Hadramphus tuberculatus
This weevil is super endangered and needs our love and attention. They were once thought to be extinct, but a population was rediscovered a few years ago.
These weevils are incredibly cute and the only surviving mainland species in the genus Hadramphus (knobbled weevils) – a conspicuously large and bumpy group of flightless weevils endemic to Aotearoa.
These flightless weevils can be over 16 mm long. They have dark brown bodies with grey scales, and their knobbled backs give them part of their common name.
This species lives exclusively on plants in the Aciphylla genus (speargrass). Unfortunately, this hasn’t worked out well for the weevils as the spiky plants are not popular with humans and so have been cleared from large areas, thus restricting the home of the weevil. It also hasn’t helped that the weevils are preyed on by introduced mammalian predators, and browsers munch on the speargrass.
These weevils were thought to be extinct as they hadn’t been seen for over a century. However, Canterbury University students found a population near Tekapo in 2023 and a second population has been discovered near Mt Somers.
The Canterbury knobbled weevil is a great nominee because it has a rich story of supposed extinction and recent exciting (and hopeful) rediscovery. They are a previous nominee.
Check these links for more info on the Knobbled Weevil in NZ
Wikipedia: Information on Hadramphus tuberculatus
New Zealand Geographic: “Weevil Upheaval” by Steve Pawson, 2005
more images
Click on the image to visit the official iNaturalist.nz observation.
