Tawhai arborea (Urquhart, 1891), comb. nov.

Figures 51–55

Tetragnatha arborea Urquhart, 1891: 172, pl. 21, fig. 9. Syntypes not examined, description and illustrations accurate enough to make reliable identification.

TYPE MATERIAL: The syntypes (males and females, from New Zealand, North Island, Stratford, Taranaki) are not at the Canterbury Museum (Nicholls et al., 2000) and are probably lost (C. Vink, in litt., to G.H.).

DIAGNOSIS AND DESCRIPTION: See genus diagnosis and description. Female description based on specimens (TEAU026, TEAU047). Male description based on specimen (TEAU028).

VARIATION: Females (N = 2) total length 8.36– 9.13. Cephalothorax length 3.63–4.12, width 2.73–3.14. Femur length 4.91–5.80.

DISTRIBUTION: Tawhai arborea is found in New Zealand’s North Island (fig. 55).

NATURAL HISTORY: Tawhai arborea builds vertical orb webs with open hubs, few radii, and sticky spirals. The web illustrated in figure 5C had a height of 34 cm (from top to bottom spiral thread). Forster and Forster (1999: 166, fig. 11.28a) describe their webs as large, “up to a metre wide, with widely spaced sticky threads. They are also found within the forest, and their webs may be tilted at a slight angle over running water.”

REMARKS: Tetragnatha arborea was considered a synonym of Orsinome lagenifera, but these species differ considerably in their morphology. Tawhai arborea was misidentified in the phylogenetic analysis of Wheeler et al. (2017) as “ Allende sp. CG103.” Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that both Taraire and Tawhai are not close relatives of Orsinome .

MATERIAL EXAMINED: N = 6. NEW ZEA- LAND, North Island, Te Urewera National Park, Lake Waikaremoana, trail to Lake Waikareiti, 38° 44′ 32″ S, 177° 9′ 53.1″ E, 650 m., G. Hormiga, 6–11 April 2011, night collecting (label ambiguity, could be Panekiri Bluffs trail), 1 female (image voucher TEAU026) GWU ; Te Urewera National Park, Lake Waikaremoana, trail to Lake Waikareiti, 38° 44′ 32″ S, 177° 9′ 53.1″ E, 650 m., G. Hormiga, 6–11 April 2011, 5 females, 3 immatures (image voucher TEAU047) GWU ; Tongariro National Park, Lake Rotopounamu Walk, 39° 1′ 14.5″ S, 175° 43′ 58.6″ E, 744 m., G. Hormiga & N. Scharff, 17 April 2011, 1 female, 1 immature (DNA voucher GH1117) GWU ; Tongariro National Park, Lake Rotopounamu Walk, 39° 1′ 14.5″ S, 175° 43′ 58.6″ E, 744 m., G. Hormiga & N. Scharff, 17 April 2011, 1 female (field image voucher photos 6279–6287 and GH1117 DNA series) GWU ; Waiorongomai Valley, Te Aroha, 37° 33′ 39.25″ S, 175° 45′ 27.81″ E, 72 m, D.J. Court, 15 May 1984, 1 male, 1 female (male image voucher TEAU028 and also Paratypes) S58330 QM ; Waipoua SF, Toronui Tr., 35° 39′ 42.92″ S, 173° 34′ 22.16″ E, 150 m, A. Newton & M. Thayer, 13 April 1980, Kauri-podocarp-broadleaf-nikau palm forest, fungusy log, pyrethrin fogging, 1 female AMNH .