''Pleioplectron'' is a genus of cave wētā in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Rhaphidophoridae The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave wētā, cave crickets, camelback crickets, camel crickets, Hogan bugs, spider crickets (sometimes shortene ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. These wētā are fairly common at night among the leaf litter in native forest in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. The species look very similar to species of '' Miotopus'', another New Zealand endemic genus, recently resurrected. There are currently ten recognised species of ''Pleioplectron''. The genus was described by Hutton in 1896, with six species, three of which have since been moved (to ''Miotopus'', ''

Novoplectron ''Novoplectron'' is a monotypic genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to the Chatham Islands. Cave wētā are nocturnal, wingless crickets that occupy humid habitats. ''Novoplectron'' wētā generally live under stones and ...

'', and '' Pachyrhamma''), and two synonymised. The genus ''Weta'', erected by

Chopard Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A., commonly known as Chopard, is a Swiss manufacturer and retailer of luxury watches, jewellery and accessories. Founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier, Switzerland, Chopard has been owned by ...

in 1923, is now considered a synonym of ''Pleioplectron''. Seven additional species of ''Pleioplectron'' were named in 2019. All but one ''Pleioplectron'' species live in the South Island. The North Island species, ''Pleioplectron hudsoni'', is widespread in forests, and females lay eggs into the soil or soft wood. In the South Island, ''P. simplex'' is sometimes found in woodpiles around houses and in cool basements between

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

and

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

. This species can be infected with parasites (a

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

) that cause the wētā host to drown itself. An alpine species of ''Pleioplectron'' was discovered in 1993 by wildlife photographer

Rod Morris Rod Morris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative front row forward, he played club football in the New South W ...

in the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges and described in 2019 as '' Pleioplectron rodmorrisi''.

Species

* '' Pleioplectron hudsoni'' Hutton, 1897 * '' Pleioplectron simplex'' Hutton, 1897 *'' Pleioplectron thomsoni'' (Chopard 1923) *'' Pleioplectron auratum'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron caudatum'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron crystallae'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron flavicorne'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron gubernator'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron rodmorrisi'' Hegg et al. 2019 *'' Pleioplectron triquetrum'' Hegg et al. 2019

References

External links

*''Pleioplectron rodmorrisi'
photo on Rod Morris's website
Ensifera genera Cave weta {{rhaphidophoridae-stub