Eating at high elevation: An herbivorous beetle from alpine rock outcrops relies on ammonia-absorbing lichens

Abstract

The flightless endemic New Zealand beetle, Protodendrophagus antipodes Thomas 2003 (Coleoptera: Silvanidae: Brontinae: Brontini; Fig. 1a, b), is unique among its tribe of 12 globally distributed genera in exchanging the forest for an alpine existence. Until recently, P. antipodes was thought to be rare, known only from a handful of specimens from above the tree line in mountains in the northern part of New Zealand's South Island. Following the discovery of the beetle's favored habitat of alpine rock outcrop crevices (Fig. 1c), they have been found by J. Marris at 19 of 24 localities examined, along much of the 700 km length of the South Island mountains and from 1,500 m to over 2,000 m elevation.