IDENTIFICATION OF A HYBRID ZONE BETWEEN DISTINCTIVE COLOR VARIANTS OFTHE ALPINE WETA HEMIDEINA-MAORI (ORTHOPTERA, STENOPELMATIDAE) ON THE ROCK-AND-PILLAR RANGE, SOUTHERN NEW-ZEALAND

The weta Hemideina maori occurs as yellow (to the north), black (to th e south) and intermediate colour variants on the Rock and Pillar range in New Zealand. Isozyme electrophoresis revealed little genetic varia tion, whereas RFLP analysis of an amplified mtDNA sequence uncovered t wo haplotypes correlating completely with colour in allopatry and near ly so in sympatry. Intermediates had one or other haplotype. The obser ved distribution of colour variation and mtDNA genotypes is characteri stic of a hybrid zone, perhaps formed by secondary contact. Work is co ntinuing to locate nuclear DNA markers and to study the genetic intera ctions of the colour variants.