Laestrygones albiceris

Laestrygones albiceris
Conservation status
Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Toxopidae
Genus:	Laestrygones
Species:	L. albiceris
Binomial name
Laestrygones albiceris Urquhart, 1894
Synonyms
Lycosa proxima Laestrygones urquhartii

Laestrygones albiceris is a species of Toxopidae spider that is endemic to New Zealand.[1]

Taxonomy

This species was described as Lycosa proxima by Arthur Urquhart in 1886 from male and female specimens.[2] The species name was later recognized to be preoccupied, so it was changed to Laestrygones albiceres.[3] It has undergone several revisions.[4][5][1] The holotype is stored in Canterbury Museum.[1]

Description

The female is recorded at 3.31mm in length. The carapace has black markings dorsally and laterally. The abdomen has dark shading.[1]

Distribution

This species is known from scattered localities in the North Island of New Zealand.[1]

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened".[6]

References

1. Forster, R. R. (1970). The spiders of New Zealand. Part III. Otago Museum Bulletin 3: 1-184.
2. Urquhart, A. T. (1886). On the spiders of New Zealand. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 18: 184-205.
3. Urquhart, A. T. (1894). Description of new species of Araneae. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 26(1893): 204-218.
4. Bryant, E. B. (1933). Notes on types of Urquhart's spiders. Records of the Canterbury Museum 4: 1-27, pl. 1-5.
5. Forster, R. R. (1964). The Araneae and Opiliones of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Pacific Insects Monographs 7: 58-115.
6. 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" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 34: 1–37.