Jon SullivanI've been continuing to upload my backlog of moth photos to #iNaturalist and am being reminded of how there are still *a lot* of NZ insects that don't have formal scientific descriptions and names.
Here are three of my recently uploaded moths that can only be identified to genus because they are unnamed. They've been given tag names on iNat while they wait in line for a taxonomist to figure out exactly what they are and how many species they are.
In 2010 it was estimated that about 11,000 endemic terrestrial insect species in NZ had names . About 7,000 were still waiting to be named. So, about two of every five NZ insects species still lack even a name.
That was mentioned in a report to government in 2021 about how we don't know if there's a general decline in endemic insects here. It concluded that "there are insufficient data to determine the overall state and trend of insect populations in Aotearoa New Zealand."
As a country we could be doing a lot more.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/338694677
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/339970870
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/340090084
https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2024-01/PMCSA-21-10-02-V1-Intern-report-Jono-Sept-2021-final.pdf
@iveyline