Pleioplectron auratum
| Pleioplectron auratum | |
|---|---|
| Pleioplectron auratum in Kaipūpū Sanctuary | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Rhaphidophoridae |
| Genus: | Pleioplectron |
| Species: | P. auratum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pleioplectron auratum Hegg, Morgan-Richards, and Trewick, 2019
| |
Pleioplectron auratum is a species of cave wētā, endemic to New Zealand.[1] It is exclusively found in the South Island.[2]
Description
Pleioplectron auratum can be told from other cave wētā from it slightly checkered colour, the dorsal line down the back, and longer spins a third of the way up the back tibia. Close views of the terminalia are useful for identifying the species further.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Pleioplectron auratum is known from the northeastern part of the South Island of New Zealand. It can be found near firewood stacks in near rivers, as well as in natural hollows.[3]
Etymology
Auratum means 'golden', and refers to "the fine golden hair that adorns the posterior margins of the insect’s tergites."[3]
References
- ^ "Pleioplectron auratum Hegg et al, 2019 - Biota of NZ". Biota of NZ. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Orthoptera Species File - Pleioplectron auratum Hegg, Morgan-Richards & Trewick, 2019". orthoptera.speciesfile.org. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ a b c Hegg, Danilo; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Trewick, Steven A. (12 November 2019). "Diversity and distribution of Pleioplectron Hutton cave wētā (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the synonymy of Weta Chopard and the description of seven new species". European Journal of Taxonomy (577). doi:10.5852/ejt.2019.577. ISSN 2118-9773.