Ascuta ornata explained

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

Taxonomy

This species was described in 1956 by Ray Forster from male and female specimens collected in Te Anau. The holotype is stored in Canterbury Museum.

Description

The male is recorded at 2.2mm in length whilst the female is 2.4mm. The carapace is yellow brown with dorsal markings. The legs are yellowish brown. The abdomen is creamy white with a chevron pattern dorsally.

Distribution

This species is known from Te Anau and Arthurs Pass in New Zealand.^[2]

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened".^[3]

Notes and References

1. Forster . R. R . 1956 . New Zealand spiders of the family Oonopidae . Records of the Canterbury Museum . 7 . 89-169.
2. Forster . R.R . Platnick . N.L . 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.
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.