''Colaranea melanoviridis'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
orb-weaver spider
Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...
that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...
to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
[Court, D. J. & Forster, R. R. (1988). The spiders of New Zealand: Part VI. Family Araneidae. ''Otago Museum Bulletin'' 6: 68-124.]
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Taxonomy
''Colaranea brunnea'' was described in 1988 by David J. Court and
Raymond Robert Forster
Raymond Robert Forster (19 June 1922 – 1 July 2000) was a New Zealand arachnologist and museum director. He was a Fellow of the Entomological Society of New Zealand.
Biography
Forster was born in Hastings, New Zealand in 1922, and was educa ...
.
Description
''Colaranea brunnea'' has a chocolate brown colouration, but has a notable white band going down the dorsal side of its abdomen. Excluding the legs, females are about 6.1mm in length whereas males are about 5.1mm in length. ''C. brunnea'' live in forest habitat.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2885484
Araneidae
Spiders of New Zealand
Spiders described in 1988
Endemic fauna of New Zealand
Endemic spiders of New Zealand