Binatang bilong Papua Niugini

The Independent State of Papua New Guinea is a biodiversity hotspot and the broader island of New Guinea is home to the world’s third largest rainforest and an estimated 5% of the world’s biodiversity. This includes an estimated 300,000 species of insects and over 800 species of butterfly. By contrast, we estimate that Aotearoa New Zealand is home to around 20,000 insect species.

<i>Alcides agathyrsus</i> — While Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 butterfly species, *Alcides agathyrsus* (AMNZ197796), is actually a day-flying moth whose name Alcides references the birth name of a hero better known as Heracles or Hercules.

There are many striking forms amongst the insect fauna of Papua New Guinea: large butterflies whose colour, size and beauty inspired 18th Century scientists to name them after Greek kings and heroes (Alcides agathyrsus); Beetles (such as Eupholus geoffroyi) with wings covered in crystalline structures that bend light, giving them their blue-green shine.

The shiny blue on the exoskeleton of this weevil (Eupholus geoffroyi, AMNZ197797) is the result of microscopic crystalline structures called “photonic crystals”.

In addition to these visual wonders, there are examples of extreme behavioural and physical adaptations. The mantisfly, (Tuberonotha strenua) is a member of the order of lacewings but at first glance looks like a praying mantis that you or I may find in our garden. Over millions of years, this predator of spider eggs has independently evolved the familiar grasping forelegs and elongated body that we usually associate with praying mantises. There is much still to learn about the behaviour and evolutionary history of this group.

<i>Tuberonotha strenua</i> — Despite being no relation, *Tuberonotha strenua* (AMNZ197671) resembles a praying mantis. An example of convergent evolution.

<i>Eurycantha horrida</i> — Males of *Eurycantha horrida* and related species carry an extreme spine on their hind legs which makes both a useful weapon for the stick insect and a great fishing hook for eels.

Meanwhile, males of the species Eurycantha horrida, unkindly referred to as the thorny devil walking stick, carry a large spine on their hind legs: a weapon for defending potential mates and warding off potential suitors. The spine is so large that the legs of related species can be used as fishing hooks.

Auckland Museum is fortunate enough to care for over 6,000 insect specimens from Papua New Guinea, almost entirely donated. However, the collection also reflects another feature of the Papua New Guinea insect fauna: a large proportion of the collection are originally sourced from insect dealers. In the late 1970s the Insect Farming and Trading Agency (IFTA) was established by the government in Morobe province to meet international demand for insects from Papua New Guinea while providing income to villages which would either ranch specimens from provided habitats or collect insects from the wild.

The specimens housed in natural history collections provide valuable scientific data by being accurate records of the time and place a certain species was found. While specimens received from dealers often lack specific collection data and there cannot perform this function, they are nevertheless invaluable resources for research into the classification of different species and the evolution of their incredible forms.

Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 butterfly species (AMNZ198686)

References

Boisseau, R. P., Ero, M. M., Makai, S., Bonneau, L. J. G., & Emlen, D. J. (2020). Sexual dimorphism divergence between sister species is associated with a switch in habitat use and mating system in thorny devil stick insects. Behavioural Processes, 181, 104263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104263

Brock, P. D. (2001). Studies on the Australasian stick-insect genus Extatosoma Gray (Phasmida: Phasmatidae: Tropoderinae: Extatosomatini). Journal of Orthoptera Research, 10(2), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.1665/1082-6467(2001)010[0303:SOTASI]2.0.CO;2

Linné, Carl von & Salvius, Lars,. (1758). Caroli Linnaei...Systema naturae per regna tria naturae :secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (Vol. 1). Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/10277

Lu, X., Wang, B., Zhang, W., Ohl, M., Engel, M. S., & Liu, X. (2020). Cretaceous diversity and disparity in a lacewing lineage of predators (Neuroptera: Mantispidae). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1928). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0629

Mercer, C. W. L. (1997). Sustainable production of insects foe food and income by New Guinea villagers. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 36(2–4), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.1997.9991512

Miller S. (Ed). (1994). Status of biodiversity in Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea Country Report on Biological Diversity. Waigani: The Department of Environment and Conservation, Conservation Resource Centre and the Africa Centre for Resources and Environment (ACRE); 67-95.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2020). New Guinea: One of the world’s biodiversity hotspots | Kew. Retrieved 15 August 2025, from https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/new-guinea-biodiversity-hotspot

Pouya, C., Stavenga, D. G., & Vukusic, P. (2011). Discovery of ordered and quasi-ordered photonic crystal structures in the scales of the beetle Eupholus magnificus. Optics Express, 19(12), 11355–11364. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.011355

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Binatang bilong Papua Niugini

Binatang bilong Papua Niugini - Insects from Papua New Guinea

To celebrate Papua New Guinea Language Week, Curator of Entomology Dr Leilani Walker shares some of the insect species native to Papua New Guinea, one of the richest biodiversity hubs in the world.

References