Macropathus filifer
Macropathus filifer is a species of jumping wētā found in caves of the northwest South Island of New Zealand.
Taxonomy
Macropathus filifer was described under its present name by Francis Walker in 1869. Walker created the genus Macropathus at the same time, placing two other species into it, M. fascifer and M. altus. He made M. filifer the type species for the genus Macropathus. However, the species soon became in taxonomic confusion. The genus Pachyrhamma was erected in 1888 by Brunner von Wattenwyl. However, according to Aola Richards, his description of the generic characteristics closely matched those of Macropathus, and she synonymized the two Pachyrhamma species Brunner described with M. filifer. Richards noted in her 1954 revision of the genus Macropathus:Examination of over one hundred and twenty specimens ofMacropathus filifer has shown me the wide range of variability which occurs within the species, especially in the number of spines of the legs, and because of this, I have no hesitation in grouping all these species under the name Macropathus filifer Walker, 1869.''In 1897, [Frederick Frederick Hutton (scientist)|Hutton (scientist)|Hutton] redescribed both genera in an attempt to distinguish them, as part of an effort to clarify the taxonomy of New Zealand's cave wētās. Hutton noted, "the cave-wetas are in the greatest confusion, and we do not know whether there are six or only two species". However, as Richards drily noted in 1954, "his description of Macropathus is completely different from that given by Walker". According to her, Hutton apparently swapped or transposed the two genera. In 1954, Richards revised and redescribed the genus Macropathus, providing a description of the past taxonomic confusion and synonymizing fascifer and altus with filifer, giving the latter name priority. She also added a new species to the genus, Macropathus delli, which has since been reclassified into the genus Pachyrhamma.