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A name change for strap ferns

28 March 2013 – 2.11pm

I recently co-authored a paper with Barbara Parris that investigated the scientific classification and naming of New Zealand’s strap ferns.

If you’ve spent any time in New Zealand’s forests, you will have almost certainly seen the common strap fern. It has simple, undivided fronds up to 20 cm long, but usually much less. It is widespread and can be abundant, growing at the base of tree trunks or on the ground, usually amongst mosses and liverworts. The other species are less frequently encountered.

Abstract of our paper in the New Zealand Journal of Botany.

Email me if you would like a pdf of our paper.

A cluster of individuals of common strap fern, Notogrammitis billardierei, previously known as Grammitis billardierei. Photo Leon Perrie. (c) Leon Perrie.

Reproductive structures on the frond underside of Notogrammitis billardierei. Photo Leon Perrie. (c) Te Papa.

The 10 species of strap ferns in New Zealand have been classified in the genus Grammitis. All have small, simple, undivided fronds, and their reproductive structures are in a herring-bone pattern on the underside of the fronds. Although related, the comb fern differs from the strap ferns in having a lobed frond, and it was placed in a different genus, Ctenopteris, as Ctenopteris heterophylla.

Comb fern, Notogrammitis heterophylla, previously known as Ctenopteris heterophylla. Photo Leon Perrie. (c) Te Papa.

Barbara had hypothesised that the New Zealand strap ferns and comb fern were misclassified in both Grammitis andCtenopteris. After looking closely at their external structures, she considered them to be closely related to one another but to be distantly related to the ‘true’ Grammitis and Ctenopteris (which are defined by the first species named as such). DNA analyses that I conducted supported Barbara’s hypothesis.

This left the New Zealand strap ferns and comb fern without a genus name, so Barbara coined Notogrammitis; noto being Greek for southern, and Grammitis being the genus in which the New Zealand strap ferns were previously (mis-) classified.

Notogrammitis also occurs in Australia, South America, South Africa, and many of the sub-Antarctic islands. There are 12 species in total, with 11 found in New Zealand (four of these are only found in New Zealand, while seven also occur elsewhere). However, our DNA results suggest there are almost certainly more species than currently recognised.

Te Papa’s collections of Notogrammitis.

Fortunately, the name change is simple for most species, with Notogrammitis being substituted for Grammitis (or Ctenopteris). For example, Grammitis billardierei and Grammitis pseudociliata have become Notogrammitis billardierei and Notogrammitis pseudociliata, respectively. However, there are a couple of discrepancies to watch for. Firstly, Grammitis magellanica has become Notogrammitis angustifolia. This is because although angustifolia is the oldest relevant species name, it could not be used for this New Zealand strap fern when it was classified in Grammitis as the combination Grammitis angustifolia had already been used for a completely different species. Secondly, Grammitis poeppigiana has become Notogrammitis crassior. This is because the type specimen of Grammitis poeppigiana actually belong to the species now called Notogrammitis angustifolia, and the species name crassior is the earliest that is based on a type specimen that actually belongs to the species we have previously (mistakenly) called Grammitis poeppigiana. Straightforward, huh?!

Changes to scientific names (should) reflect improved understanding of species’ evolutionary relationships. Although we might grumble about having to learn new names, it is the stark reality that current scientific classifications are still far from accurately portraying evolutionary history. In this case, the species in New Zealand are not closely related to true Grammitis, which have fronds with black margins and occur in the Pacific Islands, Africa, Madagascar, and the New World, or Ctenopteris, which is actually an older (and therefore not to be used) name for Prosaptia. Expect many more name changes as evolutionary relationships are determined with ever more accuracy.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Plants | Also tagged classification, dna analyses, ferns, Grammitis, names, Notogrammitis, phylogenetics | Comments (0)

More tangle – a new species of tangle fern

1 February 2013 – 11.00am

I’d like to introduce a new species of New Zealand fern, Gleichenia inclusisora. Our scientific description was published just before Christmas 2012. The recognition of this species edges the number of native New Zealand fern and lycophyte species nearly to 200.

Abstract of paper describing Gleichenia inclusisora.

Email me if you would like a pdf of the paper.

Te Papa’s list of New Zealand ferns and lycophytes.

Frond underside of Gleichenia inclusisora. The white and flattish frond segments are one of its distinctive features. The undersides of the frond segments of Gleichenia dicarpa are whitish but pouched, while those of Gleichenia microphylla are flat but green. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa

The specific part of the name, inclusisora, refers to the reproductive structures (the sori) being embedded (included) in a pit within the frond. In other New Zealand Gleichenia species, the reproductive structures sit on the surface of the frond undersides.

Close-up of the frond underside of Gleichenia inclusisora. The reproductive structures (sori) each comprise three sporangia (which produce the spores, the yellow dots) embedded in a pit in the frond. Some empty pits are visible. The distinctive rounded, bicoloured scales can also be seen at top left. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Blog post with an image close-up of the distinctive scales of Gleichenia inclusisora.

Except when very young, the lower stems of Gleichenia inclusisora are usually naked of scales or hairs, in contrast to the other Gleichenia species in New Zealand. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Except when very young, the lower stems of Gleichenia inclusisora are nearly naked of scales or hairs, in contrast to the other Gleichenia species in New Zealand. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

All four Gleichenia species presently recognised in New Zealand can grow together, to the extent of intertwining. Gleichenia inclusisora most commonly co-occurs with Gleichenia dicarpa. Gleichenia inclusisora (right) often has a shinier upper surface, usually allowing the two species to be distinguished at a distance. However, this doesn’t always work as well as it does in this photo! Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Tangle fern is the common name in New Zealand for Gleichenia ferns, and they are so-called because their long, repeatedly-dividing stems grow tangled with one another and other plants.

The new species has a number of features that easily distinguish it from the other Gleichenia species in New Zealand. So why has it not being recognised until now? Well, like their growth-form, their taxonomy (classification and naming) is also tangled, being confusing and neglected. The recognition of Gleichenia inclusisora is easy enough, but more study of the other New Zealand Gleichenia is required, particularly the separation between what we currently call Gleichenia dicarpa and Gleichenia microphylla, as well as on the diversity evident within Gleichenia dicarpa.

Blog post on how Gleichenia inclusisora was first discovered.

Te Papa’s collections, with maps and photos, of:

Gleichenia alpina.

Gleichenia dicarpa.

Gleichenia inclusisora.

Gleichenia microphylla.

We suggested Gleichenia inclusisora have a conservation ranking of Naturally Uncommon. It has a scattered distribution, with living populations known from Coromandel and along the South Island’s West Coast. . You’re most likely to encounter it in the Westport-Greymouth area, where populations can be locally extensive.

Distribution map of Gleichenia inclusisora based on Te Papa’s collections.

But please look out for this distinctive species elsewhere; it is quite possible that populations remain to be discovered. Leave a comment below, or email me.

Our description of Gleichenia inclusisora is part of an intensive revisionary effort as we write an eFlora for New Zealand’s ferns and lycophytes. This will comprise a detailed digital guide to these plants. Work in progress will see the number of native ferns and lycophytes recognised in New Zealand top 200 within the next few years; we already know of several more new or otherwise currently unrecognised species.

Some of the eFlora treatments already available for New Zealand ferns:

Osmundaceae (including Leptopteris).

Microsorum.

Lygodiaceae and Schizaeaceae.

Blog posts about other new ferns we have described recently:

Lastreopsis kermadecensis.

Tmesipteris horomaka.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Plants | Also tagged botany, classification, fern, Gleichenia, new species, tangle fern | Comments (2)

Where to find new species?

13 November 2012 – 9.54am

Where would you go to find a new species?

Perhaps somewhere remote and little-visited, especially if it is ecologically unusual – New Caledonia maybe…

Well, instead, how about inside Te Papa’s collections, because that’s where I first discovered a new species of Gleichenia tangle fern.

Biodiversity-treasure – inside one of Te Papa’s two botany collection stores. Te Papa has over 250 000 dried plant specimens. Copyright Te Papa.

A lot of biodiversity remains to be documented, particularly amongst smaller plants and animals, and micro-organisms. But in a well-explored country like New Zealand, it is uncommon to find a clearly distinct new species of fern or seed plant. Instead, taxonomists like myself spend a lot of time with statistical and/or genetic analyses trying to determine whether similar things are sufficiently different to be classified as separate species.

A tangle of tangle ferns – the new species growing intermixed with Gleichenia dicarpa, western South Island. Photo Leon Perrie, Te Papa.

You might, then, appreciate my surprise and excitement at finding an obviously different species while inspecting Te Papa’s specimens of Gleichenia. The differences were so great, I thought I was hallucinating. I was using a microscope at the time, but the differences are evident to the naked eye once you know what to look for.

I’ve now checked through New Zealand’s three biggest botanical collections – Landcare Research, Auckland Museum, and Te Papa. Between them they hold several hundred Gleichenia specimens, but just 13 of the new species (only 2 of Te Papa’s 250 specimens of Gleichenia are the new species).

Using these collections I’ve been able to determine:
• how to distinguish the new species from the other species of Gleichenia in New Zealand (and Australia).
• where it occurs – it appears restricted to just three regions of New Zealand.
• how common it is – apparently not very.

This is a clear demonstration of the value of such collections – they document our biodiversity. I knew a lot about this new species without even stepping outside.

A paper establishing a scientific name for the new species will be published soon. I’ll then post on how to distinguish the new species.

Why has this new species not been detected before? There’s no doubt that tangle ferns are a difficult group, and they’ve probably been neglected. There is still much to learn about the boundaries between the presently recognised species in New Zealand - Gleichenia alpina, G. dicarpa, and G. microphylla - and I’m working on that too.

Images associated with some of Te Papa’s Gleichenia specimens.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Plants | Also tagged biodiversity, collections, fern, Gleichenia, herbarium, new species, tangle fern | Comments (1)

Going (Lady) Gaga over ferns

26 October 2012 – 8.48am

USA fern taxonomists have created a minor stir after re-classifying a group of central American ferns into a new genus named Gaga, after the singer Lady Gaga.

Abstract of the article formally naming the new genus Gaga.

Youtube video of the taxonomists discussing their research.

The researchers say the naming for Lady Gaga was in honour of “her articulate and fervent defence of equality and individual expression in today’s society”, linking the celebration of diversity within humans to the study of the intricate diversity in this group of ferns. Further, the Gaga ferns contain a stretch of DNA with the nucleotides GAGA that distinguish them from their close relatives. Lady Gaga also once wore a costume resembling a fern gametophyte (presumably not knowingly), and these taxonomists are apparently big fans of her music.

The rock fern, Cheilanthes sieberi, a New Zealand relative of the newly re-named Gaga ferns. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

The 19 species of Gaga ferns were previously classified in the genus Cheilanthes. However, DNA analyses of evolutionary relationships have shown that Cheilanthes is composed of a multitude of unrelated groups, which are therefore undergoing extensive re-classification; Gaga is but one example. From our own research and that of others, it appears that the Cheilanthes in New Zealand are true Cheilanthes and won’t be re-classified.

Abstract of our paper examining the generic classification of New Zealand Pteridaceae, including Cheilanthes.

Naming new species or genera after people is not the ‘done thing’ amongst (most) New Zealand plant taxonomists. The following words I read as a student still resonate strongly with me:

[taxonomists should] “base new names on character states or distinctive habitats that assist in distinguishing a new taxon from its near relatives” (Webb & Edgar 1999).

Utility over sycophancy, perhaps?

That said, sometimes it is hard to come up with a new, unique name, particularly in groups of organisms that contain a lot of undescribed species. Te Papa’s snail expert, Bruce Marshall, has 5 genera and more than 20 species named after him.

What if we were to extend the taxonomic honouring of celebrity to New Zealand – Dobbynii or Finnii, or Irenei or Danii anyone?

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Plants | Also tagged ferns, Lady Gaga | Comments (0)

Highlights from forget-me-not field trips from last summer

26 June 2012 – 9.58am

This year I went on several field trips to collect native forget-me-nots (genus Myosotis). With my research on native plantains now finished, my current research focus is now to figure out how many native species of forget-me-nots we have in New Zealand, revise their taxonomy, understand their evolutionary history, and amend their conservation status. Te Papa colleagues Jessie Prebble (see one of her blogs here) and Carlos Lehnebach are also collaborating on this project.

Field work (such as this trip to Taranaki in Nov 2011) is a key component of this work. And with wintry weather now keeping this botanist (and perhaps many of you!) mostly indoors, it’s the perfect time to put up a few photos and show you some of the highlights from these trips.

Chalk Range, Marlborough, South Island, Nov 2011.

With the collaboration of Department of Conservation botanists Jan Clayton-Greene and Cathy Jones, we found several different forget-me-not entities on the Chalk Range, including this one, which has been given the tag-name Myosotis aff. australis “white”.

Habitat of Myosotis aff. australis “white” in the Chalk Range, Marlborough, South Island (WELT SP090551). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Flowers of Myosotis aff. australis “white” from the Chalk Range, Marlborough, South Island (WELT SP090551). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Myosotis aff. australis “white” in the Chalk Range, Marlborough, South Island (WELT SP090551). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Inland Hawkes Bay ranges, Dec 2011.

On this trip, I teamed up with Jessie Prebble, Mike Thorsen, and several landowners to search for forget-me-nots that had been previously collected in this area. Although we didn’t find all the ones we were hoping for, we did find some big populations of Myosotis spathulata, shown here.

Habitat of Myosotis spathulata, Hukanui Station, Hawke’s Bay, North Island (WELT SP090628). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Flower of Myosotis spathulata, Hukanui Station, Hawke’s Bay, North Island (WELT SP090628). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Myosotis spathulata, Hukanui Station, Hawke’s Bay, North Island (WELT SP090628). Photo by Heidi Meudt, copyright Te Papa.

Queenstown area, Otago, South Island, Feb 2012.

For this trip, Phil Garnock-Jones and local botanist Neill Simpson accompanied me on yet another forget-me-not field trip (we were also collecting speedwell hebes on this trip, which you can read about here). As you can see from all the photos on this page, the morphological diversity of the different species of forget-me-nots is truly astounding!

Myosotis pulvinaris, Shotover Saddle, Otago, South Island (WELT SP091594/A). This cushion plant was just past flowering. Just imagine what it would have looked like covered with flowers! Photo by Phil Garnock-Jones.

Myosotis macrantha, near Queenstown, Otago, South Island (WELT SP091596). Photo by Phil Garnock-Jones.

Here I am collecting Myosotis on a beautiful day on Coronet Peak, Otago, South Island.

Next month I’ll be giving a talk at the Botany 2012 Conference on some of our recent forget-me-not research. I’ll show our latest results using DNA sequencing and DNA fingerprinting to look at how the different species of New Zealand Myosotis are related to one another. You can see the abstract here.

See some of Te Papa’s Myosotis collection here.

By Heidi Meudt | Posted in Field trips, forget-me-nots, Plants | Also tagged botany, Department of Conservation, fieldwork, forget-me-nots, Myosotis, native plants, summer | Comments (0)

A new native plantain, Plantago udicola

18 June 2012 – 2.47pm

Victoria University Emeritus Professor Phil Garnock-Jones and I have just described a new species of native plantain, Plantago udicola. The name udicola means “dwelling or living in damp places” and is in reference to the types of sites the new species is usually found in.

The new species, Plantago udicola from Lake Sylvester (WELT SP090375/A). Photo copyright Mei Lin Tay.

Of the 200 or so species of Plantago worldwide, there are about 20 species of Plantago in New Zealand. This includes a handful of non-native invasive species, several of which are common garden and roadside weeds, together with 11 native species. The new species Plantago udicola Meudt & Garn.-Jones is described in a recent paper that revises the taxonomy of all native New Zealand plantains.

Abstract of the paper describing Plantago udicola.

To determine whether Plantago udicola deserved species status (as well as to test the taxonomy of the other native species), I studied and compared specimens from our collection at Te Papa and other herbaria. Because native plantains are very small and have tiny, wind-pollinated flowers, this meant spending long hours at the dissecting microscope. I also took into consideration the plants’ chromosome numbers and habitats, as well as previously published DNA analyses.

Plantago udicola looks similar to two other species of native plantains, Plantago raoulii and Plantago spathulata. Plantago raoulii is a common low-elevation plantain found in coastal and forest habitats throughout New Zealand. P. raoulii was even collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, the botanists aboard Captain Cook’s first voyage. Plantago spathulata is another lowland species but is restricted to coastal and inland areas of southeastern North Island and eastern South Island.

See images of Plantago spathulata, Plantago raoulii, and other native Plantago here.

Plantago udicola is distinguished from these two species by its different chromosome number (it has 96 chromosomes!), habitat (flushes in damp tussock and herb fields over 600 m elevation), and a unique suite of morphological characters, including up to four ellipsoid, uniform seeds, scapes with two different kinds of hairs, bracts with hairy margins, and sepals with hairs at the tip only.

Habitat of Plantago udicola from Lake Sylvester (WELT SP090374/A). Photo copyright Mei Lin Tay.

It may be that Plantago udicola is an allopolyploid of P. spathulata and P. raoulii (or their ancestors). In fact probable hybrids of P. spathulata x P. raoulii (each of which has 48 chromosomes) are similar morphologically to P. udicola. This hypothesis will need to be tested in future studies.

You can see many of the important traits that help separate Plantago udicola from the other 10 native New Zealand plantains in this botanical illustration by Bobbi Angell. Plantains in general are difficult to photograph, so we don’t yet have many photos of this new species. Botanical illustration is another (and more traditional) way to show the main characteristics of a plant at different stages in its life cycle.

Botanical illustration of Plantago udicola. Copyright Bobbi Angell.

Bobbi Angell also drew three other native Plantago species, and Te Papa houses these and several other of her illustrations. Find out more about the Bobbi Angell illustrations Te Papa holds.

Even though Plantago udicola was only recently described, for half a century botanists have thought it was probably distinct. Interestingly, Te Papa botanists Leon Perrie and Pat Brownsey also described a new fern species earlier this year, which like P. udicola, was also suspected of being a new species for nearly 50 years. Both of these examples highlight the importance of our collections at Te Papa, and at other New Zealand and international herbaria, as a potentially rich source of new, as-yet-undescribed species.

By Heidi Meudt | Posted in Plantago, Plants | Also tagged botanical illustration, botany, morphology, new species, New Zealand, Plantago, plantain, Plants | Comments (2)

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 4 – new, problematic, and interesting species

12 June 2012 – 10.19am

Along with the Gleichenia and Sticherus, we were targeting a possible new species of Hymenophyllum filmy fern. We also made collections of several ‘problem’ species and other interesting finds.

A possible new species of filmy fern, related to Hymenophyllum flexuosum and Hymenophyllum atrovirens. There are records of this scattered down the West Coast, but it was difficult to re-locate. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

The comb ferns, Schizaea, are very odd looking ferns, but easily overlooked. This one is southern comb fern, Schizaea australis, from near Charleston. Schizaea fistulosa, is similar but taller/longer, and occurs in lower-altitude/more-northern areas. The two can be difficult to distinguish, especially in the northern South Island. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Some authorities treat the small plants at lower right as a distinct species, swamp kiokio (Blechnum minus). Others regard them as part of a variable kiokio (Blechnum novae-zelandiae), big plants of which are at left. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

We found the lycophyte Lycopodiella cernua at a site near Haast, further south than the Okarito limit noted in the literature. Interestingly, this species also occurs in the tropics! Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

The cave spleenwort, Asplenium cimmeriorum, only occurs in limestone areas of the west coasts of both the North and South Islands. It is commonly found at cave entrances. We found a new sub-population in the Charleston Conservation Area. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Cave spleenwort’s distribution based on Te Papa’s collections.

Other blog posts about our West Coast fern fieldwork cover:

What we were doing.

Where we went.

Sticherus (umbrella ferns).

Favourite photos.

Animal miscellany.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Field trips, Plants | Also tagged botany, cave spleenwort, comb, ferns, filmy, kiokio, new species, tangle | Comments (5)

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 3 – Sticherus

9 June 2012 – 9.49am

Sticherus, or umbrella ferns, were one of the groups we were targeting during our fieldwork.

In the photo above, from near Stockton, are three species of Sticherus. In the upper-left, with mostly dead fronds, is Sticherus cunninghamii (umbrella fern), which is a common species through much of New Zealand. The other two species, in the overhang, have previously been misidentified as Sticherus flabellatus. Although Sticherus flabellatus has been recorded from the South Island, it appears that in New Zealand it is actually restricted to the northern North Island. (It also occurs in Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.)

Other blog posts about our West Coast fern fieldwork cover:

What we were doing.

Where we went.

New, problematic, and interesting species.

Favourite photos.

Animal miscellany.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Field trips, Plants | Also tagged Sticherus, Stockton, umbrella fern | Comments (5)

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 1 – what we were doing

5 June 2012 – 1.57pm

I’m just back from 10 days collecting ferns in the South Island’s West Coast.

From previous collections, we knew of several currently unrecognised species of fern that occur on the West Coast. We investigated these records, visiting the sites to collect more material for our studies and to assess the plants in the field, including gauging population sizes for conservation rankings. Most of the previous records were old and lacked detailed locality information. This meant they took a lot of re-finding, but we were successful in most cases.

Gleichenia ferns often grow entangled with one another and with other plants; hence their common name of tangle ferns. But our understanding of them is also in a tangle. Two or three species are currently recognised in New Zealand, but I think there are at least five. The picture is of a new species. It looks similar to the others from above, but very different when viewed from below. I hope to formally describe it in a year or so. Then I will be able to show you the differences. Our fieldwork significantly extended the known occurrences of this fern. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Some of these poorly known ferns are uncommon. While we found some to be more widespread than previously thought, others appear to be teetering on the cusp between the Department of Conservation’s rankings of ‘At Risk’ and ‘Threatened’.

We also collected specimens of several ‘problem’ fern species, whose boundaries are unclear. They need further study, including with genetic analyses, which our new collections will facilitate.

Altogether, we collected about 170 specimens. These will begin to appear on Te Papa’s Collections Online in the next few weeks. However, there are some that we won’t be able to confidently identify without a lot more work.

With me were: Patrick Brownsey, Te Papa Research Fellow; Wendy Hogg, RSNZ Primary Science Teacher Fellow; and Mike Gemmell, VUW postgraduate student.

Other blog posts about our West Coast fern fieldwork cover:

Where we went.

Sticherus (umbrella ferns).

New, problematic, and interesting species.

Favourite photos.

Animal miscellany.

Te Papa’s Collections Online.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Ferns, Field trips, Plants | Also tagged collections, conservation, ferns, fieldwork, West Coast | Comments (5)

Te Papa researcher’s major contribution to NZ biodiversity inventory

22 May 2012 – 10.16am

Te Papa scientists figure prominently among the 238 researchers who have contributed to a major new publication: The Inventory of New Zealand Biodiversity.

Te Papa taxonomists whos work was instrumental in describing over 80% of the animal groups for New Zealand

Te Papa taxonomists whose work was instrumental in describing over 80% of the animal groups for New Zealand. Photo Jean-Claude Stahl. Copyright Te Papa.

The third and final volume of this 12-year project was launched at Te Papa yesterday, and celebrated the work of scientists from 19 countries, cataloguing over 56,000 species.

Dennis Gordon with the third volume of the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity launched in Wellington 21 May 2012. Photo Jean-Claude Stahl. Copyright Te Papa.

The work was brought together by Dennis Gordon from NIWA, with contributions from all major research institutions in New Zealand including Crown Research Institutes, museum researchers such as Te Papa’s Natural Environment curators, and researchers in universities and government agencies. The work is used actively by researchers nationally and globally to describe and catalogue species occurring within the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone. For example, the New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR), the official body which lists names of species occurring in New Zealand uses the Inventory as one of its primary sources of data. Find out more about NZOR.

http://www.nzor.org.nz/

Te Papa’s team of taxonomist are a small but highly effective group, contributing around 20% of the chapters authored on the major animal groups by professional New Zealand contributors to the books. They contributed to chapters that described over 80% ofNew Zealand’s animals. Their work encompasses a very broad range of species, with expertise on animals and plants from orchids to seaweeds, insects and parasites, deep sea fishes and whales to extinct birds.

The work is a monument to the collaborative efforts of researchers across New Zealand, and will have ongoing utility in helping us to manage species and their conservation threats, long term. We appreciate the efforts of the institutions and individuals involved, in particular NIWA, Landcare Research, and Canterbury University Press. Find out more information about the publication.

http://www.cup.canterbury.ac.nz/releases/2012/120405a.shtml

By Susan Waugh | Posted in Biodiversity, Bugs, insects and spiders, Collections Online, Fish, Fossils, Museums, Plants | Also tagged New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity, Species 2000 | Comments (0)

Te Papa's Blog

Tag Archives: taxonomy

A name change for strap ferns

More tangle – a new species of tangle fern

Where to find new species?

Going (Lady) Gaga over ferns

Highlights from forget-me-not field trips from last summer

A new native plantain, Plantago udicola

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 4 – new, problematic, and interesting species

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 3 – Sticherus

West Coast Fern Fieldwork 2012, 1 – what we were doing

Te Papa researcher’s major contribution to NZ biodiversity inventory

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