The Mosquito Fauna of Phytotelmata in Native Forest Habitats in the Auckland Region of New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand has a relatively species-poor mosquito fauna, with only 12 native and four introduced species (Derraik 2004a), but little is known about their ecology. Phytotelm-forming plants seem to be rare in New Zealand’s indigenous flora, and records of mosquitoes from such habitats are scarce. Derraik (2005a) recently studied the culicid fauna of native forests in the Wellington region. Mosquito larvae were rare in phytotelmata, being scarcely recorded in tree holes and absent from the numerous specimens of the native epiphyte Collospermum hastatum (Liliaceae) surveyed. Tis corroborates Laird’s (1990) proposition that larval habitats for mosquitoes in indigenous ecosystems are under-utilized in New Zealand. However, this situation would likely differ in northern regions, where the mosquito fauna is comparatively richer.