weta

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.

Both tree and ground wētā have been proposed as potential seed dispersers of some New Zealand fruit. We examine evidence for coevolution of ground wētā and fleshy fruits as suggested by Burns (2006). We found that although ground wētā consume fruits from Gaultheria depressa and G. antipoda, they do not do so in a way that would suggest they had coevolved as dispersers with these or other New Zealand plants (Coprosma, Muehlenbeckia, Leucopogon).