Maloides Explained

Maloides is a genus of tangled nest spiders containing the single species, Maloides cavernicola. It was first described by Norman I. Platnick in 1989,^[1] and has only been found in New Zealand.^[2]

Taxonomy

This species was first described as Mala cavernicola by Ray Forster and Cecil Wilton in 1973 from a female specimen.^[3] The genus was renamed as Maloides in 1989. The holotype is stored in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.

Description

The female is recorded at 10.74mm in length. The carapace and legs are coloured pale yellow. The abdomen is creamy. The eyes are very reduced.

Distribution and habitat

This species is only known from Nelson, New Zealand. It is only known to occur in caves.

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Nationally Critical" with the qualifiers of "Data Poor: Size", "Data Poor: Trend" and "One Location".^[4]

Notes and References

1. Platnick. N. I.. 1989. Advances in Spider Taxonomy 1981-1987: A Supplement to Brignoli's A Catalogue of the Araneae described between 1940 and 1981. Journal of Arid Environments. 17. 3. 358. 10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30893-0. 1989JArEn..17..358P.
2. Web site: Gen. Maloides Forster & Wilton, 1989. World Spider Catalog. 2019-05-08. Natural History Museum Bern.
3. Forster . R. R. . Wilton . C. L. . 1973 . The spiders of New Zealand. Part IV. . Otago Museum Bulletin . 4 . 1–309.
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 . New Zealand Threat Classification Series . English . 34 . 1–37.