This section identifies the information resources generally recognised as definitive lists of names for plants and animals native to New Zealand. Links to international resources are also identified.

• Plant names and descriptions
• Animal names and descriptions
• International plant and animal names and descriptions

 

PLANT NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Aquatic Flora – Quick Guides
Guides to habitats and species of aquatic flora found within New Zealand. Provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

Carnivorous Plants
Descriptions of carnivorous plants native to New Zealand .

Flora of New Zealand
Series of publications describing the flora of New Zealand. Full description and order form also available from Manaaki Whenua Press.

Fungal Herbarium
Landcare Research maintains a comprehensive database of New Zealand fungi, including information on names, literature, collections and attributes.

Moss Flora of New Zealand
Descriptions of some of New Zealand’s moss flora are available from Landcare Research as part of the ongoing Moss Flora Project.

Mushrooms and other fungi of New Zealand 2000
Authored by Don Horne, this book is a visual guide to the identification of New Zealand fungi (2000). 122p. Copies available from Manaaki Whenua Press.

Ngā Tipu Aotearoa – New Zealand Plants
This database is administered by Landcare Research and provides a definitive list of the names of plant taxa wild in New Zealand . The database includes names for seed plants, mosses, liverworts and lichens and provides information on the biostatus and the authorship of the taxa.

Orchids
Descriptions of New Zealand native orchids. Supported by the New Zealand Native Orchid Group.

Threatened Plants and Fungi
The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network administers a database of New Zealand’s nationally threatened and uncommon plant and fungi species.

Subantarctic Fungi, Slime Moulds and Beetles
This site is maintained by Landcare Research and describes ongoing studies of fungi, slime moulds and beetles found in the Subantarctic Islands.

ANIMAL NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Aquatic Fauna – Quick Guides
Guides to habitats and species of aquatic fauna found within New Zealand. Provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

Atlas of New Zealand Freshwater Fishes
Provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), this Atlas describes the distinguishing characteristics of each fish family in New Zealand fresh waters and the species in that family that occur here.

ERGIIS Database of New Zealand Coleoptera
Beetle search and identification tools provided by the University of Otago’s Ecology Research Group and Agresearch.

Freshwater Invertebrate Identification Guides
Provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), these guides are intended to provide tools for rapid identification of mature freshwater invertebrates, usually to the generic level, for use in biomonitoring.

Frogs
This site is maintained by the Department of Conservation and identifies frog species in New Zealand.

Guide to the Aquatic Insects of New Zealand 2000
Produced as Bulletin Number 13 of the Entomological Society of New Zealand (2000), 102pp. Copies of the guide are available from the New Zealand Limnological Society.

Lepidoptera Guide
Landcare Research maintains an online guide to New Zealand’s indigenous moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera). Images are provided for some species.

Molluscs
A checklist of mollusca found in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, including endemic and adventive species. Every entry includes a bibliographic reference for the record, and approximate geographical range. Supported by the University of Otago.

New Zealand Recognised Bird Names Database
This list of recognized names for bird species in New Zealand is provided by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand Inc. (OSNZ). It is derived from the 3rd Edition (1990) of its Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica and includes subsequent decisions of the Rare Birds Committee of the OSNZ, with ongoing updates. Hard copies of the 1990 Checklist are available via OSNZ.

New Zealand Penguins
Species and other information on penguins found in New Zealand.

New Zealand Hemiptera
Landcare Research maintains an interactive catalogue and identification guide to the true bugs, leafhoppers, planthoppers and their relatives occurring in New Zealand (Hemiptera, excluding Sternorrhyncha).

Nga tini a Tangaroa 1990 [PDF]
Maori-English and English-Maori dictionary of the names of New Zealand marine and freshwater species.

Soft Scale Insects
Landcare Research maintains an online resource describing New Zealand soft scale insects and their habitats.

Spiders of New Zealand
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa maintains this site with information and images about New Zealand’s spiders.

Subantarctic Fungi, Slime Moulds and Beetles
This site is maintained by Landcare Research and describes ongoing studies of fungi, slime moulds and beetles found in the Subantarctic Islands.

INTERNATIONAL PLANT AND ANIMAL NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)
OBIS is establishing a database of global geo-referenced information on marine species. OBIS was established by the Census of Marine Life (COML) programme and is managed by an international committee of marine experts.

Species 2000
Species 2000 relies on participating databases to document all known species of organisms as the baseline dataset for studies of global biodiversity. It includes a dynamic checklist to search for the scientific name of an organism and the annual checklist for all species. The site is strongly linked to the work of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) and the Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF).

World Biodiversity Database (WBD)
The WBD is building a taxonomic database and information system documenting known species in the world. It is maintained by the non-profit Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI), and based on an initiative by UNESCO.

Last revised 25/10/2005