Tree wētā

Tree wētā
Male Wellington tree wētā, Hemideina crassidens
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Anostostomatidae
Subfamily: Deinacridinae
Genus: Hemideina
Walker, 1869
Species

See text.

Tree wētā (pūtangatanga) are insects in the genus Hemideina of the family Anostostomatidae. The genus is endemic to New Zealand. There are seven species within the wētā genus Hemideina, found throughout the country except lowland Otago and Southland. Because many pūtangatanga species are common and widespread they have been used extensively in studies of ecology and evolution.