Story: Native plants and animals – overview

Weevils

New Zealand is a land of insects. The exact number of species is unknown, but is probably over 20,000 with around 6,000 beetle species described so far. Weevils dominate New Zealand beetle groups. These weevils, glued to cards within cigarette tins, were collected by school teacher and amateur naturalist Eric Pritchard (1909–1997). He began collecting in 1936. Donated to Auckland Museum in 1984, his collection of twenty five cigarette tins housed 5,500 specimens. Click on the image to zoom in.

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Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira

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How to cite this page:

Bob Brockie, 'Native plants and animals – overview - Species unique to New Zealand', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/10593/weevils (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Bob Brockie, published 24 Sep 2007