Along with Simon Pollard, Curator Invertebrates Phil Sirvid is the co-author of Why is that Spider Dancing? The Amazing Arachnids of Aotearoa. The insect-inspired sequel The Incredible Insects of Aotearoa launches in May 2025. Here, Phil gives us a sneak peek between the covers.
Inside The Incredible Insects of Aotearoa, Simon and I introduce the insects and explain what makes the ones found here in Aotearoa New Zealand so special, including how they also give their names to many places.
We give a brief guide to the twenty-four insect orders found in Aotearoa, and, thanks to Ocean Mercier, we also look at insects from a te ao Māori perspective.
Then we explore the sometimes weird but always wonderful insects found in different habitats, ranging from backyards to mountain tops. You’ll also meet some of the people who study insects and learn what they love about these six-legged marvels.
The book is also stuffed full of amazing images showing these often-tiny animals in fascinating close-up detail.
Some insect stars of the book
First and foremost, wētā feature throughout. While similar insects are found in some other parts of the world, wētā are perhaps the most iconic insect group in Aotearoa. We call them grasshoppers dressed as gladiators! Some are tiny ground dwellers, others long-legged jumpers, while the giant wētā are an aptly named group that includes wētāpunga, one of the heaviest insects anywhere.
Dragons, alpine sorcerers, and a phoenix, oh my!
Dragons, alpine sorcerers, and a phoenix are also found in these pages. Like their fantastical namesakes, dragonflies are extraordinary hunters that put predators like lions to shame. The alpine sorcerers refer to a group of wēta able to survive harsh mountain conditions. And the frosted phoenix, while not quite rising from the ashes, hadn’t been seen for around 60 years until it miraculously returned during the writing of this book.
We’re all mad here
Some of our insects are marvellously odd. There’s the mad hatterpillar, a caterpillar that sticks a stack of moulted head capsules to itself, and the wingless and blind New Zealand bat flies that look more like spiders than the true flies they are. These live only in bat roosts, and older males scream to ward off the bats. Glowworms may look enchanting, but their light is a lure to draw prey towards tendrils coated in sticky droplets of doom. We even have solar-powered butterflies!
The Incredible Insects of Aotearoa features a few creatures like centipedes and springtails, too – while these are not insects, you may run across them if you’re a bug hunter. We also look at Te Papa’s insect collections, which go back over 150 years.
We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we did writing it!
Come and meet the authors
But wait! You can also come along to The Incredible Insects of Aotearoa – book launch and bug activities event on Sat 10 May from 11.00am–1.00pm – see you there!
That’s exciting, I’ll be on the lookout for both those books.