Deinacrida parva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Deinacrida parva | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Anostostomatidae |
| Genus: | Deinacrida |
| Species: | D. parva |
| Binomial name | |
| Deinacrida parva Buller, 1895 | |
 | |
Deinacrida parva is a species of insect in the family Anostostomatidae, the king crickets and weta. It is known commonly as the Kaikoura wētā[1] or Kaikoura giant wētā.[2] It was first described in 1894 from a male individual[3] then rediscovered in 1966 by Dr J.C. Watt at Lake Sedgemore in Upper Wairau.[4] It is endemic to New Zealand, where it can be found in the northern half of the South Island.[2]
This is a small to medium-sized robust wētā.[5] It is easily confused with Deinacrida rugosa.[2][6][7] Due to the rarity of this weta, there is still much to be learnt.[8]
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Deinacrida parva have a rounded brown body.[9] The females are larger than the males in this species of wētā, but the males have long legs suggesting scramble competition for mates.[10][11] The females have a large spike on the end of their body, this spike is called an ovipositor and is used for laying eggs.[12]
The Kaikoura giant wētā can grow up to around 100mm in size[12] and weigh up to 14.5 grams.[13] They have a life span of roughly two years.[4] This wētā, although very similar in appearance, is smaller in size than D. rugosa and is a brown colour[10] with darker colouring under the abdomen.[9] Red or pink coloration can also be present on the border of the thoracic shield.[2] A major identification of the Kaikoura Wētā is by counting the six spines present on the lower hind leg.[2]
The taxonomic status of D.parva and D. rugosa were investigated.[2] These two are species are morphologically similar and phylogenetically sister species.[14]
Habitat and distribution
Deinacrida parva are found in many different terrestrial environments[15] but most commonly under large logs on river flats and scrub areas close to the edges of the forests.[2] Large proportions of individuals are found under mataī logs.[8] Their preference for living close to water ways has resulted in the drowning of some individuals, although this might be linked to infection by internal parasites.[13]
D. parva are found between 150 and 1500m above sea level from South Marlborough to Hanmer Springs.[2] These weta are considered subalpine specialists.[16] They are most common surrounding Hapuku and Kowhai river close to Kaikōura (hence the name of these wētā).[2]
It is suspected they now occupy less than 10% of their former range.[17]
Diet
Behaviour
This weta, like many of the other weta in New Zealand, is nocturnal.[19]
D. parva are able to produce sounds by rubbing tergite spines and hair sensilla together (located on their abdominal plates).[5] The sounds are normally produced during contraction of the abdomen and often in time with a defensive leg kick as a warning.[5] This is called the tergo-tergal mechanism.[5] The sounds produced are a soft hiss and often fall within ultrasonic frequencies.[5]
Using hair sensilla for sound production is a rare occurrence in arthropods and a potential explanation for why it has occurred in this species is that it has evolved under predation pressure by the endemic short-tailed bat in New Zealand.[5] There are no current evidence that the sounds produced are for intraspecific communication but it has not been researched extensively.[5]
