[Taxacom] rats reappear on Lord Howe Island

[John Grehan]

Good to hear about this successful effort, especially for the future
enhancement of Dryococelus numbers. This stick insect has a molecular age
(22-50 Ma) which is older than the current islands (7 Ma). Of course there
are many now-submerged seamounts in the vicinity and LH is part of a
sea-mount chain where the oldest rocks are about 30Ma.

On Sat, Nov 6, 2021 at 9:24 AM Kenneth Kinman via Taxacom <
taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> wrote:

> Hi All,
>           I was reading about Dryococelus australis, the Lord Howe Island
> stick insect ("tree lobster") wiped out by rats by 1920.  But then a small
> population of them found in 2001 on Ball's Pyramid (20 km. offshore) and
> then a breeding program to save them.
>           But plans for reintroduction on Lord Howe Island will presumably
> be delayed when some rats were recently found on the island despite a
> massive eradication project.   Below are two weblinks to articles this year
> about the rats, and a third weblink to a 2017 article about the stick
> insect once thought extinct.
>                                          ---------------Ken Kinman
>
>
> October 2021 (about some rats rediscovered):
>
> https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/26/survivors-or-intruders-rats-found-on-lord-howe-island-despite-22000-traps-and-40-tonnes-of-bait
>
> February 2021 (no rats seen):
> https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-02/lord-howe-island-recovers-from-rat-infestation/13111770
>
> October 2017 (about the stick insect):
>
> https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-06/extinct-lord-howe-stick-insect-back-from-dead/8984902
> [https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/9010392-16x9-large.jpg?v=2]<
> https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-06/extinct-lord-howe-stick-insect-back-from-dead/8984902
> >
> Lord Howe tree lobster officially back from dead as island pushes ahead
> with poison program - Science News - ABC News<
> https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-06/extinct-lord-howe-stick-insect-back-from-dead/8984902
> >
> DNA has verified that a captive population of stick insect is genetically
> the same as the "extinct" Lord Howe Island species, as the island prepares
> for a controversial pest eradication program.
> www.abc.net.au
>
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