[Taxacom] when is a common species critically endangered?

[Stephen Thorpe]

also, they rather dubiously dismissed the record of the mite from the introduced plant Lotus corniculatus as just being due to the recent presence at the same site of Clianthus, as if it meant nothing. Yet, Lotus is in the same family as Clianthus, and the record is *some* evidence that the mite can survive on other, related plants if it has to, perhaps in numbers too low to show the characteristic galls, and the mites themselves are too small to be seen otherwise ...



________________________________
From: Geoff Read <gread at actrix.gen.nz>
To: Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz> 
Cc: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> 
Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2012 1:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] when is a common species critically endangered?

Just a caveat on the success of this host plant in cultivation (really up
against it to survive in the wild without human help). Clianthus maximus
might be widely _attempted_ to be grown, from commercial cultivars (likely
to be low in genetic diversity). But introduced snails still defoliate it,
it's not a good competitor with other plants, and it's not very long
lived.  Altogether hard work to keep & won't flourish without help from
those who plant it. Great for the garden shops repeat business, until
maybe it goes out of fashion, as plants do.

Noting I'm glad to live in a country where people are still able to worry
about the exact conservation status of mites (and snails, worms, and
insects), and be taken seriously by politicians - albeit as long as there
isn't mineral wealth beneath the habitat.

Geoff


On Wed, June 27, 2012 12:11 pm, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> Thanks Ken ... perhaps even just "vulnerable" is the appropriate category?
> It is not threatened, as such, for as long as Clianthus is widely
> cultivated in gardens and parks, and there is no indication that this will
> change ...