Discovering new species

Have a careful look at this image. What do you see? What do you notice?

This image is used in https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2842-insects-physical-characteristics

This article is all about a very small, thin, orange caterpillar – nicknamed Fred the Thread.

Want to know more about other types of lifecycles? Have a look at our topic: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/topics/life-cycles

Dr Robert Hoare, of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, tells the story of Fred the Thread, the world’s thinnest caterpillar. Join the detective hunt for this elusive species.

Dr Robert Hoare, of Landcare Research NZ Ltd, talks about the process that the scientists went through to name the new species they had found when they discovered Fred the Thread.

Dr Robert Hoare reads a poem he wrote about the native moth (Houdinia flexilissima), whose larva is known as Fred the Thread. The poem is from Robert’s book Six-legged Things and Scaly Wings: An anthology of New Zealand insect verse (mostly about moths). When not writing poetry, Robert is an invertebrate systematist with Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.

Learn more about Robert’s work with these Hub resources.

Fred the Thread is a caterpillar that grows into a small moth. The caterpillar was the basis of a detective hunt by the scientists at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.

You can use this image to support students developing their observation and questioning skills. Try asking students to describe Fred to someone who can't see him - maybe ask they to draw what they are told, then compare!

Fred the Thread is a caterpillar that grows into a small but beautiful moth. Each adult is less than half a centimetre long with a wingspan of only 12 mm.

Try comparing Fred the moth to Fred the caterpillar - how has he changed?

Names are important. They identify who we are and where we come from.

Explore moth names in this article.

You could try drawing a moth based on the clues in a name, or create a name for a moth based on a description.

Dr Robert Hoare, of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, talks about why he loves moths – a fascinating story of how an entomologist grew to love these night-time fliers.

Scientists often follow their passion. What passion can we ignite in our students that might lead to life long learning?

This activity outlines several ways you can use Robert Hoare’s poem to promote basic literacy skills and support scientific thinking.

In this activity, students write a formal introduction for an insect species of their choice, including information about the insect’s relationship to other animals and also the land. This is designed to help them think about how the Linnaean classification system works.

Learn more about classification here: https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1438-classification-system

So far, we’ve catalogued 1.9 million kinds of plants, animals and microbes. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are probably more than 10 million species sharing our planet, which means we only know about 20% of them.

You could spend some time imagining what unknown species might look like.

Here are links to Science Learning Hub resources for primary teachers related to insects in the Living World strand of the New Zealand Curriculum.

This teaching resource is intended for NZC levels 2–3. The poem and accompanying activities support learning in multiple curriculum areas.

This teaching resource is intended for NZC level 3 or above. The poem and accompanying activities support learning in multiple curriculum areas.