Pachyrhamma
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Pachyrhamma is a genus of cave wēta (New Zealand cave cricket, tokoriro) in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.[1] All species are nocturnal and most use cave habitats.
Taxonomy
The genus was first described by Swiss geologist and entomologist Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1888.[2] Cook et al. (2010) found that Gymnoplectron and Turbottoplectron are synonymised with Pachyrhamma.[1] They follow W.F. Kirby (1906) and Karny (1937) in treating Pachyrhamma as a neuter noun.
Ecology
Members of the genus are detritivorous scavengers that inhabit dark, damp refugia such as hollow logs, overhangs and caves during the day.[3] They become more active at night and venture into the surrounding undergrowth to forage.[3] They consume various organic matter such as plant seeds, fungi, animal droppings, and dead animal tissue.[3] They will cannibalise the remains of other dead weta, and may also attack still-living cave weta while they are vulnerable during ecdysis (shedding their exoskeleton).[3]
Species
When Pachyrhamma is treated as a neuter noun, species names have a neuter suffix, e.g. -ceras rather than -cera, and -ense rather than -ensis.
References
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