Redescription and generic placement of the spider Cryptachaea gigantipes (Keyserling, 1890) (Araneae: Theridiidae) and notes on related synanthropic species in Australasia

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Smith, Helen M., Vink, Cor J., Fitzgerald, Brian M., Sirvid, Phil J. (2012): Redescription and generic placement of the spider Cryptachaea gigantipes (Keyserling, 1890) (Araneae: Theridiidae) and notes on related synanthropic species in Australasia. Zootaxa 3507: 38-56, URL: http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2012/f/zt03507p056.pdfAbstractCryptachaea gigantipes (Keyserling, 1890) n. comb. is redescribed from fresh material, the female is described for the first time and notes on biology are given. Cryptachaea gigantipes has been recorded from natural habitats in south-eastern Australia, but is also commonly encountered around houses and other built structures, there and in the North Island of New Zealand. The earliest New Zealand records are from the year 2000 and it would appear that the species has been accidentally introduced due to its synanthropic tendencies. The idea of a recent and limited initial introduction is supported by cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences, which are extremely homogeneous from New Zealand specimens compared to those from Australia. A comparison of Cryptachaea gigantipes with Cryptachaea veruculata (Urquhart, 1886) shows the two species are closely related. Theridion calyciferum Urquhart, 1886 from New Zealand and Achaearanea extrilida (Keyserling, 1890) from Australia are placed in synonymy under C. veruculata n. syn.Key words: COI, Australia, New Zealand, bites, biology