Giant New Zealand Orb-weaver Courtaraneus orientalis (Urquhart, 1887)
Fauna Portal species: 10904
Courtaraneus orientalis male, dorsal (LUNZ 12961)
Image: Framenau et al. (2022; fig. 2A)
Fauna Portal Image No. 2359Diagnosis
Based on Framenau et al. (2022): The presence of two long spines on the male pedipalp patella excludes Courtaraneus from the ‘backobourkiines’, as members of this large, largely Australo-Pacific clade have only a single patellar spine. The genus can also not be associated with any species currently included in the ‘zealaranines’ (all known species have two patellar spines) due to the presence of two unique, morphologically distinct tibial apophyses and a heavily sclerotised, flat lobe basally on the cymbium from which the very long paracymbium extends. Indeed, this combination of morphological characters on tibia and cymbium, here considered diagnostic for the genus and species, is not known to us to occur in any other member of the Araneidae in Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere.
Linnean Type
Syntype male and an unknown number of immature females, Te Karaka, Auckland (ca. 38 28’S, 177 52’E, North Island, NEW ZEALAND), A.T. Urquhart, presumed lost (Court & Forster 1988).
Linnean Syntype(s)
Neighbouring Countries
- New Zealand
Fauna Portal Records
The map shows all records that have been verified as part of the Fauna Portal project and may not represent the true distribution of a species. Specifically, for described species, check the link to the Atlas of Living Australia on this page for potential wider distributions. Fauna Portal Reference specimens and Linnean types are shown in red. If you identified a specimen that exceeds the distribution of an undescribed species as illustrated here, please contact the Fauna Portal team who can assist with the lodgement of the specimen in a public institution and display on the map.
Publications
(1988): The spiders of New Zealand: Part VI. Araneidae-Araneinae. Otago Museum Bulletin. 6: 68 - 124
(2022): A new genus for a large, endemic orb-weaving spider (Araneae, Araneidae) from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 49: 129 - 142WEB