Pachyrhamma is a genus of cave wēta (New Zealand cave cricket, tokoriro) in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.[2] All species are nocturnal and most use cave habitats.
| Pachyrhamma | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Rhaphidophoridae |
| Subfamily: | Macropathinae |
| Genus: | Pachyrhamma Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888 |
| Species[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editThe genus was first described by Swiss geologist and entomologist Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1888.[3] Cook et al. (2010) found that Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron are synonymised with Pachyrhamma.[2] They follow W.F. Kirby (1906) and Karny (1937) in treating Pachyrhamma as a neuter noun.
Ecology
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Members of the genus are detritivorous scavengers that inhabit dark, damp refugia such as hollow logs, overhangs and caves during the day.[4] They become more active at night and venture into the surrounding undergrowth to forage.[4] They consume various organic matter such as plant seeds, fungi, animal droppings, and dead animal tissue.[4] 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).[4]
Species
editWhen 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
- Pachyrhamma cavernae (Hutton, 1900)
- Pachyrhamma chopardi Karny, 1935
- Pachyrhamma delli (Richards, 1954)
- Pachyrhamma edwardsii (Scudder, 1869)
- Pachyrhamma fusca Richards, 1959
- Pachyrhamma giganteum (Richards, 1962)
- Pachyrhamma longicauda Richards, 1959
- Pachyrhamma longipes (Colenso, 1886)
- Pachyrhamma ngongotahaensis (Richards, 1961)
- Pachyrhamma spinosa (Richards, 1961)
- Pachyrhamma tuarti (Richards, 1961)
- Pachyrhamma uncata Richards, 1959
- Pachyrhamma unicolor (Salmon, 1948)
- Pachyrhamma waipuensis Richards, 1960
- Pachyrhamma waitomoensis Richards, 1958
References
edit- ^ "Pachyrhamma Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Brunner T. Wattenwyl, C. (1888). "Monographie der Stenopelmatiden und Gryllacriden". Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien (in German). 38: 247–394. ISSN 1025-4749. Wikidata Q129404464.
- ^ a b c d Richards, Aola M. (1961). "Some observations on New Zealand cave-wetas". Tuatara. 9 (2): 80–83. Retrieved 9 September 2017.