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Ascuta australis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ascuta australis

Naturally Uncommon (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Orsolobidae
Genus: Ascuta
Species:
A. australis
Binomial name
Ascuta australis

Ascuta australis is a species of Orsolobidae spider of the genus Ascuta.[1] The species is endemic to New Zealand

Taxonomy

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This species was first described from two specimens by Ray Forster in 1956.[2][3] The holotype specimen was collected by Richard Dell and Beverley Holloway at Murderer's Cove, Big South Cape Island, near Stewart Island, during the 1955 Dominion Museum expedition.[4]

The holotype is stored at Te Papa Museum under registration number AS.002421.[5]

Description

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The male is roughly 1.8mm in length. The carapace is yellow brown whilst the abdomen is creamy white. The female is identical but is somewhat smaller.[3]

Distribution

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This species is only known from Big South Cape Island near Stewart Island in New Zealand.[3]

Conservation status

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Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as Naturally Uncommon with the qualifiers of "Island Endemic" and "One Location".[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ascuta australis Forster, 1956". biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  2. ^ "Ascuta australis Forster, 1956 - World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  3. ^ a b c R. R. Forster (1956). "New Zealand spiders of the family Oonopidae". Records of the Canterbury Museum. 7: 130. ISSN 0370-3878. Wikidata Q125573189. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Ascuta australis Forster, 1956". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  5. ^ "Loading... | Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  6. ^ "NZTCS". nztcs.org.nz. Retrieved 2024-07-13.