Maotoweta virescens
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Maotoweta is a monotypic genus of cave wētā in the subfamily Macropathinae. The only known species is Maotoweta virescens, commonly known as the green moss wētā. It is endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand and found in forests throughout the South Island.
The holotype of Maotoweta virescens was collected from Bog Creek Forest in the Takitimu Mountains of Southland New Zealand in 2006. This species was formally described in 2014. DNA sequencing has shown the genus Maotoweta to be closely related to Notoplectron in the subfamily Macropathinae.
The genus name Maotoweta comes from the Māori language word maoto, meaning fresh green, new growth. The species name virescens is Latin meaning growing green or verdant. The most distinguishing feature of Maotoweta viriscens is its highly variable mottled green colouration. All other described cave wētā species are shades of brown, brownish black, and yellow-brown, with mottling, bands, or stripes. It is a small cave wētā, measuring 9-12 mm long.
Maotoweta virescens is present throughout the south island of New Zealand, but is more commonly found west of the Southern Alps... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Maotoweta virescens sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 201 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Maotoweta virescens in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Maotoweta virescens sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Fiordland National Park, in our data
Fiordland National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Maotoweta virescens sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Rhaphidophoridae
The closest relatives of the Maotoweta virescens that you can see in Fiordland National Park (family Rhaphidophoridae, Camel Crickets, Cave Crickets, and Cave Wēta) are Talitropsis sedilloti (about 10%), Miotopus richardsae (about 10%) and Notoplectron brewsterensis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Maotoweta virescens is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (27 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
