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]
| Anderus brucei | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Anostostomatidae |
| Genus: | Anderus |
| Species: | A. brucei
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| Binomial name | |
| Anderus brucei (Taylor-Smith, Trewick, Morgan-Richards 2016)
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| Synonyms | |
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Hemiandrus brucei Taylor Smith, Trewick & Morgan-Richards, 2016 | |
Taxonomy
editPreviously 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
editAnderus 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
editAnderus 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
editAndrus brucei is classified as Not Threatened in the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[4]
Type information
edit- 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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Meet Bruce, he's a musician". New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ 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.