Stanwellia taranga explained

Stanwellia taranga is a species of Mygalomorph spider endemic to New Zealand.^[1]

Taxonomy

This species was described as Aparua taranga in 1968 by Ray Forster from a single female specimen collected in Hen Island. It was transferred into the Stanwellia genus in 1983.^[2] The holotype is stored in Auckland War Memorial Museum under registration number AMNZ5047.^[3]

Description

The female is recorded at 14.5mm in length. The carapace and legs are orange to yellow brown. The abdomen is cream with a mottled pattern.

Distribution

This species is only known from Hen Island, New Zealand.

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Naturally Uncommon" with the qualifiers of "Island Endemic" and "One Location".^[4]

Notes and References

1. Forster . Raymond Robert . Wilton . Cecil Louis . 1968-01-01 . The Spiders of New Zealand Part II: Ctenizidae, Dipluridae & Migidae . Otago Museum bulletin . 2 . 1–166.
2. Main . Barbara York . 1983 . Further studies on the systematics of Australian Diplurinae (Chelicerata: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae): Two new genera from south western Australia . Journal of Natural History . en . 17 . 6 . 923–949 . 10.1080/00222938300770731 . 0022-2933.
3. Web site: Stanwellia taranga . 2024-07-24 . Auckland War Memorial Museum . en.
4. 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.