Dr Peter Maddison was the first to find the green lacewing in our area. Photo / Rebecca Mauger
Dr Peter Maddison was the first to find the green lacewing in our area. Photo / Rebecca Mauger
When Dr Peter Maddison phones the Ministry for Primary Industries, it's either going to be with very good news, or very bad news.
The entomologist is in regular contact with the ministry letting them know of new insects discovered in the local area ... which they can either be very excited about, or not, he says.
Last month he discovered the mallada basalis (green lacewing) outside his rural Katikati home. The tiny insect with intricate green wings was found on his window, of all places.
He says he doesn't go foraging around to find new insects.
He's found at least a handful of new species outside his house.
Peter recognised the green lacewing right away as they are common in his homeland England.
The green lacewing has been identified in the eastern states of Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Micronesia and Polynesia. Peter says it has only arrived into New Zealand in recent years and has been recorded in Auckland, Tauranga and Te Puna.
He thinks he's the first to find one in the Katikati area, and their numbers are increasing. It's an interesting find for the area, he says.
''This could be important for the biological control of aphids, mealybugs, thrips and spider mites. The larva eat aphids,'' he says.
''They're voracious. The larva have got huge pointed jaws and they can eat several hundred in a lifetime.''
New Zealand tried to introduce the green lacewing in the 1920s and 1930s, he says.
Peter's finds are for the biological good, but aren't always great news for everyone. He was the scientist who first identified painted apple moth in Auckland in 1999, an invasive species that has now been eradicated, following public outcry regarding aerial spray.
''It was horrendous ... but it worked. Sometimes eradifications don't work and it's too late. I always think if you don't blow the whistle quickly, it's out of control.
''I was the person to blow the whistle on the kauri dieback disease. So I think when the ministry see me coming they're thinking 'please bring us some nice news'.''
Peter's home south of Katikati is full of insects on display and those still to be identified.
There are hundreds of thousands more insects to be identified in the world, Peter says.
