Pacificana

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Pacificana is a genus of spiders in the family Cycloctenidae. [1] It was first described in 1904 by Hogg. [2] As of 2025, it contains only one species, Pacificana cockayni (Pacific Bounty hunter), [3] found only on the Bounty Islands I Moutere Hauriri in New Zealand. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

Pacificana
Pacificana cockayni adult male Bounty Islands New Zealand.jpg
Adult male
Status NZTCS NU.svg
Naturally Uncommon (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Cycloctenidae
Genus: Pacificana
Species:
P. cockayni
Binomial name
Pacificana cockayni
Hogg, 1904 [4]

Both the genus and species were described in 1904 by Henry Roughton Hogg from a subadult male and several female specimens. [2] A female syntype specimen is stored in Otago Museum. [5] with the remainder assumed to be in the Natural History Museum, London. [3]

A lack of distinctive characters meant this species has been difficult to assign to a family. [1] [3] First described in Agelenidae [2] it was later transferred to Amaurobioididae (now Anyphaeneidae) [5] and Miturgidae [6] before a combination of morphological data (including the description of the male) and molecular analysis allowed it be placed in Cycloctenidae. [1] [3]

Description

Female body length ranges from 12.7 to 22 mm. The cephalothorax is dark brown with yellow markings on the carapace. The legs are yellow and ringed with brown bands. The abdomen has yellow and black stripes dorsally. [2] [3]

Male body length is between 12.2 and 14.7 mm. Colouring is similar to the female, but with more extensive yellow markings on the carapace. [3]

Distribution

This species is only known from the Bounty Islands | Moutere Hauriri in New Zealand. [5] [3]

Biology

This spider is known to make silk retreats under rocks in bird colonies. They are assumed to emerge from these retreats to hunt insect prey. [3] [7]

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Naturally Uncommon" with the qualifiers of "Climate Impact", "Data Poor: Trend", "Island Endemic" and "One Location". [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gorneau, Jacob A.; Cala-Riquelme, Franklyn; Crews, Sarah C.; Montana, Katherine O.; Spagna, Joseph C.; Vink, Cor J.; Esposito, Lauren (2024-12-02). "Mystery on the Bounty: The family-level status of Pacificana cockayni Hogg,1904 (Araneae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 204 (108256): 1–5. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108256 .
  2. 1 2 3 4 H.R. Hogg (January 1904). "VI.—On a new genus of spiders from Bounty Island, with remarks on a species from New Zealand". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 13 (73): 65–70. doi:10.1080/00222930409487056. ISSN   0374-5481. Wikidata   Q54556459.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vink, Cor J.; Sirvid, Philip John; Dupérré, Nadine (2024-11-27). "A redescription of the Pacific Bounty hunter, Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 and an attempt to reunite with its family". New Zealand Journal of Zoology: 1–19. doi:10.1080/03014223.2024.2432459.
  4. 1 2 "Miturgidae". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  5. 1 2 3 Forster, R. R. (1955c). Spiders from the subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Records of the Dominion Museum, Wellington2: 167-203
  6. ↑ Lehtinen, Pekka T. (1967-01-01). "Classification of the Cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 4 (3): 199–468.
  7. ↑ Pollard, Simon; Sirvid, Philip John (2021-01-01). Why is that Spider Dancing? The Amazing Arachnids of Aotearoa. Te Papa Press.
  8. ↑ 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.


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