Macropathus

Macropathus
Macropathus filifer
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Rhaphidophoridae
Tribe: Macropathini
Genus: Macropathus
Walker, 1869
Species

See text

Macropathus is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.

Distribution and habitat

Macropathus sightings in New Zealand as of October 2022. Data from iNaturalist NZ.

Macropathus are only found in New Zealand, and can be found in both the North Island and the South Island. There are yet to be any observations on the offshore islands. They live in caves, and in the open, under rocks.

Threats

Macropathus face the same threats as most species of wētā, predation by introduced species, and habitat destruction by humans.

Species

This genus was revised a number of times before Aola Richards examined the type material from the British Museum of Natural History (London) and clarified how if differs from the genus Pachyrhamma. Genetic data suggests that Macropathus filifer is sister to New Zealand and Tasmanian and Falkland Island species.

References

  1. 1 2 Richards, Aola M. (1958). "Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part II. The Genus Macropathus Walker in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Collection". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 85: 465–470.
  2. ↑ "Macropathus Observations". iNaturalist NZ. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  3. ↑ Richards, Aola M. (1972). "Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part XIV. Three alpine genera from the South Island". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 2 (2): 151–174. Bibcode:1972JRSNZ...2..151R. doi:10.1080/03036758.1972.10429371. ISSN 0303-6758.
  4. ↑ HUTTON, F. W. (1989). "A Case of Inherited Instinct". Nature. 58 (1505): 411. doi:10.1038/058411b0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4000543.
  5. ↑ "Wētā". Department of Conservation.
  6. ↑ Hutton, F. W. (1897). "The Stenopelmatidae of New Zealand". Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. 29: 208–242.
  7. ↑ Richards, Aola M. (1954). "The Systematics and Ecology of the Genus Macropathus Walker, 1869 (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae)". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 82: 739–762.
  8. 1 2 3 Richards, Aola M. (1954). "Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part XIV. Three alpine genera from the South Island". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 2 (2): 151–174. Bibcode:1972JRSNZ...2..151R. doi:10.1080/03036758.1972.10429371. ISSN 0303-6758.
  9. ↑ Allegrucci, Giuliana; Sbordoni, Valerio (2019-09-01). "Insights into the molecular phylogeny of Rhaphidophoridae, an ancient, worldwide lineage of Orthoptera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 138: 126–138. Bibcode:2019MolPE.138..126A. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.05.032. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 31132518. S2CID 167220487.
  10. 1 2 "Wetas". 2007-04-16. Archived from the original on 2007-04-16.