#mangorei

They also come in gold, apparently.

Another unexpected find inside the house - all four species in the genus are endemic to New Zealand, but despite the vivid colour I'm unsure which one this is. I wasn't even sure what Order it was from - this is the first time i've seen a stonefly. Like others in their family (found in Australia, New Zealand, and Chile) Stenoperla nymphs are aquatic and carnivorous, and take two or three years to reach adulthood, but like most other Plecoptera families are intolerant of water pollution.

Stoneflies are one of the oldest insect groups that can fold their wings - close relatives are known from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian. A few wingless species might be the only insects that are fully aquatic from hatching until death.

One of 9,776 species of insects first described by Johan Christian Fabricius, back in 1775. Another New Zealand endemic longicorn.

There are 19 species of Hybolasius in New Zealand, and others elsewhere. H. crista breeds in the stems of large-leaved Coprosma species, apparently, but little is known about their biology.

Previously known as Pratia angulata. The genus Lobelia is named after Mathias de Lobel (1538-1616) doctor of the Prince of Orange and later botanist of James I of England.

A small scrambling herbaceous endemic, on North, South and Stewart Islands, and a popular garden plant in shady damp areas.

Windows in New Zealand usually don't have flyscreens on them, because they don't have remotely the fly problem Australia does. One bonus is getting New Zealand's heaviest beetle flying into the room.

The beetle and its larvae have various names in te reo Māori, - the larval form is known as huhu, tunga haere, or tunga rākau, the final larval stage after it empties its gut and prepares to pupate as tataka, the pupa as pepe, and the adult pepe-te-muimui or tunga rere.

The adults only live a few weeks, so I was lucky I was in the country over that window. The larvae spend two or three years eating dead gymnosperm timber.

The larvae are highly prized as a traditional food, and very nutritious.

The adult beetles are nocturnal and are attracted to light. George Vernon Hudson wrote in 1892 "this propensity frequently leads it on summer evenings to invade ladies' drawing-rooms, when its sudden and noisy arrival is apt to cause much needless consternation amongst the inmates". Maybe not that needless though - they have powerful mandibles like other Prionine longicorns, and don't hesitate to bite. As I discovered to my cost. The little bastard.

A longicorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. The other 49 species in the genus are found in New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Australia. Unfortunately that's the only information I have on them.

A genus of over 300 species of Lauxaniid flies, found over much of the world. Many species have tinted or vividly patterned wings.

Small pollen-feeding weevils, endemic to New Zealand, as are the other two species in the genus. I don't have any further information on this species, but the larvae of S. penicillatus feed on recently dead bark of the various species of Pseudopanax.

A short-horned grasshopper endemic to New Zealand and adjacent islands, where it is common in open areas usually at lower elevations. It comes in two colour forms - striped and unstriped.

The other species in the genus are found in Australia, Lord Howe Island, and elsewhere in New Zealand.