Kapitia is a genus of spiders in the family Oonopidae. It was first described in 1956 by Forster. As of 2024, it contains only one species, Kapitia obscura.[1]

Kapitia

Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Oonopidae
Genus: Kapitia
Species:
K. obscura
Binomial name
Kapitia obscura
Forster, 1956[1]

Taxonomy

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This species was described in 1956 by Ray Forster from male and female specimens collected on Kapiti Island.[2] It was redescribed in 2012.[3] The holotype is stored at Canterbury Museum.It is the only oonopid spider in New Zealand.[2]

Description

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This male is recorded at 1.26mm in length. The carapace, legs and abdomen are yellow coloured. The female is slightly larger at 1.63mm in length.[3]

Distribution

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This species is known from scattered locations throughout the North Island of New Zealand, including Three Kings Islands.[3]

Conservation status

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Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened" with the qualifiers of "Data Poor: Size", "Data Poor: Trend" and "Biologically Sparse".[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Oonopidae". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  2. ^ a b Forster, Ray (1956). "New Zealand spiders of the family Oonopidae". Records of the Canterbury Museum. 7: 89–169.
  3. ^ a b c Platnick, Norman I.; Abrahim, Naiara; Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando; Andriamalala, Daniela; Baehr, Barbara C.; Baert, Léon; Bonaldo, Alexandre B.; Brescovit, Antonio D.; Chousou-Polydouri, Natalia; Dupérré, Nadine; Eichenberger, Beata; Fannes, Wouter; Gaublomme, Eva; Gillespie, Rosemary G.; Grismado, Cristian J. (2012). "Tarsal Organ Morphology and the Phylogeny of Goblin Spiders (Araneae, Oonopidae), with Notes on Basal Genera". American Museum Novitates. 3736 (3736): 1–52. doi:10.1206/3736.2. ISSN 0003-0082.
  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" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 34: 1–37.