Hemiandrus maia

Hemiandrus maia, the Otago ground wētā, is a species of ground wētā endemic to New Zealand.[1] Being a ground weta, they are often found in burrows in the ground during the daytime (as they are also nocturnal). The species is occurs on the South Island and is classified as "not threatened".[2] This species of wētā is unusual for an insect in that the female looks after her eggs and nymphs, this is known as maternal care.

Hemiandrus maia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Anostostomatidae
Genus: Hemiandrus
Species:
H. maia
Binomial name
Hemiandrus maia
Taylor Smith, Morgan-Richards, Trewick 2013
Hemiandrus maia at night in Dunedin

Taxonomy

Hemiandrus maia was first described in 2013, but had been referred to in previous publications by an informal (tag) name (Hemiandrus 'evansae').[1][3] The species name comes from the Greek name Maia, the eldest of the Pleiades (in Greek mythology the seven daughters of Pleione and Atlas), meaning ‘mother’ or ‘good mother’. This name is given to this species to reflect the maternal care exhibited.

Habitat/Distribution

Hemiandrus maia are endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Because they are a ground weta, they are often found in burrows in the ground during the day, as they are a nocturnal species.[4] During the night however, they are quite active on the ground, but are also found in vegetation.

Conservation

The New Zealand Department of Conservation classified this species as "not threatened" in 2014.[2]

Diet

Hemiandrus maia is omnivorous, eating fruit and invertebrates but avoiding seeds of native plants.[1][5]

Morphology

Otago ground wētā females have a medium-length ovipositor.[1] Male and females have fore tibiae with a single superior prolateral spine (excluding apical spine) and mid tibiae with two superior prolateral spines and three superior retrolateral spines (excluding apical spines).

Behavior

Hemiandrus maia come out of their burrows on average once every three nights.[1] The females share burrows and care for eggs and nymphs.[1]

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References
  1. Smith, BL Taylor; Morgan-Richards, M.; Trewick, SA (2013). "New Zealand ground wētā (Anostostomatidae: Hemiandrus): descriptions of two species with notes on their biology". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 40 (4): 314–329. doi:10.1080/03014223.2013.804422. ISSN 0301-4223.
  2. Steve Trewick, Peter Johns, Rod Hitchmough, Jeremy Rolfe and Ian Stringer (2014). The conservation status of New Zealand Orthoptera, 2014 (PDF).CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  3. Johns, Peter (2001). "Distribution and conservation status of ground weta, Hemiandrus species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae)" (PDF). Science for Conservation. 180 – via New Zealand Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand.
  4. Gwynne, D. T. (2014). "A secondary copulatory structure in a female insect: a clasp for a nuptial meal?". Naturwissenschaften. 89 (3): 125–127. doi:10.1007/s00114-002-0298-y.
  5. Morgan-Richards, Mary (2008). "When is it coevolution? The case of ground wētā and fleshy fruits in New Zealand". NZES. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
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