Hemideina thoracica
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Hemideina thoracica, commonly known as the Auckland tree wētā or tokoriro is a cricket-like insect (within the family Anostostomatidae). It is endemic to New Zealand and is found over most of the North Island, except for the Wellington region and regions 900 metres above sea level. This species is an arboreal, herbivorous generalist however, it is also thought to be polyphagous and is found in all wooded habitats, including forest, scrub and suburban gardens.
H. thoracica is morphologically uniform but chromosomally polymorphic. It comprises at least eight chromosomal races with diploid numbers from 2n=11 (XO) to 2n=23 (XO). There are hybrid zones where some of the chromosomal races meet. Phylogenetically, it is most closely related to the other North Island species (H. crassidens and H. trewicki). The conservation status of H. thoracica is "not threatened" however, the chromosome race on Karikari Peninsular (2n=23/24) is listed as "nationally vulnerable".
Hemideina thoracica was first described by Scottish zoologist Adam White in 1846, but at that time included in the genus Deinacrida. It was later made the type species for the wētā genus Hemideina, described in 1869... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Auckland Tree Weta sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 369 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 6th most-seen of the 689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, May, August–September and November–December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Auckland Tree Weta in Auckland on a given day, against about 20% in January, April, June–July and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Auckland Tree Weta sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Auckland Tree Weta sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Auckland Tree Weta is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (369 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
