Porrhothele antipodiana, the black tunnelweb spider, is a species of mygalomorph spider that lives in New Zealand. It is the most common and widespread of several species in the genus Porrhothele, and is especially common in the greater Wellington region where the vagrant mature males are often encountered in or around dwellings. This species is one of New Zealand's most studied spiders.[1] In New Zealand, the common name "tunnelweb spider" is also often used to refer to members of the genus Hexathele. Neither should be confused with their distant relatives, the highly venomous Australian funnel-web spiders (family Atracidae).
Description
In females, the carapace is usually orange-brown coloured, with some darker shading near the eyes. The legs and palps are also typically orange-brown, but are darker than the carapace. The chelicerae are reddish-brown to black. The sternum is a pale reddish brown. The abdomen is a uniform purple black colour and may have faint chevron patterns, more noticeable in juveniles. The opening of the two pairs of book lungs are ringed with cream. Females are the larger of the two sexes.[2] Body size is variable, but can exceed 30mm.[2][3]
In males, the carapace is often darker than in females. The legs and palps are a dark reddish brown. The chelicerae are also dark reddish brown and sometimes black. The abdomen is also darkly coloured, similar to that of females.[2] Males can be distinguished from females by the presence of clasping structures in the first pair of legs which are used to hold females during copulation.[4]
Adult male Porrhothele antipodiana; note the modified first leg segments
Porrhothele antipodiana is often confused with species from the genus Hexathele, which occupies similar habitat and builds similar webs. They can be most easily differentiated by the number of spinnerets: Porrhothele has two sets of spinnerets, whereas Hexathele has three sets.[2]
As the common name suggests, these spiders construct non-sticky long tunnel-shaped webs, often under logs and rocks, but they will also construct their webs in the trunks of trees, in rock faces and in urban structures.[5] Tunnels may be up to 25cm long and 3–4cm wide, often with just a single opening where silk is widely spread out to catch and alert the spiders to the presence of prey.[6] Webs for tunnels can be spun as quickly as within one hour.[7]
Taxonomy
Porrhothele antipodiana was first described in 1837 by Charles Athanase Walckenaer, a French entomologist and arachnologist who described a specimen from New Zealand as Mygale antipodiana.[8] This was one of the earliest description of a species of spider in New Zealand.[1] In 1849, Adam White described two species of Mygale (Ctenzia) that were endemic to New Zealand. These were Mygale (Ctenzia) antipodium and Mygale (Ctenzia) hexops. White noted that Mygale hexops had only six eyes, rather than eight, which is typical for Porrhothele antipodiana.[9] It is not known if this is a mistake or not. In the same year, Mygale quoyi was described by Hippolyte Lucas, named after the collector of the specimen used for description.[10] In 1871 Mygale (Ctenzia) hexops was moved to the Hexops genus and subsequently named “Hexops whitei” by Anton Ausserer. The creation of this genus was done on the basis that Mygale (Ctenzia) hexops was described as having only six eyes, which is unique among other specimens of Mygalomorphae in the area.[11] In 1873, Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge described a new species found in Wellington from the recently described Macrothele genus, and named this species Macrothele huttoni.[12] In 1891, Eugène Simon recognized Mygale quoyi as a synonym of Mygale antipodiana and also described both male and female specimens of a new species named "Macrothele insignipes".[13] However, a year later, Simon created a new genus for Mygale antipodiana, so the species became Porrhothele antipodiana. In addition to this, Simon recognized Macrothele insignipes as a synonym of Porrhothele antipodiana.[14]
In 1894, Arthur Urquhart described a new species in the genus Nemesia (a member of the trapdoor spider family), he named this species "Nemesia kirkii" after the collector of this specimen.[15] In 1901, Henry Hogg provided another description of Porrhothele, and distinguished it from Macrothele on the basis of the lack of spines on the tarsi and much stouter front legs. On this basis, Hogg recognized that Macrothele huttoni was actually an immature Porrhothele antipodiana and thus had Macrothele huttoni recognized as a synonym. In his description, Hogg also described Porrhothele simoni, a species that would later be recognized as another synonym of P.antipodiana. Hogg also moved Nemesia kirkii into the newly formed Arbanitis genus.[16]
In 1945, Valerie Todd Davies provided another description of Porrhothele antipodiana but also suggested that Porrhothele simoni should be considered a synonym of P.antipodiana.[7]P. simoni was originally distinguished by the colour of the thorax, space in between fore median eyes and curvature of the fovea.[16] Davies argued that space between eyes can vary with age and that thorax colour is very variable, so the only distinguishing feature to consider is the curvature of the fovea, which would put the validity of this species into question. Davies also described a new species of Porrhothele, named Porrhothele avocae, which was described only from species found at Mount Arthur Pass.[7]
In 1968, P.antipodiana was given an updated description by Raymond Forster and P. avocae was recognized as a synonym of P.antipodiana. Forster also suggested that P.antipodiana may actually represent many morphologically very similar (i.e. cryptic) species that have not yet been described.[2][1] As with most spiders, accurate species-level identification requires examination of the mature genitalic structures (the epigyne in females, and the palpal bulb in males).
Distribution and habitat
Porrhothele antipodiana is the most widespread species of Porrhothele and is found throughout both main islands of New Zealand. In the North Island, it appears to be excluded from the Northland region (where Porrhothele quadrigyna is known to be distributed). It seems to be broadly distributed in the South Island, except for in the alpine zone. P.antipodiana is also known to occur in the Chatham Islands, but this is thought to be a recent human-mediated introduction.[2][1]
Tunnelweb Spider carved on pare on display at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection at Landcare Research, Auckland
Porrhothele antipodiana occupies a variety of habitats. They are typically found under old logs and rocks but will also set up webs in cliffs and rock faces where possible. They typically occur in forests, but are also known to occur in sand dunes, gardens and hillsides with clusters of rocks.[2][17][18]
Life history
When laid, eggs are loosely packed together in cocoons which have two thin layers of silk.[7][2] Eggsac construction occurs from late October to mid-December (during the summer). Estimates of the number of eggs in their eggsacs range from 100 to 300.[18] Eggs may take up to 30 days to hatch after laying (this seems to occur when the spiderlings reach 2–3mm in length), with the spiderlings moulting for the first time a few days later. The spiderlings remain within the female's nest until they develop further. During the first instar period, the spiders are inactive and lay on their backs stretching their limbs, then moulting after five weeks. The second instar spiders are more active and begin spinning webs and feeding.[7][2][18] The spiderling tends to grow to a length of 12mm by the end of the first year. After 2–3 years, the spider reaches maturity. When at maturity, the spider will continue to sporadically moult.[2][18]P.antipodiana is relatively long lived and is known to live for at least six years.[18]
Behaviour
Courtship and copulation
As the male approaches the female's web platform, the front pair of legs are raised, which aims the modified metatarsus and tibia (claspers) at the female. The cephalothorax is also aimed upwards, revealing his fangs and palps. The front pair of legs are used to vibrate the web as the male moves forwards towards the female. The male then uses his claspers to clasp the female's two palps, which causes the female to enter a passive state. The male then pushes the limp female in a position where the cephalothorax of the male is perpendicular to the underside of the female's cephalothorax. If on the web, the female may also lay on her back. The male then copulates with the female by injecting sperm into the female reproductive tract using one palp at a time. Copulation concludes when the male (whilst still clasping the female) disengages and then pushes the female away. During courtship and copulation, males spin silk.[4][6][19]
Prey
Like almost all spiders, Porrhothele antipodiana is an obligate carnivore. The remains of the captured prey end up spread throughout the web, so it can be easy to identify what the spider has been feeding on. These spiders seem to feed on almost anything that happens to come close enough to its web, so its prey may simply reflect what species happen to be present in the area. A small selection of prey that have been preyed upon by P.antipodiana includes isopods (Porcellio scaber), bumblebees, beetles, such as Holcaspis (Carabidae) and Xylotoles (Cerambycidae), and other spiders such as Dolomedes (Pisauridae).[20]
One of the most unusual prey species of P.antipodiana is the snail Cornu aspersum (which is exotic to New Zealand). This is quite a difficult prey for most spiders to catch since they have a hard shell they can retreat into and slime that can be produced. To kill the snails, P.antipodiana first detects and embeds its fangs into the flesh of the snail. The spider then attempts to keep its fangs embedded as the snail retracts into its shell. While attached, the snail begins to produce abundant amounts of foam in an attempt to deter the spider. Although the snails appear to be resistant to the venom of the spider, they eventually die after about 30 minutes. The spider may then spend many hours feeding on the snail.[21]
Another notable prey item is the wasp Vespula germanica, another exotic species in New Zealand. The aggressive behaviour of this species could be expected to make it difficult for a P.antipodiana to safely capture. Once the wasp becomes entangled in web, the spider grabs the wasp from behind the thorax (to avoid the stinger) and then kills it.[20]
Porrhothele antipodiana is known to be parasitized by Aranimermis giganteus, a nematode that parasitizes the Mygalomorphae of New Zealand. Individuals infected with the parasite seem to become attracted to water, which inevitably causes them to drown, allowing the A.giganteus to complete the aquatic stage of its life cycle.[22]
Interactions with spider-hunting wasps
A considerable source of mortality in these spiders can be attributed to spider-hunting wasps, especially Priocnemis monachus. These wasps are specialized for hunting large spiders, which they paralyze and lay eggs in, which then hatch and consume the spiders body.[23]
Once these wasps locate the spider's burrow, they enter and corner the spider. The spider will then rear up into a defensive posture, but the spider is usually stung several times during the struggle and is paralyzed. Since the spider is much larger than the wasp, it has to be dragged backwards towards the wasps nest. Once placed in the nest, an egg is laid on the spider and this eventually hatches and feeds on the spider.[23]
Priocnemis monachus dragging a paralysed Porrhothele antipodiana
Interactions with mice
New Zealand is home to many invasive mammalian species, including mice. In its regular habitat, Porrhothele antipodiana is likely to be encountered by mice and other introduced mammals, and could be potential prey. P.antipodiana placed into containers with mice assumed a defense threat posture when investigated by the mice. The mice would then attack with "a series of quick, darting rushes, nipping at the outstretched legs of the spider". During this, the spider would strike at the mice, but the mice would generally avoid these strikes. As this continued, the spider would tire when pieces of leg were ripped off, which caused body fluid to spill out, which led to the spider dying. The mice would then proceed to eat the abdomen and cephalothorax of the spider. However, in some encounters, the spiders would catch hold of the mouse and bite it, causing it to lose orientation, shiver and ultimately die. Mice that survived bites would later avoid attacking these spiders.[17]
Porrhothele antipodiana fighting a mouse
Interactions with humans
Porrhothele antipodiana may bite a human if it feels threatened. Since these spiders may occupy gardens, an encounter with an unaware human may occur and a bite may happen, although this is rare. Bites are painful and may cause localized swelling, itching, or numbness. Bites may leave two small punctures in the skin. There is only one known case of serious symptoms occurring, which were likely to be due to secondary infection.[6] Victims are advised to disinfect the area to reduce the risk of infection. The venom is not dangerous to humans.[24]
It has been suggested that the word "kahuwai", which refers to an unidentified species of spider in Māori literature, refers to Porrhothele antipodiana.[26]
The katipō 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, and the North American black widow. The species is venomous to humans, capable of delivering a potentially dangerous bite. It is a small to medium-sized spider, with the female having a round black or brown pea-sized body. Red katipō females found in the South Island and the lower half of the North Island, are always black, and their abdomen has a distinctive red stripe bordered in white. In black katipō females found in the upper half of the North Island, this stripe is absent, pale, yellow, or replaced with cream-coloured blotches. These two forms were previously thought to be separate species. The male is much smaller than the female and quite different in appearance: white with black stripes and red diamond-shaped markings. Katipō are mainly found living in sand dunes close to the seashore. They are found throughout most of coastal New Zealand except the far south and west. Katipō feed mainly on ground dwelling insects, caught in an irregular tangled web spun amongst dune plants or other debris.
The giant house spider has been treated as either one species, under the name Eratigena atrica, or as three species, E. atrica, E. duellica and E. saeva. As of April 2020, the three species view was accepted by the World Spider Catalog. They are among the largest spiders of Central and Northern Europe. They were previously placed in the genus Tegenaria. In 2013, they were moved to the new genus Eratigena as the single species Eratigena atrica. In 2018, the three separate species were restored. The bite of these species does not pose a threat to humans or pets, and they are generally reluctant to bite, preferring instead to hide or escape.
Previously placed in the genus Avicularia, C. versicolor is native to Martinique in the Caribbean Sea.
The black house spider or common black spider is a common species of cribellate Australian spider, introduced to New Zealand and Japan. A closely related species, Badumna longinqua, the grey house spider, has a similar distribution, but has also been introduced to the Americas.
Steatoda nobilis is a spider in the genus Steatoda, known in the United Kingdom as the noble false widow, as it superficially resembles and is frequently mistaken for the black widow and other spiders in the genus Latrodectus. It is often referred to as thefalse widow, although "false widow" is a more general term applied to a wider group of species with this resemblance.[a] It is a moderately medically significant spider, with most bites resulting in symptoms similar to a bee or wasp sting. Some bites may cause more significant harm, partly due to pathogenic bacteria from the spiders.
Missulena is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Actinopodidae. It was first described by Charles Walckenaer in 1805, and is a senior synonym of Eriodon. M. tussulena is found in Chile, but the rest are indigenous to Australia. They are sometimes referred to as "mouse spiders" from the now-disproven belief that they dig deep burrows similar to those of mice. Scotophaeus blackwalli is also called a "mouse spider", but it is smaller and not closely related.
Phaeacius is a spider genus of the family Salticidae, found in sub-tropical China and between India and the Malay Peninsula, including Sri Lanka, Sumatra and the Philippines. Although other spiders can jump, salticids including Phaeacius have significantly better vision than other spiders, and their main eyes are more acute in daylight than a cat's and 10 times more acute than a dragonfly's. The main eyes focus accurately on an object at distances from approximately 2 centimetres (0.79 in) to infinity, and in practice can see up to about 75 centimetres (30 in). They do not spin webs.
The anatomy of spiders includes many characteristics shared with other arachnids. These characteristics include bodies divided into two tagmata, eight jointed legs, no wings or antennae, the presence of chelicerae and pedipalps, simple eyes, and an exoskeleton, which is periodically shed.
Porrhothele is a genus of mygalomorph spiders endemic to New Zealand. They are the only members of the family Porrhothelidae. They were first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1892. Originally placed with the curtain web spiders, it was moved to the Hexathelidae in 1980, they were placed in their own family in 2018.
Hysterocrates gigas is a member of the tarantula family, Theraphosidae found in Cameroon. It is known as the giant baboon spider, Cameroon red baboon spider, or red baboon tarantula.
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.
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, 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 diversity among all orders of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every land habitat. As of September 2024, 52,309 spider species in 134 families have been recorded by taxonomists. However, there has been debate among scientists about how families should be classified, with over 20 different classifications proposed since 1900.
Priocnemis monachus is a species of spider wasp endemic to New Zealand, where it is known as the black hunting wasp or ngaro wīwī. It hunts large tunnelweb or trapdoor spiders, paralysing them with its sting and storing them in burrows for its larvae to eat alive. It is the largest member of the family Pompilidae in New Zealand.
Sphictostethus nitidus, the golden hunter wasp or red spider wasp, is a species of pepsid spider wasp endemic to New Zealand.
Trite auricoma, commonly known as the golden-brown jumping spider, is a species of jumping spider endemic to New Zealand.
Myostola is a spider genus in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), with the sole species Myostola occidentalis, found in Gabon and Cameroon.
Cantuaria dendyi is a species of trapdoor spider in the family Idiopidae. It can be found in the South Island of New Zealand and is limited to the Christchurch and Banks Peninsula area.
Badumna longinqua or the grey house spider is a species of spiders in the family Desidae. Native to eastern Australia, it has been introduced into New Zealand, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Uruguay and the Netherlands.
Maratus griseus, the white-banded house jumping spider, is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand.
Priocnemis conformis is a medium-sized species of pepsine spider wasp found in New Zealand. It has a widespread distribution, occurring within the North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island.
↑ Hallas, S. E. A.; Jackson, R. R. (1986-08-01). "Prey-holding abilities of the nests and webs of jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae)". Journal of Natural History. 20 (4): 881–894. doi:10.1080/00222938600770651. ISSN0022-2933.
1 2 3 Forster, Ray; Forster, Lyn (1999). Spiders Of New Zealand And Their World Wide Kin. Otago, New Zealand: University of Otago Press. pp. 119–124. ISBN1 877372 13 7.
1 2 3 4 5 Todd, V. (1945). Systematic and biological account of the New Zealand Mygalomorphae (Arachnida). Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand74: 375-407.
↑ Walckenaer, C. A. (1837). Histoire naturelle des insectes. Aptères. Paris 1, 1-682.
↑ White, A. (1849). Descriptions of apparently new species of Aptera from New Zealand. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London17: 3-6. (reprinted in Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (2) 5: 50-53, 1850)
↑ Lucas, H. (1849b). Articles sur les araignées. In: Dictionaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris.
↑ Ausserer, A. (1871a). Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Arachniden-Familie der Territelariae Thorell (Mygalidae Autor). Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien21: 117-224, pl. I. [incl. unpubl. manuscript by Doleschall]
↑ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1873h). An introduction to the study and collection of the Araneida of New Zealand. With a description and figures of Cambridgea fasciata L. Koch from Chatham Island; and also of a new species of Macrothele Auss., M. huttonii Cambr., found at Wellington, New Zealand. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute6: 187-207.
↑ Simon, E. (1891e). Etudes arachnologiques. 23e Mémoire. XXXVIII. Descriptions d'espèces et de genres nouveaux de la famille des Aviculariidae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France60: 300-312.
↑ Simon, E. (1892a). Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome premier. Roret, Paris, pp. 1-256. [second pdf with detailed publication dates of the single parts] doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973
↑ Urquhart, A. T. (1894). Description of new species of Araneae. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute26: 204-218.
1 2 Hogg, H. R. (2010-07-07). "On Australian and New Zealand Spidera of the Suborder Mygalomorphae1". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 71 (1): 218–284. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1901.tb08176.x.
1 2 Laing DJ. 1975. The postures of the tunnel web spider Porrhothele antipodiana: a behavioural study. Tuatara. 21:108–120.
1 2 3 4 5 Laing, D.J. (1978). Studies on populations of the tunnel web spider Porrhothele antipodiana- Part 1: Characteristic features and seasonal changes. Tuatara, 23(2).
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