Cromwell chafer

Forest and Bird, Volume 22, Issue 4, 1 November 1991, Page 44

Cromwell chafer

oe HE ENDANGERED Cromwell chafer is a special insect, even though its relative the grass-grub is a pest. It is the only insect with its own special reserve, the 81 hectare Cromwell Chafer Scientific Reserve, in Central Otago, and it appears that it is restricted to this small area. The reserve’s vegetation is silver tussock grassland with scabweed and low herbs. Chafer larvae feed on the roots of the tussock. The adults feed on the low herbs at night and bury themselves under the tussock roots during the day. But this poor beetle is having a hard

time, rabbits have severely depleted the tussocks in the reserve and introduced little owl eat large numbers of the adults during the summer. Now the Central Otago District Council are planning a rubbish dump next to the reserve. Forest and Bird’s Upper Clutha and Otago branches have persuaded the council to agree to fence the reserve, control rats and other scavengers and to properly control the dump. But only the future will tell whether this special insect will survive with expanding housing areas and a rubbish dump as neighbours.