Waitkera

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Waitkera waitakerensis
Waitkera waitakerensis.jpg
Status NZTCS NT.svg
Not Threatened (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: Uloboridae
Genus: Waitkera
Opell, 1979
Species:
W. waitakerensis
Binomial name
Waitkera waitakerensis
(Chamberlain, 1946) [1]
Synonyms

Uloborus waitakerensis
Tangaroa waitakerensis

Waitkera is a genus of spiders in the family Uloboridae. It was first described in 1979 by Opell. As of 2021, it contains only one species, Waitkera waitakerensis, found in New Zealand. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was described as Uloborus waitakerensis in 1946 by George Chamberlain from female specimens collected in the Waitakere Ranges. [2] It was transferred to the Tangaroa genus in 1967. [3] In 1979, it was moved to the Waitkera genus, of which it is the sole member. [4] The holotype is stored in Te Papa Museum under registration number AS.000124. [5]

Holotype specimen of Waitkera waitakerensis. AS000124 Waitkera waitakerensis (Chamberlain 1946) Te Papa 127081 262395.jpg
Holotype specimen of Waitkera waitakerensis.

Description

Female Waitkera waitakerensis are 3-5mm in length whereas males are 3-4mm in length. [4] The female may weigh about 9 mg. [6] The carapace is grey with light lateral margins. The dorsal side of the abdomen is white with five to six posteromedian grey chevrons whilst the ventral side is grey with white book lung covers. There may also be three pairs of white spots above the cribellum. [4] There is also a Northland ecotype that occupies different habitat and is larger than the rest of W. waitakerensis. [7]

Distribution/Habitat

Waitkera waitakerensis is restricted to the North Island of New Zealand. This species is the only member of the family Uloboridae endemic to New Zealand. [8] The species is typically found in forests where horizontal orb-webs are constructed in understory vegetation. [8] The Northland ecotype lives in shaded rock crevices of cliffs. [7]

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened". [9]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "Uloboridae". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
  2. ↑ Chamberlain, G. (1946). "Revision of the Araneae of New Zealand. Part II". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 3: 85–97.
  3. ↑ Lehtinen, P.T. (1967). "Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 4: 199–468.
  4. 1 2 3 Opell, Brent D. (1979). "Revision of the genera and tropical American species of the spider family Uloboridae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 148 (10): 443–549.
  5. ↑ "Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  6. ↑ Opell, Brent D. (December 1999). "Changes in spinning anatomy and thread stickiness associated with the origin of orb-weaving spiders". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 68 (4): 593–612. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1999.tb01190.x .
  7. 1 2 Opell, Brent D. (August 2006). "Molecular Phylogenetic Evidence for the Parallel Evolution of Rock Ecomorphs in the New Zealand Orb-Weaving Spider Waitkera waitakerensis (Family Uloboridae)". Journal of Arachnology. 34 (2): 467–475. doi:10.1636/04-94.1. JSTOR   4129806. S2CID   51859128.
  8. 1 2 Paquin, Pierre; Vink, Cornelis Jacob; Dupérré, Nadine (2010). Spiders of New Zealand: Annotated Family Key & Species List. Manaaki Whenua Press. ISBN   978-0-478-34705-0.[ page needed ]
  9. ↑ 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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