Tracking tunnels: a novel method for detecting a threatened New Zealand giant weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae)
Several species of giant weta, including wetapunga (Deinacrida heteracantha, Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae), New Zealand’s largest terrestrial invertebrate, have high conservation value, yet no methods for detecting and monitoring them have been developed. Here we show that rodent tracking tunnels set over three consecutive nights can be used to detect wetapunga on Little Barrier Island.