Common name : Tree weta
Scientific name : Hemideina thoracica
Family : Anostostomatidae
Native to : New Zealand
Interesting fact : The word ‘weta’ is a term native to New Zealand. ‘Weta’ is a name given to the large flightless nocturnal grasshoppers.
About 40 mm in length, the tree weta can be found in tree holes made by beetles or moths’ larvae. This hole is known as a ‘gallery’. The weta maintains its gallery. Nocturnal in nature, their diet includes mostly the leaves of various plants, but is also comprised of small insects. A female weta lays eggs through the ovipositor in rotting wood or soil.
