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Cave weta BY M E LO DY T H O M A S
Name: Cave wētā, also known as jumping wētā Māori name: Tokoriro Scientific name: Rhaphidophoridae (family), Gymnoplectron (genus) Status: Endemic, threatened Description: There are two families of wētā in Aotearoa. The ones you’d first think of (the classic, chunky, spiky-legged wētā) are in the family Anostostomatidae, but the cave wētā is in whānau Rhaphidophoridae. There are about 60 species of them around the motu, varying in size from a few centimetres to 40cm from antennae tip to hind leg. Tokoriro look a bit like crickets, with bodies that are small in comparison to their long, spindly legs and antennae, and they can jump like crickets too – up to 3m! Unlike other wētā, cave wētā aren’t aggressive, and don’t bite, kick, hiss or scratch when threatened.They simply leap away. Habitat: Cave wētā live in caves and other dark places including tunnels and hollow tree trunks, and under rocks and stones. Tokoriro have small mouths, and do not appear to eat leaves, browsing on fungi, algae, and lichen growing on trees and
rocks, as well as the occasional dead insect (and on offshore islands, they gather to feast on dead seabirds). While it hasn’t ever been “officially” reported, cave wētā have been seen to “lick” native slugs! (There are pictures of it online). They don’t appear to be eating the slugs (again, tiny mouths) but may be gaining moisture or nutrients from the slime. Look/listen:The easiest way to spot cave wētā in Pōneke is probably on a night tour at Zealandia (bonus – you’re also highly likely to see kiwi). The tour sets off at dusk and lasts two and a half hours, finishing with a hot cup of kawakawa tea, and if you sign up for an annual membership you get night tours at half price. Tell me a story: While tokoriro are endemic to Aotearoa (meaning they live only here), similar creatures exist in other parts of the world. Australians have camel crickets, while the Americas, Europe, Asia, and South Africa have long-legged cave crickets. Scientists reckon the international distribution of these wētā-like insects is down to the fact that they all once made Gondwana home.
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