Pericoptus truncatus
Encyclopedia
Pericoptus truncatus or the ngungutawa is a large sand scarab beetle. It is native to New Zealand
and is found in dune
s from Canterbury northwards.
The adult spends daylight buried in the sand
, emerging at night to fly noisily around in search of mates and food. The trails it leaves in the sand are quite obvious early in the morning, as it also spends much time walking around.
The female lays eggs deep in the sand
and the large white grubs can often be found in the sand under driftwood
, though they feed on root
s of dune plants.
, New Zealand. This has been a cause for concern as R. tasmaniensis parasitises on the large sand scarab's larvae. The female stings and paralyses the scarab larva and lays eggs on it. The wasp larva then slowly consumes the paralysed beetle larva.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and is found in dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s from Canterbury northwards.
The adult spends daylight buried in the sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, emerging at night to fly noisily around in search of mates and food. The trails it leaves in the sand are quite obvious early in the morning, as it also spends much time walking around.
The female lays eggs deep in the sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and the large white grubs can often be found in the sand under driftwood
Driftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....
, though they feed on root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s of dune plants.
Threats
An exotic scolid wasp, the yellow flower wasp, Radumeris tasmaniensis has been found in Northland, North IslandNorth Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, New Zealand. This has been a cause for concern as R. tasmaniensis parasitises on the large sand scarab's larvae. The female stings and paralyses the scarab larva and lays eggs on it. The wasp larva then slowly consumes the paralysed beetle larva.
Reference
- 2007. New Holland Publishers (NZ) Ltd. Parkinson, Brian and Horne, Don (Photographer). A Photographic Guide to Insects of New Zealand.