Reinstatement of the New Zealand cave wētā genus Miotopus Hutton (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) and description of a new species
Author
Fitness, Josephine L.
8668015A-BAE6-4673-AF99-42EA57FB581D
Ecology Group, Massey University, Private Bag 11 - 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. 135 Blacks Road, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand.
josephine.fitness@gmail.com
Author
Morgan-Richards, Mary
48F2FB1A-4C03-477C-8564-5417F9739AE1
Ecology Group, Massey University, Private Bag 11 - 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. 135 Blacks Road, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand.
M.Morgan-Richards@massey.ac.nz
Author
Hegg, Danilo
34DFC18A-F53D-417F-85FC-EF514F6D2EFD
danilo_hegg@hotmail.com
Author
Trewick, Steven A.
7A378EE1-BADB-459D-9BAA-7059A675F683
Ecology Group, Massey University, Private Bag 11 - 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. 135 Blacks Road, Dunedin 9010, New Zealand.
s.trewick@massey.ac.nz
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2018
2018-10-18
468
1
24
journal article
22240
10.5852/ejt.2018.468
6ee2e869-d702-40de-a386-0b15dd91f55d
3827074
75EBC848-30F7-40DC-AE44-1A6EA44CFAD5
Miotopus diversus
Hutton, 1898
Figs 4
,
5
A–B, 6A–B, 7A–B, 8A–C, 9, 10A–B
Diagnosis
A medium sized cave wētā found in forested areas around the North Island,
New Zealand
, mainly in leaf litter on the forest floor, or in the roots of trees. Dark brown with visible dark and pale bands on the fore and mid legs, it could be most easily confused with the sympatric
Pleioplectron hudsoni
. However, adult
Miotopus diversus
are larger (see
Table 1
), usually appear darker in life, and have small spines on the dorsal surface of the mid tibiae, and are further distinguished from
Pleioplectron
by spine count and male terminalia.
Type material
Holotype
NEW ZEALAND
:
♀
, from
Upper Wanganui
(as
Pleioplectron diversum
) in
Canterbury
Museum
(
Hutton 1897
).
Other material
NEW ZEALAND
: 1 ³ from Makaretu,
Hawkes Bay
(as
Miotopus diversus
) (
Hutton 1898
).
Material examined
See
Table 2
.
Description
HEAD. Mostly brown with vertical pale stripes, covered in fine setae, palps light brown with fine setae, fastigium brown with pale spots on the sides, eyes black and ovoid, antennae long and dark brown. Male antennae are notably thick, densely clothed in setae and abruptly tapering to a thin thread at the end, whereas female antennae are narrow and almost uniformly thin from end to end, scape and peduncle pale (
Fig. 5
).
THORAX. Pronotum with anterior and posterior margins convex, and sides rounded with a slight outward ‘lip’, dark brown–red brown with occasional pale markings (
Fig. 6
A–B).
LEGS. Moderately long, hind femora shorter than tibiae, coxae and trochanters cream, femora and tibiae dark brown with cream bands. Fore femora compressed with one prolateral apical spine and one retrolateral apical spine present, short dark setae present. Fore tibiae with two prolateral and three or four retrolateral long, pale to transparent, linear spines positioned in the mid to distal portion of the tibiae. Fore tibiae with two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), pale with dark tip, almost hidden amongst the setae, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), inferior apical spines longer than superior spines, articulate, pale with dark tip, longer and thicker than the surrounding setae. Mid femora compressed with one long articulated prolateral apical spine, one long articulated retrolateral apical spine. Mid tibiae with three or four prolateral and two or three retrolateral long, linear spines positioned in the mid to distal portion of the tibiae, prolateral linear spines longer than the retrolateral spines. Mid tibiae with two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), pale with dark tip, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), inferior spines longer than superior spines, pale with dark tip. Hind femora with one retrolateral apical spine (sometimes very small), slightly pigmented. Hind tibiae longer than femora with small brown alternate spines along superior surface (
Fig. 9
). Hind tibiae with two superior subapical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), spines twice as long as superior subapical spines, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral) ¾ length of superior apical spines above, two inferior subapical spines. Tarsi with four segments, 1
st
and 2
nd
segment with a pair of spines on distal end, 1
st
segment has eight small spines up from the end in alternate fashion; on the underside of the 1
st
segment minute brown spinules run up the length of the segment either side of the tarsal pad. The 2
nd
segment has three minute spines above, 4
th
segment half the length of the 1
st
segment.
ABDOMEN. Glossy, brown tones. Short setae covering both tergites and sternites; sternum light brown colour.
TERMINALIA MALE (
Fig. 7
A–B). Cerci long, round, brown in colour, clothed in setae, styli short, not extending beyond the end of the subgenital plate. Subgenital plate is a finger-like protrusion TERMINALIA FEMALE (
Fig. 8
A–C). Subgenital plate with three points, the outer two slightly longer than the middle one. Apex rounded and blunt. Ovipositor reddish-brown with 7–8 teeth on the ventral edge near at the tip.