Recovery of a flightless beetle after elimination of rodents on Lord Howe Island, Australia

Lord Howe Island is notable for its rich subtropical flora and fauna, however incursions of house mouse (1860s) and black rat (1918) have had catastrophic effects on the biota. These rodents were eliminated in 2019. Repeated surveys of the beetles of Lord Howe Island have provided pre- and post- rodent eradication data. The recovery of a large flightless longhorn beetle, Xylotoles wollastoni, is outlined here.

Implications for insect conservation The recovery of a large flightless endemic beetle provides strong support for the positive impacts of rodent eradication on the Lord Howe fauna, and for similar conservation programmes elsewhere.