Tag Archives: Anagotus

Anagotus sp. ‘Waitomo’

Waitomo Tussock Weevil (Anagotus sp.)  

The Waitomo Tussock Weevil is an up to date undescribed species that is known from several subfossil remains that were recovered from the deposits of a 14 m deep vertical limestone shaft on a farm in the Fred Cave Catchment in the Waitomo District in western North Island, New Zealand; additional material (at least one elytron) was also found in the deposits of the so-called Buried Forest of Pureora, which was buried under pumice ejected during an eruption of Taupo crater at around 186 AD..

It was a very large species, reaching a length of about 2,5 cm; it is a member of the species group that includes the Tussock Weevil (Anagotus lewisi (Broun)), thus is believed to have been associated with species of the native tussock grass (Chionochloa sp.) too.

The species is extinct, it fell victim to the Pacific Rats (Rattus exulans (Peale)), introduced by the Maori.  

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References:  

[1] G. Kuschel: The subfamily Molytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): general notes and descriptions of new taxa from New Zealand and Chile. New Zealand Entomologist 9: 11-29. 1987
[2] Corinne H. Watts; Maureen J. Marra; Chris J. green; Lynette A. Hunt; Danny Thornburrow: Comparing fossil and extant beetles in central North Island forests, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 49(1): 1-20. 2019

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edited: 05.11.2020