Courtaraneus Explained

Courtaraneus orientalis is a species of Araneidae that is endemic to New Zealand. It is currently the only species in Courtaraneus, which was described in 2022.^[1]

Taxonomy

This species was described as Epeira orientalis in 1887 by Arthur Urquhart from female and male specimens collected in Te Karaka.^[2] It was most recently revised in 2022, in which it was moved to the Courtaraneus genus. It is the only member of the genus.

Description

The female is recorded at 11.5mm in length whereas the male is 7.3mm. This species has complex colour patterns.

Distribution

This species is only known from the North Island of 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" and "Data Poor: Trend".^[3]

Notes and References

1. Framenau . Volker W. . Vink . Cor J. . McQuillan . Bryce N. . Simpson . Angela H. . 2022-04-03 . A new genus for a large, endemic orb-weaving spider (Araneae, Araneidae) from New Zealand . New Zealand Journal of Zoology . en . 49 . 2 . 129–142 . 10.1080/03014223.2021.1951309 . 0301-4223.
2. Urquhart . A.T. . 1887 . On new species of Araneida . Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute . 19 . 72-118.
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.