (7), Kids Greening Taupō student leader: I vote for the superb giant land-snail. I think they should win because they are so rare. Possums, rats and pigs have almost eaten all of them. I also like that they eat earthworms like they are spaghetti, slurp! These snails are important because they help scientists know how New Zealand was created based on where you can find them living. Bugs are important because they help pollinate the plants.
Victoria Orozco, Kids Greening Taupō student leader:
Ortodera novazealandiae is also known as the NZ praying mantis, the garden mantis or even the green mantis. They are a bright green colour but darker than the lime green of the South African mantis. There are 2400 species of mantis around the world, but in New Zealand we have only two. The males tend to be more sexually attracted to the South African species than our own native species, which is a problem because the females kill the males after mating with them. This reduces the number of our native species.
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See all 20 nominees and pick your top three at New Zealand Bug of the Year (ento. org.nz).