Voting closes at midnight for the Entomological Society’s Bug of the Year 2026. Here are some of the 21 bugs vying for your vote.
Otago alpine cockroach
Professor of Evolutionary Biology Mary Morgan-Richards says in the icy heights of Aotearoa New Zealand’s alpine zones, this endemic insect endures sub-zero temperatures by freezing solid, only to thaw and spring back to life.
North Auckland worm | Noke Waiū
Bioluminesence expert Professor Siouxsie Wiles says if it’s more than a metre long and can expel glowing yellow ooze from its anus, surely it’s bug of the year material.
Canterbury knobbled weevil
This bug was thought to be extinct for about 80 years – until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s. Canterbury Museum’s Jonathon Ridden says that’s a resilience akin to the Canterbury spirit.
Black tunnelweb spider | Kahuwai
Tūhura Otago Museum is supporting the indigenous spider which inspired the design of the villainous Shelob in Peter Jackson’s film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Tadpole shrimp | Kouraura wai
Otago Entomology Society president Connal McLean is backing this freshwater crustacean which reproduces asexually through a process called parthenogenesis: “So they are an entirely female population — girl power!”
See the rest of the 2026 nominees here. If you’re still struggling to decide, try this bug personality quiz!