Celaenia atkinsoni

Celaenia atkinsoni
Conservation status
Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Celaenia
Species:	C. atkinsoni
Binomial name
Celaenia atkinsoni (Pickard-Cambridge, 1880)
Synonyms
Thlaosoma atkinsonii

Celaenia atkinsoni is a species of Araneidae spider that is native to New Zealand and Australia. ^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy

This species was described as Thlaosoma atkinsonii in 1880 by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge from a single female specimen collected in New Zealand. ^[2] In 1917 it was transferred to the Celaenia genus. ^[3] It was most recently revised in 1987, in which male and female specimens were described from Australia. ^[1]

Description

This species is camouflaged to look like bird droppings. The carapace is light yellow with brown stripes on either side of the highest point on the carapace. The legs are yellowish with orange bands. The abdomen is white with brown markings. ^{[1] [2]}

Distribution

This species is native to New Zealand and Australia. ^{[1] [2]}

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened" with the qualifier of "Secure Overseas". ^[4]

References

1. Guerin, B. (1987). "Celaenia atkinsoni (Arachnida, Araneae): New record for South Australia with a description of the male". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 109: 181–182.
2. Cambridge, O. P. (1879). "7. On some new and rare Spiders from New Zealand, with Characters of four new Genera". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 47 (1): 681–703. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1879.tb02701.x. ISSN   0370-2774.
3. Dalmas, R. de. (1917). "Araignées de Nouvelle-Zélande". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 86: 317–430.
4. Sirvid, P. J.; Vink, C. J.; Fitzgerald, B. M.; Wakelin, M. D.; Rolfe, J.; Michel, P. (2020-01-01). "Conservation status of New Zealand Araneae (spiders), 2020" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 34: 1–37.