Pachyrhamma

Pachyrhamma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Rhaphidophoridae
Subfamily: Macropathinae
Genus: Pachyrhamma
Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Gymnoplectron Hutton, 1897
  • Turbottoplectron Salmon, 1948

Pachyrhamma is a genus of cave wētā (New Zealand cave cricket, tokoriro) in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. All species are nocturnal and most use cave habitats.

Taxonomy

The genus was first described by Swiss geologist and entomologist Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1888. Cook et al. (2010) found that Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron are synonymised with Pachyrhamma. They follow W.F. Kirby (1906) and Karny (1937) in treating Pachyrhamma as a neuter noun.

Ecology

Aggregation of P. waitomoensis

Members of the genus are detritivorous scavengers that inhabit dark, damp refugia such as hollow logs, overhangs and caves during the day. They become more active at night and venture into the surrounding undergrowth to forage. They consume various organic matter such as plant seeds, fungi, animal droppings, and dead animal tissue. They will cannibalise the remains of other dead weta, and may also attack still-living cave weta while they are vulnerable during ecdysis (shedding their exoskeleton).

Species

When Pachyrhamma is treated as a neuter noun, species names have a neuter suffix, e.g. -ceras rather than -cera, and -ense rather than -ensis.

References

  1. ↑ "Pachyrhamma Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 Cook, Lorraine D.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Johns, Peter M. (2010). "Status of the New Zealand cave weta (Rhaphidophoridae) genera Pachyrhamma, Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron". Invertebrate Systematics. 24 (2): 131. doi:10.1071/IS09047. ISSN 1445-5226.
  3. ↑ Brunner T. Wattenwyl, C. (1888). "Monographie der Stenopelmatiden und Gryllacriden". Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien (in German). 38: 247–394. ISSN 1025-4749. Wikidata Q129404464. {{Cite Q}}: Missing first/last names in Wikidata for Brunner T. Wattenwyl, C.  (help)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Richards, Aola M. (1961). "Some observations on New Zealand cave-wetas". Tuatara. 9 (2): 80–83. Retrieved 9 September 2017.