Diploplecta australis explained

Diploplecta australis is a spider in the family Linyphiidae.^{[1] [2]} It is found in the Antipodes Islands.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described as Drapetisca australis in 1955 by Raymond R. Forster based on a female specimen only. It was transferred to Diplopecta by Fitzgerald, B. M. & Sirvid in 2020.^[4]

Description

The total body length of the female is about 2.8 mm, with the first leg being the longest at about 5.4 mm. The carapace is pale yellow with a dark line in the centre and at the edges; the abdomen is paler with a short thin black line near the cephalothorax and two black patches in the middle of the underside.

Distribution

This species is only known from Antipode Island in 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".^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist.. Bisby F.A.. Roskov Y.R.. Orrell T.M.. Nicolson D.. Paglinawan L.E.. Bailly N.. Kirk P.M.. Bourgoin T.. Baillargeon G.. Ouvrard D. (red.). 2011. Species 2000: Reading, UK.. 20 February 2016.
2. Web site: NMBE - World Spider Catalog . 2024-09-04 . wsc.nmbe.ch.
3. Forster . R.R. . 1955 . Spiders from the subantarctic islands of New Zealand . Records of the Dominion Museum, Wellington . 2 . 167-203.
4. Fitzgerald . B.M. . Sirvid . P.J. . 2020 . Theridion pumilio (Theridiidae) and Drapetisca australis (Linyphiidae) are transferred to Diploplecta Millidge, 1988 (Araneae: Linyphiidae, Linyphiinae) . Records of the Canterbury Museum . 34 . 57-61.
5. 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.