One of New Zealand’s greatest entomologists, George W. Gibbs, sadly passed away on September 10, 2026. Just last year, he gifted Te Papa an important part of his private research collection – including over 2,000 specimens of micro moths (Micropterigidae) from New Zealand and New Caledonia. So, what is theRead more
Who doesn’t know them, the little stars of Aotearoa – glow-worms? Titiwai, their Māori name refers to lights reflected in water. Who hasn’t been mesmerised by their sparkling light, visiting a cave or seeing them in the bush during a night walk? Insect Curator Julia Kasper talks about her research on the iconic critter with the glowing bum.Read more
In 2018, Curator Invertebrates Julia Kasper put out a call on Te Papa’s blog looking for enthusiastic code crackers to decipher Hudson’s handwritten collection records with her post, Help crack the insect code. Approximately 80 people contacted Te Papa and asked about more information and how they could help with the research, and now Julia is hoping for more volunteers.Read more
