Biology:Pachyrhamma
Pachyrhamma is a genus of cave wēta (New Zealand cave cricket, tokoriro) in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.[1] All species are nocturnal and most use cave habitats.
Taxonomy
The genus was first described by Swiss geologist and entomologist Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1888.[2] Cook et al. (2010) found that Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron are synonymised with Pachyrhamma.[1] They follow W.F. Kirby (1906) and Karny (1937) in treating Pachyrhamma as a neuter noun.
Ecology
Members of the genus are detritivorous scavengers that inhabit dark, damp refugia such as hollow logs, overhangs and caves during the day.[3] They become more active at night and venture into the surrounding undergrowth to forage.[3] They consume various organic matter such as plant seeds, fungi, animal droppings, and dead animal tissue.[3] They will cannibalise the remains of other dead weta, and may also attack still-living cave weta while they are vulnerable during ecdysis (shedding their exoskeleton).[3]
Species
When Pachyrhamma is treated as a neuter noun, species names have a neuter suffix, e.g. -ceras rather than -cera, and -ense rather than -ensis.
- Pachyrhamma acanthoceras Milligan, 1926
- (Hutton, 1900) (Richards, 1954)
- Richards, 1959 Richards, 1958
- Pachyrhamma longipes Pachyrhamma edwardsii
- (Colenso, 1886) Pachyrhamma waitomoensis
- Pachyrhamma chopardi (Scudder, 1869)
- (Richards, 1961) Richards, 1960
- Pachyrhamma spinosa Pachyrhamma fusca
- (Richards, 1961) Pachyrhamma cavernae
- Karny, 1935 Richards, 1959
- (Richards, 1961) Pachyrhamma ngongotahaensis
- Pachyrhamma uncata Pachyrhamma giganteum
- Richards, 1959 Pachyrhamma unicolor
- Pachyrhamma delli (Richards, 1962)
- (Salmon, 1948) Pachyrhamma tuarti
- Pachyrhamma waipuensis Pachyrhamma longicauda
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cook, Lorraine D.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Johns, Peter M. (2010). "Status of the New Zealand cave weta (Rhaphidophoridae) genera Pachyrhamma, Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron". Invertebrate Systematics 24 (2): 131. doi:10.1071/IS09047. ISSN 1445-5226.
- ↑ , Wikidata Q129404464
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Richards, Aola M. (1961). "Some observations on New Zealand cave-wetas". Tuatara 9 (2): 80–83. http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio09Tuat02-t1-body-d4.html. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
Wikidata ☰ Q7122210 entry
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