Spelungula

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Spelungula
P1150023-001.jpg
Nelson cave spider, Oparara basin, Karamea, New Zealand
Status NZTCS RR.svg
Range Restricted (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gradungulidae
Genus: Spelungula
Forster, 1987 [1]
Species:
S. cavernicola
Binomial name
Spelungula cavernicola
Forster, 1987

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, [2] and has only been found in caves in the northwestern part of New Zealand's South Island. [1] [3]

Contents

Etymology

The genus name is derived from "spelunca", which is latin for cave and is feminine in gender. The species name "cavernicola" refers to the species restriction to caves. [2]

Description

It is New Zealand's largest known spider, with a legspan of 13 to 15 centimetres (5.1 to 5.9 in) and a body length of 2.4 centimetres (0.94 in), and its main prey is cave weta. [4] [5]

Conservation status

It is one of the few spider species afforded legal protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. [6] [7] It is classed as "Range Restricted" and stable in the New Zealand Threat Classification System. [8]

In May 2022, the Crazy Paving Cave in Kahurangi National Park, where the spiders are known to breed, was closed for a year in an attempt to help the population to recover. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Macrogradungula</i> Genus of spiders

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<i>Pianoa</i> Genus of spiders

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References

  1. 1 2 Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2019). "Gen. Spelungula Forster, 1987". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  2. 1 2 Forster, R. R.; Platnick, N. I.; Gray, M. R. (1987). "A review of the spider superfamilies Hypochiloidea and Austrochiloidea (Araneae, Araneomorphae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 185: 1–116.
  3. ↑ Sirvid, P. J.; Vink, C. J.; Wakelin, M. D.; Fitzgerald, B. M.; Hitchmough, R. A.; Stringer, I. A.N. (2012). "The conservation status of New Zealand Araneae". New Zealand Entomologist. 35 (2): 85–90. doi:10.1080/00779962.2012.686310. ISSN   0077-9962. S2CID   84574921.
  4. ↑ McLachlan, Andrew. "Nelson cave spider". www.teara.govt.nz. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Topic: Nelson cave spider | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
  6. ↑ Faulls, D. (1991). "Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude". New Zealand Geographic (10): 68–96.
  7. ↑ Wildlife Act – Schedule 7 Terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates declared to be animals
  8. ↑ Molloy, Janice; et al. (2002). "Classifying species according to threat of extinction. A system for New Zealand" (PDF). Department of Conservation (New Zealand) . Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  9. ↑ "Nelson cave to shut for a year to improve rare spider's population". RNZ. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
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