Pleioplectron crystallae Hegg & Morgan-Richards & Trewick 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hegg, Danilo
name: Morgan-Richards, Mary
name: Trewick, Steven A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Rhaphidophoridae
Pleioplectron
Pleioplectron crystallae

description: Pleioplectron crystallae sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 0C869BE1-87F8-45AE-A3B7-120B11DE9FBD
Figs 2 A–B, 4C–D, 6J, 7I, 9J–L, 11J–L, 12B, 15E–F, 18I
Diagnosis
A small cave wētā from the northwestern regions of the South Island of New Zealand, found predominantly near the tree line and in sub-alpine habitats, on the forest floor or on tree trunks, where it feeds on Racomitrium Brid. moss and occasionally on lichens. Unmistakable in its looks, this striking species stands out for its four or five pairs of very long, articulated spines on the hind tibiae, the chevron pattern on its back and a colour that varies from military green to brown and reddish brown. Because of its small size, the long spines on the hind tibiae and its preference for moss, it could be mistaken for Maotoweta virescens Johns & Cook, 2013, although it is larger, never bright green and the spines on the hind tibiae do look different when examined under the microscope.
Etymology
Named for Crystal Brindle, hut warden at Gouland Downs when the species was first discovered.
Material examined (see also Table 10 in Supplementary Material)
Holotype NEW ZEALAND • ♂, adult; Nelson (NN), Heaphy Track, Gouland Downs, Cave Brook; 40.89240° S, 172.35540° E; 600 m a.s.l.; 4 Feb. 2018; Danilo Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search + insect net; NMNZ AI.037490 (prev. MPN CW3994).
Paratype NEW ZEALAND • ♀, adult; Nelson (NN), Mt Arthur Tablelands, Salisbury Lodge; 41.18511° S, 172.64465° E; 1150 m a.s.l.; 8 Feb. 2017; Danilo Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search + insect net; NMNZ AI.037491 (prev. MPN CW3941).
Other material
NEW ZEALAND – Nelson (NN) • 1 ♀; Mt Owen, Blue Creek; 41.51241° S, 172.56223° E; 1100 m a.s.l.; 10 Jan. 2019; D. Hegg leg.; on tree trunk; night search + insect net; MPN CW4267 • 2 ♂♂; Mt Owen, Branch Creek Hut; 41.52465° S, 172.51128° E; 920 m a.s.l.; 11 Jan. 2019; D. Hegg leg.; on tree trunk; night search + insect net; MPN CW4270, CW4271 • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for paratype; MPN CW3925 to CW3927 • 1 ♂; Mt Arthur Tablelands, Balloon Hut; 41.16913° S, 172.62251° E; 1270 m a.s.l.; 7 Feb. 2018; D. Hegg leg.; in firewood shed; night search + insect net; MPN CW3944 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Heaphy Track, Gouland Downs, Cave Brook; 40.89240° S 172.35540° E; 600 m a.s.l.; 20 Apr. 2016; D. Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search + insect,net; MPN CW2997, CW2998 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Heaphy Track, Gouland Downs, Cave Brook; 40.89240° S 172.35540° E; 600 m a.s.l.; 26 Dec. 2016; D. Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search + insect,net; MPN CW3894, CW3900 • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; moss on forest floor and tree trunks; MPN CW3990 to CW3993, CW3995 • 1 ♂; Heaphy Track, Perry Saddle; 40.90029° S 172.40416° E; 900 m a.s.l.; 24 Dec. 2016; D. Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search+ insect net; MPN, CW3618. – Marlborough Sounds (SD) • 1 ♀; Mt Stokes; 41.08747° S, 174.10983° E; 1000 m a.s.l.; 17 Nov. 2018; D. Hegg leg.; moss on forest floor; night search + insect net; MPN CW4152.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. See Table 1.
HEAD. Frons mottled, a mix of dark brown and yellow patches, with sparse setae; vertex glabrous and of variegated colour. Eyes reddish brown and bulging. Fastigium reddish brown, with a white spot on
either side. Scapes and peduncles red with brown patches; antennae red, covered in fine setae. Maxillari and labial palpi mottled light brown, with fine tomentum (Fig. 4 C–D).
THORAX. Pronotum mottled, red, red-brown, brown or military green; dark with pale bars next to anterior and posterior margins; covered in sparse, fine tomentum. Dorsal yellow median line generally pronounced. All margins are slightly rounded.
LEGS. Relatively short; hind femora generally shorter than body length. Hind tibiae up to 15% longer than body in females, up to 40% longer than body in males. Coxae and trochanters variegated. All legs red with inconspicuous brown patches or bands. Fore coxae with a pronounced lateral spine. Fore femora without linear spines above or below, but armed with one prolateral spine at apex. Fore tibiae armed below, generally with two linear spines on anterior edge, one linear spine on posterior edge. Fore tibiae armed with two long spines below (one prolateral and one retrolateral) and two short spines above (one prolateral and one retrolateral) at apex. Mid femora without linear spines above or below, but armed with one prolateral and one retrolateral spine at apex. Mid tibiae armed below, generally with two linear spines on anterior edge, one linear spine on posterior edge. Mid tibiae armed with two long spines below (one prolateral and one retrolateral) and two short spines above (one prolateral and one retrolateral) at apex. Hind femora armed below with up to five very small, retrolateral, linear spines but unarmed at apex. Hind tibiae with 13 to 22 linear spines of varying length above on both anterior and posterior edges, including four or five pairs of prominent, articulated spines, plainly visible to the naked eye (Fig. 7I). Hind tibiae with two superior subapical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral) and two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral). Superior subapical spines and inferior apical spines of approximately equal length, superior apical spines approximately twice as long. Hind tarsi with four segments, first and second segment with a pair of spines on distal end. First segment with 5–11 small dorsal, alternate spines. Second segment with 1–4 small dorsal, alternate spines. Second and fourth segments one third to one half of length of first segment; third segment one third of length of second and fourth segments.
ABDOMEN. Colour red, red-brown, brown or military green; covered in sparse, fine tomentum. Tergites adorned with a characteristic chevron or diamond pattern (Figs 6J, 15 E–F). Dorsal yellow median line generally pronounced and well visible.
MALE TERMINALIA. Cerci long, pointed at apex, variegated, clothed in setae. Styli very short, not visible from above. Subgenital plate with an orange protuberance shaped like a blunt blade with lateral swellings at its tip (Fig. 9J). Suranal plate square (Fig. 9K).
FEMALE TERMINALIA. Subgenital plate with a single lobe (Fig. 11J). Ovipositor dark brown, tapering quickly near base, strongly recurved above at tip and on average about 80% as long as body. Upper valve smooth above, but lower valve with 6 to 9 strong teeth on ventral edge at apex (Fig. 11 K–L). From above, terminalia appear to have a sharp point on last tergite (Fig. 12B).
description: Published as part of Hegg, Danilo, Morgan-Richards, Mary & Trewick, Steven A., 2019, Diversity and distribution of Pleioplectron Hutton cave wētā (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the synonymy of Weta Chopard and the description of seven new species, pp. 1-46 in European Journal of Taxonomy 577 on pages 34-37, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.577, http://zenodo.org/record/3552088