Museum campaigns for ‘charming’ velvet worm vote

What would you do if you came across a large, leggy worm that spits sticky glue to snare its prey?

 

Rather than screw your face up in disgust, Tūhura Otago Museum is calling on residents to vote for the "charming but reclusive" velvet worm in this year's New Zealand Bug of the Year competition.

 

Museum marketing manager Charlie Buchan said the community rallied behind the hoiho yellow-eyed penguin in the 2024 New Zealand Bird of the Year, and it won the competition.

 

"Now it's time to show the bugs we've got their backs, too, and vote for the mighty velvet worm to be New Zealand Bug of the Year."

 

Museum natural science collections technician On Lee Lau is leading the museum's campaign for the velvet worm (also known as peripatus or ngāokeoke).

 

"You might think they sound gross, but they're actually super cute, with stubby legs and a soft body covered in a velvety skin, which is how they got their name.

 

"They're quite charming, but reclusive.

 

"Velvet worms may not be widely known, but they're a very special part of the bug world, and it's time to celebrate them, especially here in Dunedin, where they've made such an impact on our environment, even affecting how we build our roads.'

 

Velvet worms have a lineage spanning 500million years and are members of the Onychophora phylum, a group of animals older than the dinosaurs.

 

They reside among the undergrowth in New Zealand's bush, urban parks and gardens, particularly in the bushy reserves of Caversham, near the Dunedin Southern Motorway, where a dense cluster of them live.

 

Dunedin became a global hotspot for velvet worm conservation after local resident Dave Randle discovered hundreds of velvet worms living in his Caversham garden in 1988, prompting the creation of the first reserve to protect the velvet worm and setting a precedent for conservation efforts in New Zealand.

 

In 2012, the Southern Motorway expansion threatened their habitat, but thanks to a passionate campaign by Mr Randle and the local community, plans were altered to preserve the velvet worms  and provide alternate habitats before construction began.

 

Mr Buchan said Dunedin stood  as the most velvet-worm-aware city in the world, having murals, local scientific research and community initiatives celebrating the ancient bug.

 

As part of its Bug of the Year campaign, the museum would host a Bug Day on February 15, featuring guest talks, games, crafts and plenty of family fun, he said.

 

"The goal is to inspire the Dunedin community to celebrate these cryptic creatures and to raise awareness of their unique place in the city's natural environment.

 

"People can vote online by going to www.bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz"

 

The competition  aims to increase awareness  and provide research funding for the winning bug.