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Samuel Purdie Wildlife, Dunedin (2026)

25/02/2026

Bugs that people mix up! Read below for more information.🪲 Post inspired by . Lizards next?! 🦎

1. Mantises: Wide prothorax + blue spots on the forelimbs in the New Zealand mantis (v skinny prothorax and uniform green forelimbs in South African mantis).

2. Flies: Vibrant metallic blue-violet bottom and orange thoracic spiracles in our native blue blowfly (v. blue bottom with silvery dusting and brown thoracic spiracles in the European blue blowfly).

3. Cockroaches: Small adult body size (typically ≤ 15 mm) in most native roaches (v large adult body size > 15 mm in exotic Gizzy roach).

4. Beetles: Come on, team. 🪲

5. Bugs: Glossy, vibrant finish in New Zealand vegetable bug (v matte cuticle with a row of three spots in the exotic, southern green stinky).

6: Wasps: Prominent notch on the inner margin of each eye in the Mason wasp (v no ocular notches in the roach huntress).

16/02/2026

The white-bellied skink (Oligosoma hoparatea) is thought to be one of New Zealand's most threatened reptile species. These slinky skinks hail from the arid screes of Ashburton Lakes, where they are only known to persist in three locations. At a glance, O. hoparatea may look rather like McCann's skink (Oligosoma maccanni), but this athletic beast is patently different. Its head morphology, colouration, and general proportions (including that big ole ear hole) are all noticeably distinct — irrespective of its large adult body size. Nevertheless, if you ever encounter a skink in Canterbury's vast high country, take a photo! Endless screes ooze down the local mountains, many of which have never been searched by herpetologists. Sadly, white-bellied skink populations appear to be nosediving toward extinction, so every ounce of knowledge will help conservationists protect these elegant reptiles. Although the threats to white-bellied skinks are poorly understood, exotic mammals — including mice — are implicated in their rarity. Accordingly, are furiously battling these fuzzy foes in an attempt to protect one of the last known white-bellied skink strongholds. The future is looking bleak for pukumā. 🦎
-belliedskink

14/02/2026

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a pretty steamy time of year for buggos here in New Zealand — keep an eye out for these little lovers and watch your step! 🦗🪲
1. Minute grasshopper (Sigaus minutus).
2. Niveaphasma annulata.
3. Golden-spotted tiger beetle (Cosmodela aurulenta)
4. Chatham Island weevil (Strongylopterus chathamensis).

09/01/2026

The marine caddisfly (Philanisus plebius) is one of the only insects in the world that spends most of its life in seawater. While adults of this species — like the one pictured — flit about the coast on warm summer evenings, Philanisus larvae idle along the benthos of intertidal pools (hence, their other colloquial name — the intertidal caddisfly). Here, they tolerate some of the harshest conditions of any caddis — ocean salinity, meagre oxygen, toasty temperatures, and ever-fluctuating water levels. To endure this relentless environment, and its manifold predators, marine caddisfly larvae construct a protective case using coralline algae. They're effectively stuck in a crunchy sleeping bag. If this lifestyle wasn't claustrophobia-inducing enough, consider the fact that marine caddisflies begin life within the coela of starfish — adult female marine caddisflies use a long oviscapt to inject eggs into the starfish's arms! 🌊
To celebrate some of Aotearoa's most distinguished critters, I will be uploading a series of posts dedicated to New Zealand's Bug of the Year (2026). The intertidal caddisfly is just one of many marvellous contenders! Please follow the link below to visit the Ent Soc's Bug of the Year website. Who do you think should be crowned 2026's undisputed 'Bug of the Year'?! 🪲🦗🐌🐛🪳🦋🕷️
https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2026/

07/01/2026

The Māhoenui giant wētā (Deinacrida mahoenui) is one of Aotearoa's chunkiest wētā species. It is a miracle that this colossal insect even exists. While all of its close relatives perished on mainland New Zealand, D. mahoenui clung to existence in a tiny patch of tawa forest near Te Kuiti. As this forest was invaded by exotic mammalian predators, the mahogany giants scraped by — miraculously — in a patch of European gorse. Sharp spines protected Māhoenui giant wētā for a while, but declining population trends indicate that they are no longer safe here. Thankfully, Māhoenui giant wētā have been translocated to several predator-free sanctuaries and appear to be thriving in at least one of these. With a new introduction to Rotokare Scenic Reserve in 2025, the future is looking even more promising for these gorgeous insects. 🦗
To celebrate some of Aotearoa's most distinguished critters, I will be uploading a series of posts dedicated to New Zealand's Bug of the Year (2026). The Māhoenui giant wētā is just one of many marvellous contenders! Please follow the link below to visit the Ent Soc's Bug of the Year website — voting opens January 1st. Who do you think should be crowned 2026's undisputed 'Bug of the Year'?! 🪲🦗🐌🐛🪳🦋🕷️
https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-2026/

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas, everyone! In the spirit of festivity, here is a small selection of native New Zealand critters that will forever vaguely resemble Christmas. 🎄🪲🦎
1. Mumu chafer (Stethaspis longicornis).

2. Benhamia stratznizkii.

3. April green cicada (Kihihia ochrina).

4. Harlequin gecko (Tukutuku rakiurae).

5. Red damselfly (Xanthocnemis zealandica).

6. Dark Coprosma carpet (Austrocidaria similata).

7. Large green stonefly (Stenoperla prasina).

8. Green skink (Oligosoma chloronoton).

19/12/2025

The South Island lichen moth (Ipana egregia) is perhaps one of New Zealand's most iconic insects. Before you question this notion, consider reaching into your wallet (or your wealthy friend's)! This unostentatious lichen mimic is immortalised on Aotearoa's most valuable legal tender — the $100 bill. Most people have never heard of Ipana egregia, but with more than 2.5 million red bills in circulation, it is hard to deny the extravagant profile of these exquisite geometrids. I like to think that thousands of New Zealand residents carry a little lichen moth in their pocket every single day. Once again, I did not have a $100 bill in my wallet when I saw this moth — pity the two strangers that I asked didn't either (ha!). 🦋
Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū, Canterbury, New Zealand

16/12/2025

The Canterbury knobbled weevil (Hadramphus tuberculatus) is one of Aotearoa's most critically threatened insects. It almost exclusively occupies speargrass (Aciphylla spp.) — its host plant — and it is flightless. As with many of New Zealand's insect oddities, such traits do not bode well for survival in a rapidly changing world.

These bumpy beetles were once widespread throughout the Canterbury plains from about Arthur's Pass all the way down to Waimate. However, by 1922 this species vanished. It was presumed to be extinct for more than 80 years — until a single population was discovered in 2004, near Burkes Pass. Like Lazarus, the knobbled weevil was observed ambling through the plains once again.

By the mid 2000s, Canterbury knobbled weevils dwindled at their only known locality. Indeed, Lazarus did not live forever. A history of fire, agriculture, pigs, and presumably rodents, appeared to be too much for humble Hadramphus to endure. That was, until another population was discovered in 2024 — phew! Climate change, habitat modification, and a suite of mammals still seriously threaten the existence of these beetles, but conservationists now have a little more time to figure out how to save them. 🪲
To celebrate some of Aotearoa's most distinguished critters, I will be uploading a series of posts dedicated to New Zealand's Bug of the Year (2026). The Canterbury knobbled weevil is just one of many marvellous contenders! Please follow the link below to visit the Ent Soc's Bug of the Year website — voting opens January 1st. Who do you think should be crowned 2026's undisputed 'Bug of the Year'?! 🪲🦗🐌🐛🪳🦋🕷️
https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/

03/12/2025

Jewelled geckos (Naultinus gemmeus) are renowned for their dazzling diamonds and vibrant colouration, but not all jewelled geckos are green. In some populations, males become brown or grey — often with no green markings whatsoever.
One compelling explanation for this sexual dichromatism is the behavioural differences between sexes combined with localised habitat variation. Male jewelled geckos are typically more dispersive than females and thus, have a proclivity to wander through a greater variety of habitats. A brown paint job might be advantageous if you're trying to evade predators among the grey shrublands of Aotearoa's eastern South Island. Conversely, if you're a male elegant gecko (Naultinus elegans) dwelling in the lush greenery of a forest canopy, moving across the open ground might not be necessary.
Male jewelled geckos also have different thermoregulatory requirements to females. Gravid females — with a bun in the oven — sun-bask avidly. Males, on the other hand, often skulk around within the twiggy interior of shrubs during warm summer days. Accordingly, being green isn't always a necessity! 🦎
Canterbury, New Zealand.

29/10/2025

The scree skink (Oligosoma waimatense) is one of the largest lizard species in New Zealand's South Island. They are nimble skinks, fast, and highly mobile; with home ranges sometimes exceeding 900 m². Unfortunately, their large size renders them highly vulnerable to exotic predators such as cats and rodents. Cobble colours don't necessarily provide protective benefits when your foes have a sensitive nose. Shading of habitats by exotic conifers and extreme weather events (particularly floods) also pose a serious threat to this scarcely-observed species. Despite their myriad threats, scree skinks have managed to eek out an existence in scattered pockets of craggy habitat throughout Canterbury and North Otago (where the species has apparently hybridised with the Otago skink). How they've managed to persist in the lowlands, I'm not quite sure — it certainly is a testament to their reptilian resilience. 🦎
Mackenzie District, New Zealand.

30/09/2025

The Northland tusked wētā (Anisoura nicobarica) is Aotearoa's smallest species of tusked wētā. These diminutive critters are utterly beautiful, but very poorly understood. In fact, they were initially thought to live in the Nicobar Islands, because the type specimen was mislabeled (hence, their Latin species name)! Northland tusked wētā primarily occupy the indigenous forests of Northland, where they emerge at night to feast on unsuspecting prey. Males — like handsome individual featured in this image — use their impressive weaponry to joust with conspecific rivals! 🦗
Northland, New Zealand.

Samuel Purdie Wildlife

25/02/2026

16/02/2026

14/02/2026

09/01/2026

07/01/2026

24/12/2025

19/12/2025

16/12/2025

03/12/2025

29/10/2025

30/09/2025

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