Genus Arachnura Thorell, 1869

Museums

Regional Maps

• Arachnura Thorell, T. 1869. On European Spiders. Part I. Review of the European Genera of Spiders, preceded by some views on Zoological Nomenclature. Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis 3 7(v): 1-242 [39].

Introduction

In a revision of the Arachnura of Australia and New Zealand, Castanheira et al. (2019) recognised five species, three recorded from Australia. Of the two most common species, only Arachnura higginsii was found to occur in Australia, while A. feredayi, previously recorded from Australia, was determined to be endemic to New Zealand. A single specimen of A. melanura was tentatively identified from QLD, however Castanheira et al. (2019) declined to confirm the presence of the species in Australia pending a revision of the widespread species. Two juvenile specimens of an undescribed species were also collected from north QLD, well outside the range of A. higginsii, but inadequate material was available for a description.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

ARANEIDAE: Arachnura feredayi (L. Koch, 1872) [Determined by Castanheira et al. (2019) to be endemic to New Zealand, replaced in Australia by A. higginsii]

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR)

General References

Castanheira, P. de S., Didham, R.K., Vink, C.J. & Framenau, V.W. 2019. The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand. Zootaxa 4706(1): 147-170

History of changes