Floritettix are endemic to the North American Coastal Plain. Here I describe a new species, Floritettix phloxsp. nov., from the Bombing Range Ridge in central Florida. This species appears to be restricted to the heavily burned scrub habitat on this small ridge. This species is described based on morphological and biogeographical evidence.
{"title":"A new Floritettix (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) from the Bombing Range Ridge, Florida, U.S.A.","authors":"Jovonn G. Hill","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.94990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.94990","url":null,"abstract":"Floritettix are endemic to the North American Coastal Plain. Here I describe a new species, Floritettix phloxsp. nov., from the Bombing Range Ridge in central Florida. This species appears to be restricted to the heavily burned scrub habitat on this small ridge. This species is described based on morphological and biogeographical evidence.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48443743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new species of Neoleva (Caelifera, Acridoidea, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae) from Central Tanzania","authors":"C. Hemp","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.91581","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.91581","url":null,"abstract":"A new species of Neoleva Jago, N. magna sp. nov. is described from Central Tanzania. A key to all species of Neoleva is presented.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42124499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sexual dimorphism (SD) is a common phenomenon in sexual species and can manifest in a variety of ways. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is commonly investigated, but it can be confounded with sexual shape dimorphism (SShD) if multivariate measures of size are not used. Univariate studies may also overestimate the prevalence or direction of SSD when the sexes are strikingly different in shape, which may be an issue in taxa such as Orthoptera and other terrestrial arthropods where maximum body size is strongly constrained. Here we tested for the occurrence of both SSD and SShD in the badlands cricket Gryllus personatus (Orthoptera, Gryllinae). We measured four body size dimensions—maxillae span, head width, pronotum length, and mean hind femur length—and used multivariate methods to test whether male and female adult badlands crickets were sexually dimorphic in size and/or shape. All the univariate dimensions were sexually dimorphic, with males having wider heads and maxillae than females and females having longer pronota and hind femora than males, which indicates SShD. However, multivariate methods failed to detect SSD, instead confirming that the sexes primarily differ in body shape. We show how a simple ratio of head width to pronotum length captures SShD in badlands crickets and apply it to iNaturalist, a citizen science platform, to broaden our findings. We propose that orthopterists studying SD minimally measure head width, pronotum length, and hind femur length as a standard that will allow a more repeatable and generalizable assessment of the prevalence and direction of both SSD and SShD.
{"title":"Sexual dimorphism in the badlands cricket (Orthoptera, Gryllinae, Gryllus personatus)","authors":"Esperance M. Madera, K. A. Judge","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.93513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.93513","url":null,"abstract":"Sexual dimorphism (SD) is a common phenomenon in sexual species and can manifest in a variety of ways. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is commonly investigated, but it can be confounded with sexual shape dimorphism (SShD) if multivariate measures of size are not used. Univariate studies may also overestimate the prevalence or direction of SSD when the sexes are strikingly different in shape, which may be an issue in taxa such as Orthoptera and other terrestrial arthropods where maximum body size is strongly constrained. Here we tested for the occurrence of both SSD and SShD in the badlands cricket Gryllus personatus (Orthoptera, Gryllinae). We measured four body size dimensions—maxillae span, head width, pronotum length, and mean hind femur length—and used multivariate methods to test whether male and female adult badlands crickets were sexually dimorphic in size and/or shape. All the univariate dimensions were sexually dimorphic, with males having wider heads and maxillae than females and females having longer pronota and hind femora than males, which indicates SShD. However, multivariate methods failed to detect SSD, instead confirming that the sexes primarily differ in body shape. We show how a simple ratio of head width to pronotum length captures SShD in badlands crickets and apply it to iNaturalist, a citizen science platform, to broaden our findings. We propose that orthopterists studying SD minimally measure head width, pronotum length, and hind femur length as a standard that will allow a more repeatable and generalizable assessment of the prevalence and direction of both SSD and SShD.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43998270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The male holotype of Acrida bara Steinmann, 1963 from the Budapest collection (HNHM) was studied and found to be identical to Acrida sulphuripennis (Gerstaecker, 1869). Consequently, Acrida bara syn. nov. is synonymized with A. sulphuripennis.
对布达佩斯收藏的Acrida bara Steinmann，1963年的雄性正模进行了研究，发现其与Acrida sulfuripennis（Gerstaecker，1869）相同。因此，Acrida bara syn。nov.与A.sulfuripennis同义。
{"title":"Acrida bara, synomymous with A. sulphuripennis (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Acridinae)","authors":"C. Hemp","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.93481","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.93481","url":null,"abstract":"The male holotype of Acrida bara Steinmann, 1963 from the Budapest collection (HNHM) was studied and found to be identical to Acrida sulphuripennis (Gerstaecker, 1869). Consequently, Acrida bara syn. nov. is synonymized with A. sulphuripennis.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45707220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy R. Byerly, Thomas J. Firneno Jr., Riley Beard, E. Larson
Orthopterans are commonly encountered in rural, suburban, and urban landscapes and have charismatic songs that attract the public’s attention. These are ideal organisms for connecting the public with science and critical concepts in ecology and evolution, such as habitat conservation and climate change. In this review, we provide an overview of community science and review community science in orthopterans. Best practices for orthopteran community science are provided, with a focus on audio recordings and highlighting new ways in which scientists who study orthopterans can engage in community science. Before the modern era, scientific discovery was commonly made by people who were not scientists by profession (Brenna 2011, Miller-Rushing et al. 2012). This began to change in the middle of the nineteenth century when science became highly academic, with greater “gatekeeping” of knowledge, and data collection became increasingly expensive. As a result, much of the knowledge gained during that time has been effectively withheld from non-scientists in difficult-to-obtain scientific journals, and there were few opportunities for the public to directly engage with scientific research. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort from the scientific community to change the way we engage with the public. These “citizen” or “community” science projects are filling gaps in the modern approach to scientific inquiry (Jordan et al. 2012, Toomey and Domroese 2013, Johnson et al. 2014). Here, we provide an overview of community science and highlight the exciting and unique role that community science can play in orthopteran research. We focus on how acoustic surveys can be used to study orthopteran biodiversity, provide best practices for orthopteran community science, and suggest future avenues for research.
骨科医生经常出现在农村，郊区和城市景观中，他们有吸引公众注意的魅力歌曲。它们是将公众与生态和进化中的科学和关键概念(如栖息地保护和气候变化)联系起来的理想生物。在这篇综述中，我们提供了社区科学的概述和回顾社区科学在骨科。提供了骨科社区科学的最佳实践，重点是录音，并强调了研究骨科医生的科学家可以参与社区科学的新方法。在现代之前，科学发现通常是由职业不是科学家的人进行的(Brenna 2011, miller - rush et al. 2012)。这种情况在19世纪中叶开始发生变化，当时科学变得高度学术化，对知识有了更大的“把关”，数据收集变得越来越昂贵。结果，在这段时间里获得的很多知识在难以获得的科学期刊上被有效地向非科学家隐瞒了，公众很少有机会直接参与科学研究。近年来，科学界齐心协力，改变了我们与公众接触的方式。这些“公民”或“社区”科学项目正在填补现代科学探究方法的空白(Jordan et al. 2012, Toomey and Domroese 2013, Johnson et al. 2014)。在这里，我们提供社区科学的概述，并强调社区科学在骨科研究中可以发挥的令人兴奋和独特的作用。我们关注如何利用声学调查来研究骨科生物多样性，为骨科社区科学提供最佳实践，并提出未来的研究途径。
{"title":"The role of community science in orthopteran research","authors":"Amy R. Byerly, Thomas J. Firneno Jr., Riley Beard, E. Larson","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.90444","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.90444","url":null,"abstract":"Orthopterans are commonly encountered in rural, suburban, and urban landscapes and have charismatic songs that attract the public’s attention. These are ideal organisms for connecting the public with science and critical concepts in ecology and evolution, such as habitat conservation and climate change. In this review, we provide an overview of community science and review community science in orthopterans. Best practices for orthopteran community science are provided, with a focus on audio recordings and highlighting new ways in which scientists who study orthopterans can engage in community science.\u0000 Before the modern era, scientific discovery was commonly made by people who were not scientists by profession (Brenna 2011, Miller-Rushing et al. 2012). This began to change in the middle of the nineteenth century when science became highly academic, with greater “gatekeeping” of knowledge, and data collection became increasingly expensive. As a result, much of the knowledge gained during that time has been effectively withheld from non-scientists in difficult-to-obtain scientific journals, and there were few opportunities for the public to directly engage with scientific research. In recent years, there has been a concerted effort from the scientific community to change the way we engage with the public. These “citizen” or “community” science projects are filling gaps in the modern approach to scientific inquiry (Jordan et al. 2012, Toomey and Domroese 2013, Johnson et al. 2014). Here, we provide an overview of community science and highlight the exciting and unique role that community science can play in orthopteran research. We focus on how acoustic surveys can be used to study orthopteran biodiversity, provide best practices for orthopteran community science, and suggest future avenues for research.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48667423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The biology of Patanga japonica (Bolívar, 1898), including seasonal nymphal growth, host plants, mating, oviposition, hatching, and adult morphology, was studied under outdoor and indoor conditions in central Japan. A field census showed that this grasshopper had a univoltine life cycle and overwintered in the adult stage. Body size was found to increase with a delay in the time of adult emergence in females but not in males, and protandry was observed. The insects were mainly associated with a few plant species. Feeding tests showed that at least one of the 5 test nymphs molted to the second stadium on 37 plant species, and more than 50% did so on 23 plant species. Mating was frequently observed in April and May under outdoor conditions, and the daily maximum number of copulating pairs was positively correlated with air temperature. Copulatory behavior, including stridulation, is described in detail. Oviposition was frequently observed in May and June under outdoor conditions. Larger females produced more eggs per pod, and a negative relationship was observed between egg lengths and the number of eggs per pod, showing a trade-off. On average, female adults had 124 ovarioles. Egg hatching occurred at different times during the daytime, but the eggs from each pod hatched synchronously. Synchronous hatching was also observed in eggs kept in groups of 2, 4, and 10, but hatching occurred earlier in larger group sizes. Eggs achieved synchronous hatching by either delaying or advancing hatching time. Two eggs separated by several millimeters hatched less synchronously than those kept in contact with one another. However, similarly separated eggs restored hatching synchrony when connected by thin wire, suggesting the involvement of vibrational signals in embryo–embryo communication. Morphometric analysis suggested that P. japonica adults change some morphometric ratios in response to crowding. Variation in pronotum shape was not significantly affected by crowding.
{"title":"Biology of Patanga japonica (Orthoptera, Acrididae): Nymphal growth, host plants, reproductive activity, hatching behavior, and adult morphology","authors":"S. Tanaka","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.95753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.95753","url":null,"abstract":"The biology of Patanga japonica (Bolívar, 1898), including seasonal nymphal growth, host plants, mating, oviposition, hatching, and adult morphology, was studied under outdoor and indoor conditions in central Japan. A field census showed that this grasshopper had a univoltine life cycle and overwintered in the adult stage. Body size was found to increase with a delay in the time of adult emergence in females but not in males, and protandry was observed. The insects were mainly associated with a few plant species. Feeding tests showed that at least one of the 5 test nymphs molted to the second stadium on 37 plant species, and more than 50% did so on 23 plant species. Mating was frequently observed in April and May under outdoor conditions, and the daily maximum number of copulating pairs was positively correlated with air temperature. Copulatory behavior, including stridulation, is described in detail. Oviposition was frequently observed in May and June under outdoor conditions. Larger females produced more eggs per pod, and a negative relationship was observed between egg lengths and the number of eggs per pod, showing a trade-off. On average, female adults had 124 ovarioles. Egg hatching occurred at different times during the daytime, but the eggs from each pod hatched synchronously. Synchronous hatching was also observed in eggs kept in groups of 2, 4, and 10, but hatching occurred earlier in larger group sizes. Eggs achieved synchronous hatching by either delaying or advancing hatching time. Two eggs separated by several millimeters hatched less synchronously than those kept in contact with one another. However, similarly separated eggs restored hatching synchrony when connected by thin wire, suggesting the involvement of vibrational signals in embryo–embryo communication. Morphometric analysis suggested that P. japonica adults change some morphometric ratios in response to crowding. Variation in pronotum shape was not significantly affected by crowding.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48638745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aryal’s Ten Avatar Groundhopper, Aryalidonta itishreeagen. et sp. nov., named in honor of the late Bhairav Aryal, an iconic Nepali satirist, is a new genus and species of Tetrigidae described as a part of the tribe Thoradontini. The species is native to Nepal, a country with a rich tetrigid fauna in need of taxonomic revisions. This monotypic genus can be easily separated from other Thoradontini genera by its enlarged proximal halves of middle femora, a peculiar lateral lobe morphology (small caudal protrusion in its caudal part and a sharp lateral tip), a triangular, anteriorly narrowing vertex, and by its unique head morphology. The species was observed in its natural habitat. It was found to harbor many color variations that are cryptic in nature. It feeds on detritus, algae, lichen, and moss. Specimens heavily infested by mites were found, as well as those in interaction with wasps (possibly Eulophidae), but the nature of the latter could not be determined.
{"title":"Aryalidonta itishreea, a new genus and species of Thoradontini (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) from Nepal honors the Emperor of Laughter","authors":"Madan Subedi, Niko Kasalo","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.94918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.94918","url":null,"abstract":"Aryal’s Ten Avatar Groundhopper, Aryalidonta itishreeagen. et sp. nov., named in honor of the late Bhairav Aryal, an iconic Nepali satirist, is a new genus and species of Tetrigidae described as a part of the tribe Thoradontini. The species is native to Nepal, a country with a rich tetrigid fauna in need of taxonomic revisions. This monotypic genus can be easily separated from other Thoradontini genera by its enlarged proximal halves of middle femora, a peculiar lateral lobe morphology (small caudal protrusion in its caudal part and a sharp lateral tip), a triangular, anteriorly narrowing vertex, and by its unique head morphology. The species was observed in its natural habitat. It was found to harbor many color variations that are cryptic in nature. It feeds on detritus, algae, lichen, and moss. Specimens heavily infested by mites were found, as well as those in interaction with wasps (possibly Eulophidae), but the nature of the latter could not be determined.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47873224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amira Aqilah Muhammad, Maks Deranja, Karmela Adžić, N. A. Abdullah
One of the two Scelimena Serville, 1838 species described from Peninsular Malaysia, Scelimena gombakensis Muhammad, Tan & Skejo, 2018 occupies a wide distributional range across the country, contrary to the range described in the original description of the species. Extended research has shown that the species occurs in many localities in Peninsular Malaysia, which is interesting given that such findings are uncommon in the study of Tetrigidae. This paper provides new distribution localities, some ecological and physiological notes, and photographs of living specimens of Scelimena gombakensis. Other species synonymized here include Scelimena razalii Mahmood, Idris, & Salmah, 2007 syn. nov. of species Falconius dubius Günther, 1938.
{"title":"Towards a better understanding of the genus Scelimena (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae, Scelimeninae): New insights and notes on the taxonomy, ecology, and physiology of the genus in Peninsular Malaysia","authors":"Amira Aqilah Muhammad, Maks Deranja, Karmela Adžić, N. A. Abdullah","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.91153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.91153","url":null,"abstract":"One of the two Scelimena Serville, 1838 species described from Peninsular Malaysia, Scelimena gombakensis Muhammad, Tan & Skejo, 2018 occupies a wide distributional range across the country, contrary to the range described in the original description of the species. Extended research has shown that the species occurs in many localities in Peninsular Malaysia, which is interesting given that such findings are uncommon in the study of Tetrigidae. This paper provides new distribution localities, some ecological and physiological notes, and photographs of living specimens of Scelimena gombakensis. Other species synonymized here include Scelimena razalii Mahmood, Idris, & Salmah, 2007 syn. nov. of species Falconius dubius Günther, 1938.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46923780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper describes a new species of Skejotetix Subedi, 2022, S. kasalosp. nov., from the temperate forests of Bajung, Parbat, Nepal. The genus was known only from the subtropical regions of Nepal. The new species and its different life stages were observed in the natural habitat. It was found to have many colors that match perfectly with the surroundings. The genus Skejotettix was considered brachypronotal until now, but a macropronotal form was also found alongside the typical brachypronotal form in S. kasalosp. nov. The macropronotal form is an important piece of the puzzle in determining the relationship between Skejotettix and Ergatetttix Kirby, 1914.
{"title":"A new species of the genus Skejotettix (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) from Nepal","authors":"Madan Subedi","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.97276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.97276","url":null,"abstract":"This paper describes a new species of Skejotetix Subedi, 2022, S. kasalosp. nov., from the temperate forests of Bajung, Parbat, Nepal. The genus was known only from the subtropical regions of Nepal. The new species and its different life stages were observed in the natural habitat. It was found to have many colors that match perfectly with the surroundings. The genus Skejotettix was considered brachypronotal until now, but a macropronotal form was also found alongside the typical brachypronotal form in S. kasalosp. nov. The macropronotal form is an important piece of the puzzle in determining the relationship between Skejotettix and Ergatetttix Kirby, 1914.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46932314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James M. H. Tweed, M. Wakelin, B. McKinlay, T. J. Murray
When described in 2014, Maotoweta virescens was believed to be one of New Zealand’s rarest cave wētā (Rhaphidophoridae). Here, we present new information about the distribution, ecology, and life history of the species. M. virescens has now been recorded from indigenous forest sites throughout the length of the western South Island, where it can occur in relatively high abundance. M. virescens shows a close association with arboreal mosses, particularly Weymouthia mollis, roosting within them during the day and feeding on them at night. The wētā has also been documented feeding on lichens and dead insects. The species is hypothesized to have a lifecycle of approximately one year, closely linked to season. Eggs are thought to hatch out relatively quickly after being laid in summer and early autumn, with the species overwintering as nymphs and maturing the following late spring through to early-autumn. Further work is required to fully understand its biology. A comparison was made between active night searching and vegetation beating as two different methods for the detection and monitoring of M. virescens. Beating of W. mollis and other suitable M. virescens microhabitats was found to be significantly more effective than night searching. Our results show that M. virescens is widespread and can occur at relatively high densities within South Island temperate forests, with the species’ perceived rarity to date largely owing to a lack of survey effort and the past use of ineffective sampling methods.
{"title":"Notes on the distribution, ecology, and life history of Maotoweta virescens (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae, Macropathinae) and a comparison of two survey methods","authors":"James M. H. Tweed, M. Wakelin, B. McKinlay, T. J. Murray","doi":"10.3897/jor.32.86076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.86076","url":null,"abstract":"When described in 2014, Maotoweta virescens was believed to be one of New Zealand’s rarest cave wētā (Rhaphidophoridae). Here, we present new information about the distribution, ecology, and life history of the species. M. virescens has now been recorded from indigenous forest sites throughout the length of the western South Island, where it can occur in relatively high abundance. M. virescens shows a close association with arboreal mosses, particularly Weymouthia mollis, roosting within them during the day and feeding on them at night. The wētā has also been documented feeding on lichens and dead insects. The species is hypothesized to have a lifecycle of approximately one year, closely linked to season. Eggs are thought to hatch out relatively quickly after being laid in summer and early autumn, with the species overwintering as nymphs and maturing the following late spring through to early-autumn. Further work is required to fully understand its biology. A comparison was made between active night searching and vegetation beating as two different methods for the detection and monitoring of M. virescens. Beating of W. mollis and other suitable M. virescens microhabitats was found to be significantly more effective than night searching. Our results show that M. virescens is widespread and can occur at relatively high densities within South Island temperate forests, with the species’ perceived rarity to date largely owing to a lack of survey effort and the past use of ineffective sampling methods.","PeriodicalId":53641,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Orthoptera Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47044146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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