Rayforstia scuta ( Forster, 1959 ), 2010

Rix, Michael & Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, ZooKeys 36 (36), pp. 1-321 : 61

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.36.306

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:ADCACC88-6C78-4386-8E33-3F98234ECE92

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3789361

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7E13878E-FF8A-1B47-FF32-1E01FEDC890B

treatment provided by

Plazi (2020-04-27 05:57:33, last updated 2024-11-28 19:19:42)

scientific name

Rayforstia scuta ( Forster, 1959 )
status

comb. nov.

Rayforstia scuta ( Forster, 1959) , comb. n.

Figs 86H View Figure 86 , 87H View Figure 87

Textricella scuta Forster, 1959: 293 , figs 46–50 (holotype male from Norsewood, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, in MNZ, not examined). Brignoli, 1983: 375. Platnick, 2009.

Selected material examined. NEW ZEALAND: North Island: Hawke’s Bay: Norsewood , 27.I.1948, P. Culliford, 3♀ ( MCZ) ; same data, 4♁, 9♀ ( AMNH) ; Norsewood Motor Camp , 14.VII.1966, R. Forster, 1♁ ( AMNH) . Waikato: Lake Rotopounamu, SW. of Turangi , 4–9.IV.1980, A. Newton, M. Thayer, 4♁ ( AMNH) ; Taumarunui County, S. side of Whakapapanui Stream , 18.I.1967, K. Wise, 1♁, 2♀ ( AMNH) . South Island: Canterbury: Lewis Pass , 1.IV.2006, M. Rix, 1♁ ( WAM T94454) .

Remarks. Rayforstia scuta is an unusual, widespread species from the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is most similar to the other six-eyed species of Rayforstia described from New Zealand ( R. plebeia , R. propinqua , R. salmoni and R. wisei ), but can be distinguished by the distinctive shape of the male anterior sclerite, which extends posteriorly well beyond the epigastric furrow (see Forster 1959, fig. 46).

Brignoli PM (1983) A Catalogue of the Araneae Described Between 1940 and 1981. Manchester University Press, Manchester, 755 pp.

Forster RR (1959) The spiders of the family Symphytognathidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 86: 269 - 329.

Platnick NI (2009) The World Spider Catalog, Version 10.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. http: // research. amnh. org / entomology / spiders / catalog / [accessed 20. X. 2009]

Gallery Image

Figure 86. New Zealand Rayforstia species, eyes and external epigynes. A–D eight-eyed species of Rayforstia: A eyes of male R. signata (Forster) from the Puhipuhi Valley (AMNH) B ventral abdomen of female R. signata from the Puhipuhi Valley (AMNH) C eyes of male R. antipoda (Forster) from Lake Hawea (AMNH) D ventral abdomen of female R. antipoda from Lake Hawea (AMNH). E–H six-eyed species of Rayforstia: E eyes of female R. propinqua (Forster) from Broken River (MCZ) F ventral abdomen of female R. propinqua from Broken River (MCZ) G ventral abdomen of paratype female R. salmoni (Forster) from Waiouru (AMNH) H ventral abdomen of female R. scuta (Forster) from Norsewood (MCZ).

Gallery Image

Figure 87. Rayforstia species, female cleared receptacula, dorsal view: A–B R. vulgaris (Forster) from Lewis Pass, New Zealand (WAM T94455) C R. signata (Forster) from the Puhipuhi Valley, New Zealand (AMNH) D R. antipoda (Forster) from Lake Hawea, New Zealand (AMNH) E allotype R. lordhowensis sp. n. from Lord Howe Island, New South Wales (AMS KS76260) F R. propinqua (Forster) from Broken River, New Zealand (MCZ) G R. salmoni (Forster) from Desert Road, New Zealand (AMNH) H R. scuta (Forster) from Norsewood, New Zealand (AMNH). Arrows indicate the trajectory of insemination ducts. Scale bar = 0.065 mm (65 µm).

MCZ

Museum of Comparative Zoology

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

WAM

Western Australian Museum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Micropholcommatidae

SubFamily

Micropholcommatinae

Tribe

Micropholcommatini

Genus

Rayforstia