Spelungula | |
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Nelson cave spider, Oparara basin, Karamea, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Gradungulidae |
Genus: | Spelungula Forster, 1987[1] |
Species: | S. cavernicola
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Binomial name | |
Spelungula cavernicola Forster, 1987
|
Spelungula is a monotypic genus of South Pacific large-clawed spiders containing the single species, Spelungula cavernicola, or the Nelson cave spider.[2]
This species was described in 1987 by Ray Forster from specimens collected in caves around Nelson.[3] The holotype is stored at Te Papa Museum under registration number AS.000014.[4]
The genus name is derived from "spelunca", which is latin for cave and is feminine in gender. The species name "cavernicola" refers to the species restriction to caves.[3]
It is New Zealand's largest known spider, with a legspan of 13 to 15 centimetres (5.1 to 5.9 in) and a body length of 2.4 centimetres (0.94 in), and its main prey is cave weta.[5][6]
This species is a only known from caves in northwestern Nelson, New Zealand.[3]
It is one of the few spider species afforded legal protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act.[7][8] It is classed as "Range Restricted" and stable in the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[9]
In May 2022, the Crazy Paving Cave in Kahurangi National Park, where the spiders are known to breed, was closed for a year in an attempt to help the population to recover.[10]