Landhoppers are tiny, jumping crustaceans that live in the leaf litter on the forest floor. Northland entomologist Olly Ball, University College Cork’s amphipod expert Alan Myers, and Te Papa geneticist Lara Shepherd recently revealed that New Zealand’s landhoppers are far more diverse than previously thought [1], with many new species hiding right under our feet. The landhopper research team has just published a paper describing a new genus endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Koekotroides: A new genus unique to Aotearoa
Koekotroides is a newly described genus of landhopper. The genus name comes from the te reo Māori word koeko, meaning “tapering”, which refers to the shape of the maxilliped, an important mouthpart used for handling food. Koekotroides is the second genus in New Zealand to be recognised within the family Arcitalitridae, which, prior to 2024, was thought to be restricted to Australia, South Africa, and Asia.
Six new species – tiny but precious
We have described six new species within Koekotroides. Adults of the largest species reach only 1 cm in length, with smaller species measuring just half that. Their minute size may explain why they were previously overlooked by entomologists.
Most of the new species occur in the northern North Island and are generally found in native forest. Manawatāwhi Three Kings Islands and Tawhiti Rahi Poor Knights Islands, each host an endemic species.
Despite covering only ~30,000 hectares, the Te Paki Ecological District is a particular hotspot for Koekotroides, with three of the new species recorded there. Te Paki appears to be a centre of landhopper diversity, with a total of nine species – most of them restricted to the district. The region is a recognised biodiversity hotspot, home to numerous endemic plant and animal species, many of which are threatened. The high level of endemism likely results from its geological stability and long periods of isolation from the rest of the North Island.
More new landhopper species to come…
This new paper, which combines morphological and DNA data, represents a major piece of work that took several years to complete. However, it marks only the beginning of the taxonomic revisions needed for New Zealand landhoppers. An estimated 11 additional genera and at least 41 new species still await description.
Reference
Ball OJP, Myers AA, Shepherd LD (2025) A new genus and six new species of endemic landhopper in the family Arcitalitridae (Amphipoda: Talitroidea) from New Zealand. Zootaxa 5691: 277-311. https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5691.2.5
Previous landhopper blog posts
- Big name changes needed for New Zealand’s tiny landhoppers
- A new genus and species of landhopper for New Zealand
Thank you. All stuff I knew nothing about before this.
It’s fascinating to see how much biodiversity can be hidden in plain sight—who would have guessed that so many new landhopper species were right underfoot in New Zealand’s forests? I really appreciate the link between the naming of Koekotroides and te reo Māori, as it highlights the cultural as well as scientific significance of these discoveries. Do you think this research could also help inform conservation priorities for leaf-litter habitats that often get overlooked?