Macropathus Explained

Macropathus is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.^[1]

Distribution and habitat

Macropathus are only found in New Zealand, and can be found in both the North Island and the South Island. There are yet to be any observations on the offshore islands. They live in caves,^[2] and in the open, under rocks.^[3]

Threats

Macropathus face the same threats as most species of wētā, predation by introduced species, and habitat destruction by humans.^[4]

Species

This genus was revised a number of times^{[5] [6]} before Aola Richards examined the type material from the British Museum of Natural History (London) and clarified how if differs from the genus Pachyrhamma. Genetic data suggests that Macropathus filifer is sister to New Zealand and Tasmanian and Falkland Island species.^[7]

• Macropathus filifer Walker, 1869^{[8] [9]}
• Macropathus huttoni Kirby, 1906

Notes and References

1. Richards . Aola M. . 1958 . Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part II. The Genus Macropathus Walker in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) Collection. . Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 85 . 465–470.
2. Richards . Aola M. . 1972 . Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part XIV. Three alpine genera from the South Island . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 2 . 2 . 151–174 . 10.1080/03036758.1972.10429371 . 0303-6758. free . 1972JRSNZ...2..151R .
3. HUTTON . F. W. . 1989 . A Case of Inherited Instinct . Nature . 58 . 1505 . 411 . 10.1038/058411b0 . 4000543 . 0028-0836. free .
4. Web site: Wētā . www.doc.govt.nz . en-nz.
5. Hutton . F. W. . 1897 . The Stenopelmatidae of New Zealand . Transactions of the New Zealand Institute . 29 . 208–242.
6. Richards . Aola M. . 1954 . The Systematics and Ecology of the Genus Macropathus Walker, 1869 (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae). . Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 82 . 739–762.
7. Allegrucci . Giuliana . Sbordoni . Valerio . 2019-09-01 . Insights into the molecular phylogeny of Rhaphidophoridae, an ancient, worldwide lineage of Orthoptera . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . en . 138 . 126–138 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.05.032 . 31132518 . 2019MolPE.138..126A . 167220487 . 1055-7903.
8. Web site: 2007-04-16 . Wetas . https://web.archive.org/web/20070416133949/http://www.peripatus.gen.nz/Taxa/Arthropoda/Wetas.html . 2007-04-16 .
9. Richards . Aola M. . 1954 . Revision of the Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of New Zealand. Part XIV. Three alpine genera from the South Island . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 2 . 2 . 151–174 . 10.1080/03036758.1972.10429371 . 0303-6758. free . 1972JRSNZ...2..151R .