Ascuta cantuaria explained

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

Taxonomy

This species was described in 1985 by Ray Forster and Norman Platnick from a single female specimen collected in Christchurch. The species name is a reference to the type locality. The holotype is stored in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection under registration number NZAC03014991.^[2]

Description

The female is recorded at in length.

Distribution

This species is only known from Kennedy's Bush in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Data Deficient" with the qualifiers of "Data Poor: Size", "Data Poor: Trend" and "One Location".^[3]

Notes and References

1. Forster . R.R . 1985 . A review of the austral spider family Orsolobidae (Arachnida, Araneae), with notes on the superfamily Dysderoidea . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History . 181 . 1-230.
2. Web site: Specimen Details . 2024-08-04 . scd.landcareresearch.co.nz.
3. 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 . New Zealand Threat Classification Series . English . 34 . 1–37.