Lord Howe Island, A Riddle of the Pacific, Part III 
S. J. Paramonov 1 
In this final part (for parts I and II see 
Pacif. Sci. 12 ( 1 ) : 82-91, 14 (1): 75-85) the 
author is dealing mainly with a review of the 
insects and with general conclusions. 
INSECTA 
Our knowledge of the insects of Lord Howe 
Island is only preliminary and incomplete. Some 
groups, for example butterflies and beetles, are 
more or less sufficiently studied, other groups 
very poorly. 
Descriptions of new endemic species and 
records of the insects of the island are dis- 
persed in many articles, and a summary of our 
knowledge in this regard is lacking. However, 
a high endemism of the fauna is evident. Al- 
though the degree of endemism is only at the 
specific, or at most the generic level, the con- 
nection with other faunas is very significant. 
Olliff (1889) wrote an interesting review 
of Coleoptera of the island. In his time about 
80 species of Coleoptera were recorded, but 
among them were 46 new species and 5 doubt- 
fully new. That is, more than 56% were en- 
demic species. Similar reviews for other groups 
are lacking. 
An interesting large, wingless phasmid with 
a body length of 106 mm, Dryococelus (for- 
merly Carabidion) australis Montr., is now prob- 
ably extinct. Gurney (1947: 391) wrote: "The 
present status of Dryococelus is uncertain. A 
note in Ward’s Natural Science Bulletin (vol. 
8, No. 2, p. 11, 1935) indicated that the species 
is extinct, but I have been informed by John 
W. H. Rehn, of the Academy of Sciences of 
Philadelphia, that he has seen a recently pub- 
lished note suggesting that the species is main- 
taining itself.” 
1 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 
Organisation, Canberra, Australia. 
Manuscript received February 27, 1962. 
During two visits to the island, in 1954 and 
1955, the author failed to find the insect. An 
official enquiry was made recently to the Ad- 
ministration staff of the island, and the author 
received a letter from the Superintendent of 
the Island, Mr. H. Ward, on Nov. 3, 1961, in 
which he states: "A number of the old inhabi- 
tants have been questioned and all have advised 
that it is at least 30 years and possibly 40 
years since this insect has been seen on the 
Island. A member of the staff, aged 33 years, 
has never seen or heard of the insect, nor has 
any pupil of the local School.” 
The only possibility is that the insect may 
still exist in one of the biggest banyan trees 
on the slope of Mt. Gower, on the lagoon side. 
The area is well isolated from the settlement 
where the rat concentration was probably the 
greatest, and may have survived in crevices of 
the tree. 
The presence of the insect in the past is 
evidence of an ancient connection with Aus- 
tralia or some other continent by a land bridge; 
any other type of transportation is highly 
improbable. 
A very interesting example of distribution 
is found in an archaic Homopterous family, 
the Pelorididae, with very limited possibilities 
of movement (nearly wingless), and adapted 
to very restricted habitat. There are 15 species 
recorded now for the whole world. Thirteen of 
them are associated in Chile, New Zealand, 
Tasmania, and eastern Australia with the south- 
ern beech Nothofagus. The plant also grows 
in New Caledonia, and Dr. J. W. Evans (Di- 
rector of the Australian Museum) visited this 
island especially to search for Pelorididae. None 
were found, nor was an environment discov- 
ered which would be favourable for their 
existence. 
In 1959 J. W. Evans, having been informed 
that a single nymph was recorded from Lord 
Howe Island, visited the summit of Mt. Gower 
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