Deinacrida parva is a species of insect in the family Anostostomatidae, the king crickets and weta.

[2] A major identification of the Kaikoura Wētā is by counting the six spines present on the lower hind leg.

[14] Deinacrida parva are found in many different terrestrial environments[15] but most commonly under large logs on river flats and scrub areas close to the edges of the forests.

[8] Their preference for living close to water ways has resulted in the drowning of some individuals, although this might be linked to infection by internal parasites.

[18] Females of this species have been known to eat carcasses of dead or dying insects for extra protein during breeding season for egg development.

[19] D. parva are able to produce sounds by rubbing tergite spines and hair sensilla together (located on their abdominal plates).

[5] The sounds are normally produced during contraction of the abdomen and often in time with a defensive leg kick as a warning.

[5] Using hair sensilla for sound production is a rare occurrence in arthropods and a potential explanation for why it has occurred in this species is that it has evolved under predation pressure by the endemic short-tailed bat in New Zealand.

[2] The changes in the natural habitat of D. parva has affected the chances of future survival in many of the smaller recorded populations.

[8] D. parva that become hosts for the Gordian worm parasite have been shown to have lowered reproductive capabilities.