Anderus brucei

Anderus brucei

Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Anostostomatidae
Genus: Anderus
Species:
A. brucei
Binomial name
Anderus brucei
(Taylor-Smith, Trewick, Morgan-Richards 2016)
Synonyms

Hemiandrus brucei Taylor Smith, Trewick & Morgan-Richards, 2016

Anderus brucei is a species of ground wētā in the family Anostostomatidae endemic to New Zealand.[1] These insects are nocturnal and found in forests in the North Island and northern South Island.[1]

Taxonomy

Previously encompassed under Hemiandrus maculifrons, A. brucei is similar in appearance but genetically distinct.[1] This species was moved to the genus Anderus in 2024 when genetic data showed the species within Hemiandrus were not monophyletic.[2] Anderus brucei is named in memory of Briar Taylor-Smith's grandfather, Bruce Edwin Smith.[1]

Habitat and distribution

Anderus brucei is found in native forests in the North Island and northern South Island of New Zealand and is often sympatric with other wētā species.[1] Having such a broad range is uncharacteristic of most ground wētā, which are often endemic to very small areas.[3]

Morphology

Anderus brucei has a high level of morphological variation.[1] The head and body of A. brucei is mostly brown but sometimes with small pale patches on the lateral and dorsal surfaces of the pronotum.[1] Anderus brucei has fine microsetae on the three apical segments of the maxillary palps; four spines on the inferior retro lateral angle of the mid tibiae; a single inferior articulated spine on the hind tibiae; males with a V- or U-shaped apical margin on the subgenital plate, blunt cerci, and ninth abdominal termite with two obtuse curved lobes; females with a long, gently curved ovipositor.[1]

Conservation

Andrus brucei is classified as Not Threatened in the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[4]

Type information

  • Taylor-Smith, BL; Trewick, SA; & Morgan-Richards, M (2016). Three new ground wētā species and a redescription of Hemiandrus maculifrons. New Zealand Journal of Zoology.
  • Type specimen: adult female; March 2012; BL Taylor-Smith; deposited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa[1]
  • Paratype: adult male, same collection data as holotype; deposited at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa[1]
  • Type location: Collected from the Kahuterawa Valley, Wellington −40.47190°, 175.61417° [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Taylor-Smith, BL; Trewick, SA; Morgan-Richards, M (2016-10-01). "Three new ground wētā species and a redescription of Hemiandrus maculifrons". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 43 (4): 363–383. doi:10.1080/03014223.2016.1205109. ISSN 0301-4223. S2CID 88565199.
  2. ^ Trewick, Steven A.; Taylor-Smith, Briar L.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2024). "Wētā Aotearoa—Polyphyly of the New Zealand Anostostomatidae (Insecta: Orthoptera)". Insects. 15 (10): 787. doi:10.3390/insects15100787. ISSN 2075-4450. PMC 11508991.
  3. ^ "Meet Bruce, he's a musician". New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  4. ^ Trewick, Steve; Hegg, Danilo; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Murray, Tara; Watts, Corinne; Johns, Peter; Michel, Pascale (2022). "Conservation status of Orthoptera (wētā, crickets and grasshoppers) in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2022" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series 39: 20.