Pollination Ecology of the New Zealand Endemic Spurred Helmet Orchid Corybas cheesemanii

Abstract

Orchids have a range of pollination systems, especially deceptive strategies where pollinators do not receive rewards. The most common type of deception is food deception, where orchids have the appearance of a potential food source without providing it and are pollinated by male and female pollinators attempting to feed from the flowers. Sexual deception is the next most common type of deceptive pollination where males mistake the flower for a female and pollinate it during pseudocopulation. Female insects can also be fooled into pollination through brood-site mimicry, in which orchids imitate an oviposition site, such as carrion, dung or fungi and attract females looking for a place to lay their eggs. This form of mimicry is known for a number of species ... Here I report on the phenology, pollination, and floral signals of the New Zealand endemic orchid Corybas cheesemanii ...