Lasiorhynchus barbicornis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The New Zealand giraffe weevil, Lasiorhynchus barbicornis, is a straight-snouted weevil in the subfamily Brentinae, endemic to New Zealand. L. barbicornis is New Zealand's longest beetle, and shows extreme sexual dimorphism: males measure up to 90mm, and females 50mm, although there is an extreme range of body sizes in both sexes. In males, the elongated snout (or rostrum) can be nearly as long as the body. Male giraffe weevils use this long rostrum to battle over females, although small males can avoid conflict and 'sneak' in to mate with females, sometimes under the noses of large males. The larval weevils tunnel into wood for at least two years before emerging, and live for only a few weeks as adults.
Giraffe weevils are common in the North Island. Although rarer, they can also be found in the northwestern South Island, as far south as Greymouth. One has been recorded from the Hollyford Valley in Fiordland. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that during the Pleistocene ice ages giraffe weevils areonly found in the remnant forests of Northland, and have expanded southward during this current interglacial.
This species was described by the Danish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Giraffe Weevil sighting in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 64 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Giraffe Weevil in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Zealand Giraffe Weevil sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate New Zealand Giraffe Weevil sightings, Abel Tasman National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same order: Coleoptera
The closest relatives of the New Zealand Giraffe Weevil that you can see in Abel Tasman National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are Tanguru Chafer (about 20%), Steelblue Lady Beetle (about 20%) and Plocamostethus planiusculus (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Zealand Giraffe Weevil is recorded against all the insects logged in Abel Tasman National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
