Mating generally occurs within cavities at night, as this is where large groups of females gather to seek out shelter. In captivity mating has been reported during the months of April, May and November. The Banks Peninsula tree weta is generally found at elevations above 400 metres and can be found at elevations of up to 800 metres. A male chooses and modifies a cavity so that the opening is just wide enough for its head to fit through. There can be several weta living in a single cavity at any one time, often a single male with several females. Tree weta generally do not dig their own cavities, they occupy ones previously made by the larvae of other insects. When choosing a tree cavity to live in the Banks Peninsula tree weta prefers cavities that have a small opening, so that mammalian predators are unable to enter, and a large space inside. When occupying trees Banks Peninsula tree weta is most often found in lacebark and kanuka trees however it has also been known to occupy broadleaf, mahoe and five finger amongst other species. Where available the Banks Peninsula tree weta prefers to live in cavities of trees but where these are in short supply it makes do with its surroundings. Habitat preference ĭue to the clearance of forest and shrubland on Banks Peninsula to make way for farming (Biodiversity Recovery Unit, 1998) Banks Peninsula tree weta spends a lot of its time living on the ground, it can often be found living on wooden posts, in crevices in rocks or in fallen tree logs. Its range is limited to a roughly 200 km² area between Pigeon Bay and Akaroa Harbour. The Banks Peninsula tree weta is found only on the east side of the Banks Peninsula. Related species can be found in Australia, where they are known as king crickets, New Caledonia, Chile, Madagascar and South Africa. ![]() The Banks Peninsula tree weta is native and endemic to New Zealand. Geographic distribution and habitat Global range Females also have an ovipositor, a long tube like cylinder used to deposit eggs in the soil. Protruding from the abdomen is the cerci, which is used to pick up vibrations in the air. The abdomen is broken up into segments, called spiracles, and it is here we find the stridulatory ridges. The hind legs are also very muscular for the purpose of jumping, however the Banks Peninsula tree weta is too heavy to jump. Banks Peninsula tree weta can be distinguished from other types of weta as they have 20 or more stridulatory ridges. The tibia of the hind legs are covered in spines, that can be rubbed against the stridulatory ridges on the side of the body to produce a sound, these can also be used as a defence mechanism against predators. The ear of the weta can be found at the top of the tibia near the knee joint of the front legs. The thorax contains the front, middle and hind legs of the weta, each leg is made up of six segments the coxa, the trochanter, the femur, the tibia, the tarsus and the pretarsus. Banks Peninsula tree weta also has three ocelli, or simple eyes, between its eyes which respond to changes in light. The antennae can be much longer than the body length, and these are covered with hairs which are able to sense activity. The two eyes are situated on the front of its head with two antennae protruding from the inside margin of these. The head of the mature male Banks Peninsula tree weta is much larger and darker than that of females or juvenile males with large mandibles that they use to fight other males. ![]() Although these two species will share the same daytime refuge holes only a few F1 hybrids have been found, and no gene flow has been detected between the two species. femorata has fewer than 16 stridulatory ridges. Hemideina ricta has more than 20 ridges in total (left + right side of body) where as H. These two species can be differentiated using the number of stridulatory ridges on their abdomen. Hemideina ricta and Hemideina femorata both live in forest fragments on Banks Peninsula. Like other insects Banks Peninsula tree weta has three body segments, a head, a thorax and an abdomen. The Banks Peninsula tree weta is a red-brown colour (Biodiversity Recovery Unit, 1998) its body length can range from 40–55 mm in mature adults and it weighs 4–6 g. The word "weta" is originally from the Māori language, where it can be used as singular and plural. It is a tree weta that belongs to the order Orthoptera, which was described by Frederick Hutton in 1896. Hemideina ricta, known as the Banks Peninsula tree weta, is an insect that is found in New Zealand.
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