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 ...

has 1157 described

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

species, with an estimated total fauna of 2000 species. Over 97 per cent are

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 ...

, and the rest have been introduced through human activities or were natural wind-borne introductions. The New Zealand spider with the largest leg span is the Nelson cave spider (''

Spelungula cavernicola ''Spelungula'' is a monotypic genus of South Pacific large-clawed spiders containing the single species, ''Spelungula cavernicola'', or the Nelson cave spider. It was first described by Ray Forster, Norman I. Platnick, & Michael R. Gray in 1987, ...

''), with a leg span of up to and a body length. The Australian

white-tailed spider White-tailed spiders are spiders native to southern and eastern Australia, and so named because of the whitish tips at the end of their abdomens. The body size is up to 18 mm, with a leg-span of 28 mm. Common species are ''Lampona cy ...

, first recorded in New Zealand in 1886, has been falsely attributed as the cause of many necrotising spider bites. The flat huntsman spider (''

Delena cancerides ''Delena cancerides'', the communal huntsman, flat huntsman or social huntsman, is a large, brown huntsman spider native to Australia. It has been introduced to New Zealand, where it is sometimes known as the Avondale spider. This was the speci ...

''), also from Australia, and called the Avondale spider in New Zealand, was accidentally introduced in the early 1920s, possibly in shipments of hardwood logs used for railway sleepers.Rowell and Avilés (1995). "Sociality in a bark-dwelling huntsman spider from Australia, Delena cancerides Walckenaer (Araneae: Sparassidae)". ''Insectes Sociaux''. Volume 42(3): 287-302 The huntsman spiders, which are considered harmless to humans, have been collected for use in at least two films. Very few New Zealand spiders have bites that can cause significant injury to humans, and of these, only one – the

katipō The katipō (''Latrodectus katipo'') is an endangered species of spider native to New Zealand. It is one of many species in the genus ''Latrodectus'', such as the Australian redback (''L. hasseltii''), and the North American black widow. The ...

– is endemic. Katipō bites have been known to cause systemic effects, such as hypertension, seizure, or coma, though no deaths as a result of katipō bites have been recorded for over 200 years. Its more dangerous close relative, the venomous Australian

redback spider The redback spider (''Latrodectus hasselti''), also known as the Australian black widow, is a species of highly venomous spider believed to originate in South Australia or adjacent Western Australian deserts, but now found throughout Australi ...

, has established a foothold in some parts of New Zealand, notably in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

and Central Otago.

Fishing spiders

Male Dolomedes dondalei, Mangaio Stream, Whanganui National Park

There are four spiders in the genus ''

Dolomedes ''Dolomedes'' is a genus of large spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Almost all ''Dolomedes'' species are semiaquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling ...

'' (the fishing spiders), species which have adapted to hunt on the surface of water. Three of the fishing spiders are widespread on the two main islands of New Zealand. ''

Dolomedes aquaticus ''Dolomedes aquaticus'' is a Dolomedes, fishing spider that lives and hunts along the gravel banks of unforested New Zealand rivers. It prefers open riverbanks where it lives under rocks, usually less than 5 metres from the river. Its colouring a ...

'' grows up to across and specialises in open, unforested riverbanks, and lives under rocks within of the river. Another species of similar size, '' Dolomedes dondalei'', specialises in forested riverbanks and is also widespread on the mainland. The third and most common species, '' Dolomedes minor'', is not restricted to rivers. Known as the nursery web spider, it makes white nursery webs on shrubs, but is still capable of fishing behaviour. The largest of the New Zealand fishing spiders is ''Dolomedes schauinslandi'' and occurs on South East and Mangere islands in the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

.
Vink, C. J. & Dupérré, N. (2010) Pisauridae (Arachnida: Araneae). Fauna of New Zealand 64: 1-60.

Species

Spider species in New Zealand include: * ''

Anoteropsis ''Anoteropsis'' is a genus of wolf spiders. All the species except one are found in New Zealand and its islands. Their body size ranges from 4.2 to 17.4 mm. Species , the World Spider Catalog accepted the following extant species: *'' An ...

'' (wolf spiders) * ''

Celaenia ''Celaenia'' is a genus of South Pacific orb-weaver spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell (3 May 1830 – 22 December 1901) was a Swedish arachnologist. Thorell studied spiders with Giacomo Doria at the ...

'' spp * ''

Cambridgea ''Cambridgea'' (common name New Zealand sheetweb spider, bush spider) is a spider genus in the family Desidae and some of the first endemic spiders described from New Zealand. They are known for constructing large horizontal sheet webs measuring ...

'' spp. ( sheetweb spider) * '' Cryptachaea veruculata'' * ''

'' (Avondale spider) * ''

'' * '' Dolomedes dondalei'' * '' Dolomedes minor'' * '' Gradungula'' * '' Gradungulidae'' * '' Haurokoa'' * ''

Hexathele hochstetteri ''Hexathele hochstetteri'', commonly known as the banded tunnelweb spider, is a spider in the family Hexathelidae, found only in New Zealand. It is common on the North Island, and uncommon on the South Island. Description The banded tunnelweb ...

'' * ''

Lamponidae Lamponidae is a family of spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1893. It contains about 200 described species in 23 genera, most of which are endemic to Australia, with the genus ''Centrocalia'' endemic to New Caledonia, and two ''Lampona ...

'' * ''

Latrodectus katipo ''Latrodectus'' is a broadly distributed genus of spiders with several species that are commonly known as the true widows. This group is composed of those often loosely called black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders. Howeve ...

'' (katipō) * '' Paradictyna'' spp * '' Paradictyna rufoflava'' * ''

Pholcus phalangioides ''Pholcus phalangioides'', commonly known as daddy long-legs spider or long-bodied cellar spider, is a spider of the family Pholcidae. It is also known as the skull spider, since its cephalothorax resembles a human skull. This is the only spid ...

'' * '' Poecilopachys australasia'' (two-spined spider) * '' Porrhothele antipodiana'' * ''

'' (Nelson cave spider) * '' Steatoda capensis'' * '' Trite parvula'' * ''

Trite planiceps ''Trite planiceps'', commonly known as the black-headed jumping spider, is a common jumping spider (Salticidae) endemic to New Zealand and one of about 150 species of jumping spiders in New Zealand. Taxonomy ''Trite planiceps'' was first des ...

'' * '' Uliodon'' spp (vagrant spiders)

References

External links

Spiders of New Zealand
at

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

Nursery Web Spiders from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Website, July 2008
*Greenwood, Michelle, 2008. Aquatic Assassins: The Secret Life of Fishing Spiders. ''New Zealand Geographic'', 91.
online summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiders Of New Zealand

Fishing spiders

Species

See also

References

External links