| Deinacrida heteracantha | |
|---|---|
_Holotype_specimen_from_the_Auckland_Museum.jpg)
| |
| Holotype specimen (female) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Anostostomatidae |
| Genus: | Deinacrida |
| Species: | D. heteracantha
|
| Binomial name | |
| Deinacrida heteracantha White, 1842
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Deinacrida heteracantha, also known as the Little Barrier giant wētā or wētāpunga (Māori: wētāpunga),[2] is a wētā in the order Orthoptera and family Anostostomatidae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it survived only on Hauturu (Little Barrier Island).[3] This very large flightless wētā mainly feeds at night, when it can be found above ground in vegetation. It has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to ongoing population declines and restricted distribution. Its NZTCS threat classification was changed to "Threatened - Nationally increasing" in 2022 because it has been successfully translocated to 7 predator-free islands.[4][5]
- ^ World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). "Deinacrida heteracantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T6305A12602299. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T6305A12602299.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Giant Wētā/Wētāpunga". New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 17 Jan 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "NZTCS". nztcs.org.nz. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ Trewick, S. A.; Hegg; Morgan-Richards; Murray; Watts; Johns; Michel (2022). "Conservation status of Orthoptera (wētā, crickets and grasshoppers) in Aotearoa New Zealand" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 39 – via Department of Conservation, Wellington.