| Spelungula | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nelson cave spider, Oparara basin, Karamea, New Zealand | |
| Conservation status | |
 Range Restricted (NZ TCS) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gradungulidae |
| Genus: | Spelungula Forster, 1987 |
| 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.
Taxonomy
This species was described in 1987 by Ray Forster from specimens collected in caves around Nelson. The holotype is stored at Te Papa Museum under registration number AS.000014.
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.
Description
It is New Zealand's largest known spider, with a leg span 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.
Distribution/habitat
This species is only known from caves in northwestern Nelson, New Zealand.
Conservation status
It is one of the few spider species afforded legal protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act. It is classified as "Range Restricted" and stable in the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
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.
Gallery
See also
References
- 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.
- "NMBE - World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ 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.
- "Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- McLachlan, Andrew. "Nelson cave spider". www.teara.govt.nz. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
- "Topic: Nelson cave spider | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
- Faulls, D. (1991). "Eight legs, two fangs and an attitude". New Zealand Geographic (10): 68–96.
- Wildlife Act – Schedule 7 Terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates declared to be animals
- 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.
- "Nelson cave to shut for a year to improve rare spider's population". RNZ. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Spelungula | |
| Spelungula cavernicola |
|