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Summary
The conservation status of freshwater invertebrates was assessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) criteria (Townsend et al. 2008). This is the first freshwater invertebrate list to be prepared under the Townsend et al. (2008) system. The previous freshwater invertebrate list was prepared in 2005 using the Molloy et al. (2002) New Zealand Threat Classification System and published in Hitchmough et al. (2007). Prior to this, 79 freshwater species were ranked in 2001 (Hitchmough 2002), and two species were assessed by Molloy & Davis (1992).
Hitchmough et al. (2007) assessed the conservation status of 143 freshwater invertebrate taxa while the 2013 panel expanded this by assessing the conservation status of 644 taxa, across five Phyla, 28 Orders and 75 Families. This is the first time a systematic approach has been taken to assess the conservation status of all native taxa in most of the Orders that have freshwater taxa within them, rather than just those that might be threatened. In some other Orders, not all of the taxa could be assessed, but possibly threatened taxa were. A more detailed analysis of the coverage of this process will be published elsewhere.
The 2005 list (Hitchmough et al. 2007) had two species listed that are now not considered valid species and they were removed from the list (Table 1), and another eight freshwater species that have subsequently been assessed by other expert panels (two Diptera in Andrew et al. (2012) and six Coleoptera in Leschen et al. (2012)) so they were omitted from this assessment (Table 2). One other species; the nematode Michoncus rex, also listed on the 2005 freshwater invertebrate list was re-ranked in 2012 by a terrestrial expert panel as Not Threatened (Yeates et al. 2012), but this ranking was not agreed by our panel. This poorly known aquatic species is only known from collections in 1904 from Lakes Manapouri and Wakatipu, and the panel felt it was more appropriately listed on the freshwater invertebrate list. Due to the lack of information about this nematode it has been listed as Data Deficient. This assessment of Miconchus rex replaces the assessment for it in Yeates et al. (2012).
1. Summary
2. Conservation status of New Zealand freshwater invertebrates
2.1 Taxonomically determinate
Extinct
Data Deficient
Threatened
Nationally Critical
Nationally Endangered
Nationally Vulnerable
At Risk
Declining
Recovering
Relict
Naturally Uncommon
Non-resident Native
Migrant
Vagrant
Coloniser
Not Threatened
Introduced and Naturalised
2.2 Taxonomically Indeterminate
Extinct
Data Deficient
Threatened
Nationally Critical
Nationally Endangered
Nationally Vulnerable
At Risk
Declining
Recovering
Relict
Naturally Uncommon
Non-resident Native
Not Threatened
Introduced and naturalised
3. Acknowledgements
4. References
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Conservation status of New Zealand freshwater invertebrates, 2013
