Miotopus diversus Hutton, 1898

Fitness, Josephine L., Morgan-Richards, Mary, Hegg, Danilo & Trewick, Steven A., 2018, Reinstatement of the New Zealand cave wētā genus Miotopus Hutton (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) and description of a new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 468, pp. 1-24 : 8-9

Miotopus diversus Hutton, 1898

Figs 4 , 5 A–B, 6A–B, 7A–B, 8A–C, 9, 10A–B

Diagnosis

A medium sized cave wētā found in forested areas around the North Island, New Zealand, mainly in leaf litter on the forest floor, or in the roots of trees. Dark brown with visible dark and pale bands on the fore and mid legs, it could be most easily confused with the sympatric Pleioplectron hudsoni . However, adult Miotopus diversus are larger (see Table 1 ), usually appear darker in life, and have small spines on the dorsal surface of the mid tibiae, and are further distinguished from Pleioplectron by spine count and male terminalia.

Type material

Holotype

NEW ZEALAND: ♀, from Upper Wanganui (as Pleioplectron diversum ) in Canterbury Museum ( Hutton 1897).

Other material

NEW ZEALAND: 1 ³ from Makaretu, Hawkes Bay (as Miotopus diversus ) ( Hutton 1898).

Material examined

See Table 2 .

Description

HEAD. Mostly brown with vertical pale stripes, covered in fine setae, palps light brown with fine setae, fastigium brown with pale spots on the sides, eyes black and ovoid, antennae long and dark brown. Male antennae are notably thick, densely clothed in setae and abruptly tapering to a thin thread at the end, whereas female antennae are narrow and almost uniformly thin from end to end, scape and peduncle pale ( Fig. 5 ).

THORAX. Pronotum with anterior and posterior margins convex, and sides rounded with a slight outward ‘lip’, dark brown–red brown with occasional pale markings ( Fig. 6 A–B).

LEGS. Moderately long, hind femora shorter than tibiae, coxae and trochanters cream, femora and tibiae dark brown with cream bands. Fore femora compressed with one prolateral apical spine and one retrolateral apical spine present, short dark setae present. Fore tibiae with two prolateral and three or four retrolateral long, pale to transparent, linear spines positioned in the mid to distal portion of the tibiae. Fore tibiae with two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), pale with dark tip, almost hidden amongst the setae, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), inferior apical spines longer than superior spines, articulate, pale with dark tip, longer and thicker than the surrounding setae. Mid femora compressed with one long articulated prolateral apical spine, one long articulated retrolateral apical spine. Mid tibiae with three or four prolateral and two or three retrolateral long, linear spines positioned in the mid to distal portion of the tibiae, prolateral linear spines longer than the retrolateral spines. Mid tibiae with two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), pale with dark tip, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), inferior spines longer than superior spines, pale with dark tip. Hind femora with one retrolateral apical spine (sometimes very small), slightly pigmented. Hind tibiae longer than femora with small brown alternate spines along superior surface ( Fig. 9 ). Hind tibiae with two superior subapical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), two superior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral), spines twice as long as superior subapical spines, two inferior apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral) ¾ length of superior apical spines above, two inferior subapical spines. Tarsi with four segments, 1 st and 2 nd segment with a pair of spines on distal end, 1 st segment has eight small spines up from the end in alternate fashion; on the underside of the 1 st segment minute brown spinules run up the length of the segment either side of the tarsal pad. The 2 nd segment has three minute spines above, 4 th segment half the length of the 1 st segment.

ABDOMEN. Glossy, brown tones. Short setae covering both tergites and sternites; sternum light brown colour.

TERMINALIA MALE ( Fig. 7 A–B). Cerci long, round, brown in colour, clothed in setae, styli short, not extending beyond the end of the subgenital plate. Subgenital plate is a finger-like protrusion TERMINALIA FEMALE ( Fig. 8 A–C). Subgenital plate with three points, the outer two slightly longer than the middle one. Apex rounded and blunt. Ovipositor reddish-brown with 7–8 teeth on the ventral edge near at the tip.

Figures

Fig. 4. Known distributions of Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. (red) and M. diversus (Hutton, 1896) (blue). Reciprocally monophyletic clusters of mtDNA sequences (835 bp COI, ML, HKY, with outgroup removed) of samples that encompass morphological and geographic diversity of the two taxa. Spot locations are indicated (circles) within the relevant New Zealand entomological (Crosby) regions.

Fig. 5. Head of cave wētā in the genus Miotopus Hutton, 1898 showing sexual dimophism. A–B. Miotopus diversus (Hutton, 1896). A. Adult ³, Resolution Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound (MPN CW3459). B. Adult ♀, Camp Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound (MPN CW3596). C–D. Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. Borland Road, Southland. C. Adult ³ (MPN CW3542). D. Adult ♀ (MPN CW3811). Scale bar = 2 mm.

Fig. 6. Dorsal views of cave wētā in the genus Miotopus Hutton, 1898. A–B. Miotopus diversus (Hutton, 1896). A. Adult ³, Resolution Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound (MPN CW3601). B. Adult ♀, Camp Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound (MPN CW3596). C–D. Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. C. Adult ³, Lewis Pass (MPN CW3609). D. Adult ♀, Borland Road, Fiordland NP (MPN CW3811). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 9. Left hind tibia of cave wētā in the genus Miotopus Hutton, 1898, dorsal view. Miotopus diversus (Hutton, 1896) (MPN CW3601) (top) and Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. (MPN CW3543) (bottom). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 7. Male terminalia of Miotopus Hutton, 1898 cave wētā. A–B. Miotopus diversus (Hutton, 1896) (MPN CW3601). A. Lateral. B. Ventral. C–F. Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. (MPN CW3542). C. Lateral. D. Ventral. E. Close dorsal. F. Ventral views of named structures. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 8. Female terminalia of Miotopus Hutton, 1898 cave wētā. A–C. Miotopus diversus (Hutton, 1896) (MPN CW3596). A. Ventral. B–C. Lateral views. D–F. Miotopus richardsi sp. nov. (MPN CW3543). D. Ventral. E–F. lateral views. Scale bars = 3 mm.