Deinacrida rugosa
| Deinacrida rugosa | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Cook Strait Giant weta from Matiu / Somes Island | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Family: | Anostostomatidae |
| Genus: | Deinacrida |
| Species: | D. rugosa |
| Binomial name | |
|
Deinacrida rugosa Buller, 1871 |
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Deinacrida rugosa, commonly called the Cook Strait giant weta or Stephens Island weta, is a species of insect in the family Anostostomatidae. The scientific name Deinacrida means "terrible grasshopper" and rugosa means "wrinkled". It is endemic to New Zealand.
The Cook Strait giant weta is one of the largest insects in the world, reaching up to 7 centimetres (2.8 in) long. The brownish-yellow body is bulky and heavily armoured, with the upper surface covered by a series of thickened, overlapping plates, which have black markings. Relative to the size of the head, the jaws are large, and the elongated hind legs have five or six large spines, and can be raised above the head in defence. The female is significantly larger than the male, and both sexes lack wings.
The Cook Strait giant weta is found only in New Zealand, on the islands of the North, South and Middle Trio, Stephens, Maud, Matiu/Somes and Mana. In 2007, this species was reintroduced to mainland New Zealand, where it had been extinct for over 100 years, and is now found in Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary in the North Island. It is found in open grassland, shrubland and forest margins.
The Cook Strait giant weta is nocturnal and feeds on the aerial parts of plants. During the day it conceals itself amongst grass in a temporary refuge that it makes in the soil surface, or under dead leaves, bark or stones. It emerges just after dusk, foraging on the ground or on low-growing bushes and shrubs, where it particularly favours tauhinu flowers (Cassinia leptophylla).
Owing to its solitary and nomadic lifestyle, the Cook Strait giant weta’s reproduction relies upon the male locating a receptive female. This search is facilitated by the strong scent produced by the weta’s body and by its faecal pellets, and can involve the male travelling over 250 metres in a single night. Once located, the male places a leg over the female’s body and maintains contact until a daytime refuge is found. Here, mating occurs throughout the day and, if the weather is cool and wet, possibly throughout the night as well. The female subsequently lays around 200 eggs in the soil and dies. The eggs develop for a few months and hatch in the spring, with the juvenile wetas emerging fully developed. It takes most of the Cook Strait giant weta’s two-year lifespan to reach the full adult size, with growth taking place in a series of about nine moults over a 12- to 18-month period.
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Wikipedia