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As saddlebacks prey on the wētā during the day, D. heteracantha are thus under constant predation pressure. [16] There is evidence suggesting that these rats have a negative impact on the population of these wētā, as is commonly the case with invasive rodents. [17] The removal of the kiore in 2004 was a success. The population size grew ...
Therefore, the wētā is thought to be the effective equivalent of a mouse in New Zealand ecosystems. [12] This is particularly obvious in predation and diet similarities of the wētā and mouse. Therefore, although mice may not directly prey upon wētā, the wētā numbers decrease when mice numbers are high, due to competition.
There are eleven species of giant wētā, [2] most of which are larger than other wētā, despite the latter also being large by insect standards. Large species can be up to 7 cm (3 in), not inclusive of legs and antennae , with body mass usually no more than 35 g (1.2 oz). [ 3 ]
[2] [5] Within this range are nine chromosome races [14] [15] and there are five hybrid zones where six of these races meet. [15] Hawke's Bay tree wētā, Hemideina trewicki Morgan-Richards, 1995 [16] Hawke's Bay. Wellington tree wētā, Hemideina crassidens (Blanchard, 1851) Wellington, the Wairarapa, the northern part of the South Island, and ...
A number of animals prey on the Cook Strait giant wētā, including birds and reptiles such as the tuatara. As a defence against predators the Cook Strait giant wētā will raise its spiked legs over its head and wave them up and down while making a hissing sound by rapidly rubbing together the overlapping plates on its upper body. [9]
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An adult Poor Knights giant wētā (Deinacrida fallai) from Aorangi Island, Poor Knights Island group, Northland, New Zealand. Deinacrida fallai was only described as a new species in 1950. [2] It is the second largest wētā species in the world, [2] with females weighing up to 40g and measuring up to 73mm (2.87 inches) in length. [5]
In an experiment, D. connectens' ability to disperse seeds of Gaultheria depressa by feeding was found to be dependent on the size of the wētā. [12] At smaller sizes, fewer seeds were eaten and the wētā could be considered seed predators, (almost no seeds made it intact through the guts of individuals measuring 2 cm or less). [12]