Muritaia kaituna explained

Muritaia kaituna is a species of Amaurobiidae spider that is endemic to New Zealand.^[1]

Taxonomy

This species was described in 1973 by Ray Forster and Cecil Wilton from a female specimen. The holotype is stored in Canterbury Museum.

Description

The female is recorded at 3.60mm in length. The cephalothorax and legs are dark brown. The abdomen is creamy with blackish shading.

Distribution

This species is only known from Banks Peninsula, 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".^[2]

Notes and References

1. Forster, R. R. & Wilton, C. L. (1973). The spiders of New Zealand. Part IV. Otago Museum Bulletin 4: 1-309
2. 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.