<I>Hemideina femorata</I>

Two tree weta Hemideina ricta and H. femorata are predominantly allopatric on Banks Peninsula (South Island, New Zealand) except for four small areas of overlap. H. ricta was found over the outer eastern portion of Banks Peninsula including the eastern slopes of Akaroa Harbour whereas H. femorata was usually lower down on the eastern edge of Akaroa Harbour and west of this. H. ricta ranged from 20 m to 806 m in altitude whereas all H. femorata were found below 450 m. Ninety-four per cent of H.

The use of non-destructive and non-invasive monitoring methods is often necessary for species of high conservation status. Developing monitoring methods to maximise numbers of individuals found is important, given that rare species can be difficult to locate. Artificial refuges called ‘weta motels’ have been used for monitoring tree weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) since 1992, but poor occupancy for Hemideina ricta and H. femorata necessitated an improved design and assessment of placement to encourage tree weta use.