Taxonomy of New Zealand Orthoptera
Taxonomy is the science of describing, naming and classifying living organisms. It is the science that allows us to compile an inventory of our biodiversity. In a world where much of our conservation efforts revolve around the concept of “threatened species”, taxonomy is one of the foundations of conservation. To put it simply, we cannot protect what we don’t know we have.
Any time a habitat is lost to development, hundreds of thousands of living organisms lose their home or their life. Of most of these organisms, we never knew they were there to start with, what their name was, whether they are common and widespread or unique to a location. Taxonomy is what allows us to give a voice to each one of them.
Of 162 taxa identified in the most recent assessment of the threat classification status of New Zealand Orthoptera (2022), twenty are still listed as “taxonomically unresolved”. Many more were not included because they are not yet known to science.
Current projects
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
The genus Macropathus currently includes one described species, Macropathus filifer, from the north-west of the South Island. This was the first New Zealand rhaphidophorid to be described, in 1869.
Macropathus are widespread in both the North and South Islands; they are cryptic and are rarely encountered.
Collaboration with James Tweed of Queensland University, and the Auckland Museum.
Katydids from Rangitāhua / Kermadec Islands are poorly known. Specimens stored at the Auckland Museum shed light on the islands’ entomological biodiversity.
Completed projects
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
The genus Insulanoplectron was until recently believed to be endemic to Tini Heke / Snares Islands. In 2018 we discovered a new species, Insulanoplectron stanneum, in a mine shaft at the southern end of the Tin Range on Rakiura / Stewart Island.
Link to the published paper (open access)
The black-masked raspy cricket Pterapotrechus salomonoides is an exotic species that was accidentally introduced from Australia. It is the only representative of its family (Gryllacrididae) to be found in New Zealand. First detected in Auckland in 1990, its identity and place of origin in Australia remained a mystery until now.
Link to the published paper (open access)
Media release on the Pensoft Blog
News post on our website
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
The genus Isoplectron was first described in 1896 and had never been revised since. We synonymised the genera Petrotettix and Setascutum and the species Isoplectron calcaratum. We resolved the species I. aciculatum as a sub-species of Isoplectron armatum. We described five new species in the genus Isoplectron: I. bicolor, I. maculatum, I. virgatum, I. ferratum, and I. parallelum. We described a new genus, Praecantrix, comprising two new species: P. silvatica and P. saxicola.
Link to the published paper (open access)
We described two new endemic genera of ground crickets (Family Trigonidiidae), each comprising a single species: Austronemobius chelatus and Mutonemobius marmoratus. Both are cryptic, wingless and nocturnal forest species; the males don’t sing. We also resolved the two exotic species of ground crickets in the genus Pteronemobius.
Link to published paper (open access)
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
Tokoriro in the genus Pharmacus are high alpine specialists. The Mt Cook flea Pharmacus montanus arguably holds the altitude record for an insect in New Zealand, having been observed at 3,400m a.s.l. on the western aspects of Aoraki / Mt Cook. We described six new species in the genus Pharmacus: P. concinnus, P. cristatus, P. notabilis, P. perfidus, P. senex, and P. vallestris. We also synonymised P. chapmanae and P. dumbletoni, transferred Isoplectron cochleatum into Pharmacus, and Pharmacus brewsterensis to Notoplectron.
Link to published paper (open access)
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
We synonymised the genus Weta with Pleioplectron, and the species Pleioplectron pectinatum with P. simplex. We described seven new species of Pleioplectron from the South Island: P. auratum, P. caudatum, P. crystallae, P. flavicorne, P. gubernator, P. rodmorrisi and P. triquetrum.
Link to published paper (open access)
Collaboration with the Phoenix Group at Massey University.
We reinstated the genus Miotopus, which had been originally proposed in 1898, then synonymised with Pleioplectron in 1958. We also described a new species, Miotopus richardsae, common in forests in all three of New Zealand’s main islands.
Link to published paper (open access)
