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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 else ...
, 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''), 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

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'' 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'' (wolf spiders) * '' Celaenia'' spp * '' Cambridgea'' spp. ( sheetweb spider) * '' Cryptachaea veruculata'' * '' Delena cancerides'' (Avondale spider) * '' Dolomedes aquaticus'' * '' Dolomedes dondalei'' * '' Dolomedes minor'' * '' Gradungula'' * '' Gradungulidae'' * '' Haurokoa'' * '' Hexathele hochstetteri'' * '' Lamponidae'' * '' Latrodectus katipo'' (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'' * ''
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, ...
'' (Nelson cave spider) * '' Steatoda capensis'' * '' Trite parvula'' * '' Trite planiceps'' * '' Uliodon'' spp (vagrant spiders)


See also

*
Fauna of New Zealand The animals of New Zealand, part of its biota, have an unusual history because, before the arrival of humans, less than 900 years ago, the country was mostly free of mammals, except those that could swim there (seals, sea lions, and, off-shore, ...


References


External links


Spiders of New Zealand
at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
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