''Crux'' is a genus of cave

wētā Wētā (also spelled weta in English) is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemism, endemic to New Zealand. They are giant wingless insect, flightless cricket (insect ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rhaphidophoridae The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets (sometimes shortened to "criders" or "sprickets"), and sand trea ...

. Two species are currently recognised, both of which are endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Etymology

The name is a reference to

Crux CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system ...

, the constellation also known as the Southern Cross, which is prominent in the skies of New Zealand.

Taxonomy and morphology

The genus ''Crux'' was described by Steven A. Trewick in 2024, who chose ''

Crux boudica CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to i ...

'' to be the type species. Trewick suggested that the small size of ''Crux'' was a reason why the genus had been previously overlooked. Both members of the genus are approximately in length, with antennae of the females being three times longer than their bodies. Members of ''Crux'' are medium-sized, dark brown, with a stocky body and short robust legs. ''Crux'' most closely resembles the New Zealand species ''

Talitropsis sedilloti ''Talitropsis sedilloti'' is a species of flightless Rhaphidophoridae, wētā, in the family Rhaphidophoridae, Rhaphidophoridae (cave crickets, cave wētā, or camel crickets), Endemism, endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. This species is common in ...

''.

Distribution

The two species of ''Crux'' are found in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...

Species

*''

'' *'' Crux heggi''

Gallery

Crux boudica 317468127.jpg, ''Crux boudica'' Crux heggi 78407399.jpg, ''Crux heggi''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q127688900 Ensifera genera Cave wētā Insects described in 2024 Orthoptera of New Zealand Endemic insects of New Zealand Rhaphidophoridae