Dryococelus australis (Lord Howe Island Stick Insect)

[surroundx]

McGrath, Sarah J.,Cleave, Rohan J., Elgar, Mark A., Silcocks, Sarah C. and Magrath, Michael J. L. (2017). Determining host plant preferences for the critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) to assist reintroduction. Journal of Insect Conservation. doi.org/10.1007/s10841-017-0002-3 [Abstract]

[surroundx]

www.andrewisles.com/pages/books/40030/australia-geographic/australia-gone-wild

[Melanie]

Aug 16, 2017 8:56:23 GMT surroundx said:

www.andrewisles.com/pages/books/40030/australia-geographic/australia-gone-wild

Seems that this book is currently removed from the website. Strange.

[surroundx]

Aug 17, 2017 11:20:10 GMT Melanie said:

Aug 16, 2017 8:56:23 GMT surroundx said:

www.andrewisles.com/pages/books/40030/australia-geographic/australia-gone-wild

Seems that this book is currently removed from the website. Strange.

I sent them an email telling them the book description contained several errors. But that doesn't seem to justify taking it down.

[Sebbe]

Museum Genomics Confirms that the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect Survived Extinction

The Lord Howe Island stick insect, Dryococelus australis, was once common on the island but was driven to extinction after the arrival of ship rats in the early 20th century [1, 2]. It was thought to be extinct for decades, until a tiny population of similar-looking stick insects was discovered 20 km away, on the islet of Ball’s Pyramid, in 2001 [2]. Individuals from this population are currently being reared in Australia and elsewhere in the world, with the eventual goal of recolonizing Lord Howe Island [3]. Recent surveys of the wild population on Ball’s Pyramid suggest that it is among the world’s rarest species. However, there are significant morphological differences between Ball’s Pyramid and museum specimens, and there has never been a genetic confirmation of the rediscovered population’s species identity. Because Dryococelus is monotypic, there are also no known extant relatives for comparison. Using shotgun genomic data from the Ball’s Pyramid population, we assembled a draft genome and the complete mitochondrial genome. We found that the genome is massive, over 4 Gb in size, and is most likely hexaploid. We re-sequenced mitochondrial genomes from historic museum specimens collected on Lord Howe Island before the extinction event. Sequence divergence between the two populations is less than 1% and is within the range of intraspecific differences between the museum specimens, suggesting that they are conspecific and that D. australis has successfully evaded extinction so far. This work highlights the importance of museum collections for taxonomic validation in the context of ongoing conservation efforts.

www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31098-9

[surroundx]

[surroundx]

Cassis, Gerasimos. (2017). Conservation Biology: A Walking Stick’s Redux on Lord Howe Island. Current Biology 27(20): R1120-R1122. [Abstract]

[surroundx]

Australia plans to eliminate 'invasive rats' to cherish their 'once extinct' native insect of Lord Howe Island

The officials in Australia are planning to wipe out "invasive rats" on Lord Howe Island to bring back a "native insect" which was once thought to be extinct.

Dryococelus australis, also known as tree lobster or Lord Howe Island stick insect and nicknamed as "the land lobster" has been found from Balls' Pyramid, an Australian Island in 2001. The officials tested the newly found specimen of the 'once extinct' species with museum specimens of original Lord Howe Island stick insect to find that they are of same species.

Read more: www.ibtimes.sg/australia-plans-eliminate-invasive-rats-cherish-their-once-extinct-native-insect-lord-howe-17669

[surroundx]

Zoo hails success as stick insects facing extinction breed and produce eggs

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/zoo-hails-success-as-stick-insects-facing-extinction-breed-and-produce-eggs-36468155.html

[surroundx]

Lea, Arthur M. (1916). Notes on the Lord Howe Island phasma, and on an associated longicorn beetle. Transcactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 40: 145-147.

[surroundx]

Smithers, Courtenay N., McAlpine, David, Colman, Phil and Gray, Michael. (1974). Island Invertebrates. Australian Natural History 18(2): 60-63.

[koeiyabe]

www.iucnredlist.org/species/6852/21426226

[surroundx]

A new film about the LHI Stick Insect will be released next year. Trailer here:



See also:

www.rememberthewild.org.au/stuck-on-a-rock-rediscovering-the-lord-howe-island-stick-insect/

[koeiyabe]

“Extinct & Endangered: Insects in Peril” by AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (2022)

[Melanie]

Rarest insect in the world now on display at San Diego Zoo

fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/san-diego/rarest-insect-in-the-world-now-on-display-at-san-diego-zoo/

[Melanie]

Once nearly extinct, world’s ‘rarest insect’ now thrives in thousands in US

www.wionews.com/science/once-nearly-extinct-worlds-rarest-insect-now-thrives-in-thousands-in-us-679894