This species is now known as Menippus darcyi Reid & Nally, 2008 [NSW Government Gazette No. 113, 25 November 2011, Page 6714].
NSW Scientific Committee - final determination
The Scientific Committee has found that:
1. Menippus fugitivus (Lea), (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is not listed on Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Act and thus populations of Menippus fugitivus are eligible for inclusion on Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Act.
2. Menippus fugitivus is a rare, small, light green, chrysomelid beetle. The adults are approximately 5 mm in length. The female adults lay eggs in spring, which hatch into small larvae. It is probable that Menippus fugitivus has one generation per year, however, details of the life cycle of this beetle are unknown.
3. Menippus fugitivus has been recorded from only three locations in Australia. Lord Howe Island, coastal North Queensland and Grays Point Reserve, adjacent to Port Hacking in southern Sydney. The Lord Howe Island and Grays Point specimens are similar in appearance and distinct from those of North Queensland.
4. The population at Grays Point Reserve feeds solely on a stand of Native Celtis (Celtis paniculata) at the 0.8 ha Grays Point Reserve. Celtis paniculata is part of the plant community of the Sutherland Shire Littoral Rainforest listed under Schedule 1 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995). There are no previously recorded hosts for this beetle species, although it was associated with rainforest vegetation in North Queensland and on Lord Howe Island. Menippus fugitivus has not been recorded from littoral rainforest, or elsewhere, on mainland New South Wales.
5. Native Celtis is a rare plant in the remnant Sutherland Shire Littoral Rainforest. The Grays Point Reserve contains approximately 10 - 15 trees of this species and the population of Menippus fugitivus appears dependent on these trees. Other sites of Sutherland Shire Littoral Rainforest contain a few specimens of Celtis paniculata, however, Menippus fugitivus is only known from Grays Point Reserve. The size of the population is estimated at approximately 500 individuals.
6. The Sutherland Shire population of Menippus fugitivus is of conservation significance because it is the only record of this insect in mainland New South Wales. The population is considered to be threatened due to its limited size, restricted distribution and because there may be pressures to extend the car park at the reserve. Removal of any Native Celtis could lead to the extinction of this beetle population. Grays Point Reserve is only a small part of the Sutherland Shire Littoral Rainforest and the removal of some of the trees there, might be seen as not having a significant impact on the community as a whole.
7. In view of the points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 above, the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the Sutherland Shire population of Menippus fugitivus is eligible for listing as an endangered population because its habitat has been so drastically reduced that it is immediate danger of extinction, it is likely to be genetically distinct, it is disjunct and is at the limit of its geographic range, and, the population is of significant conservation value.
Proposed Gazettal date: 3/3/00
Exhibition period: 3/3/00 - 7/4/00