GIANT WETAS

Forest and Bird, Volume 15, Issue 2, 1 May 1984, Page 29

GIANT WETAS

DAVID G. COLLINGWOOD

MRE Citi a a = — ' _ ‘New ’ ae a group of @aiearsome | di; an , ated AG % ; f : e | y‘tange ina parotiee iat we hat * muehien Taal are. SO) nature, fem eSlay their the ground throughs ojecting Scimitg r a Unfortunately t Stephens Island gob females when are € immobilised, When iaeg Oe _ and'this has .~_centuries, Deinacrida -"rugosa has survive However, with . ~,_ No suchdanger ortMaud Island they... havereally expandedin pethin. _ since introduction. Rec ai The giant wetas differ allthe other wetas beeause'tthey | have alife ° * cycle of justover,two years! Once. they have ymated and laid their eggs they die! ‘Other wetas live for. 12 to 14 years: — .. Deinactida rugosa; in particular, is «so docile that it does not evengo in for fearsome displays as does the . bush weta, itseems to have lost thi aggressive instinct. ‘In fact, it a very nice piece of meat fora a. M. Monee Mere omm).t" eee *

Giant wetas are not poisonous they have no poison glands: They are such engaging insects that at least one has been made into a household pet in the past and pattered about a living room: They have six legs like other insects; but no wings and are among the largest insects in the world: Deinacrida heteracantha which is pictured here is 9.Sem long; is the heaviest insect in the world and at 78g weighs the same as the average song thrush! It lives in the North of New Zealand and on the Banier Islands: They: Ee primarily vegetarian and have harriers and moreporks as main predators and of course the rats; wild cats and other introduced horrors tor our wetas' lite Wetas are considered to represent a very ancient group of insects and haverot changed much from their ancostors whose fossil remains dating back 190 million years were discovered in Queensland in Triassic strata: The fact that New Zealand has been isolated for SO many millions of years probably accounts for the large number ot endemic weta species that we now have in New Zealand So have a Mhought for the giant weta a unique and ancient New Zealander; now hard pressed for auivival Recognize that it just wants 10 munch away atleaves and Ihreaten no One in its short little life:

The National Provident Fund is pleased to sponsor this series in the interests of preserving New Zealand’s natural heritage.