Past distribution of large weevils (Coleoptera

A survey of 12 fossil sites in North and S o u ~ h Canterbury, where faunal remains were accumulated by the apparently extinct laughing owl (Sceloglaux albifacies Gray) and the New Zealand falcon (Falro novaeseelandiae Gmelin) , revealed sediments containing abundant remains of not only bones but also invertebrates. Amongst the latter were several species of large weevils (Curculionidae), including Anagotus stephenensis Kuschel, A.rugosus (Broun), Hadrarnphus tuberrulatus (Pascoe), and Ectopsis ferrugalis Rroun. Their current and past distributions are discussed. H. tuberculatus has not been found for 84 years, hence is presumed extinct. The others had their territories greatly reduced, in particular A. slephenmsis which now is known only from Stephens I. which it shares with the tuatara (Sphenodon punctaius Gray), a likely natural predator. The clearing of vast areas of native vegetation for pastures and crops might have played a part in the likely extinction of H.tuberculatus because its host plant Aciphylla (Apiaceae) is a prickly pastoral weed. Howcvcr, the main cause of the drastic reduction in territory and numbers of the large weevils came from rats and mice. Some samples of devastation caused by rodents are presented. In New Zealand, large weevils are now more numerous and diverse on the mountains than in thc lowlands in New Zealand, which could well be attributed to some extent to the introduced predators