''Neonetus'' 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. All described species are small; when adult, individuals are only about 1 cm long. ''Neonetus variegatus'' and ''N. huttoni'' are common in native and exotic forests but because they are small and nocturnal, they are often overlooked.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Neonetus'' was established by Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1888.

Biology

''Neonetus'' are active at night when they are vulnerable to becoming food for rats and kiwi.

Distribution

Current observational data suggests that ''Neonetus'' is restricted to the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

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 ...

Species

* '' Neonetus huttoni'' Chopard, 1923 * '' Neonetus pilosus'' (Hutton, 1904) * '' Talitropsis/Neonetus poduroides'' (Walker, 1869) * '' Neonetus variegatus'' Brunner, 1888

References

Peripatus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neonetus Ensifera genera Cave wētā