Natural History of <i>Dolomedes schauinslandi</i> , a Range Restricted Fishing Spider From Hokoreroro | Rangatira | South East Island
Dolomedes schauinslandi Simon 1899 is a large fishing spiderspecies endemic to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Today, it only occurs on remote offshore islands, being extinct from most islands of the archipelago. Unusual for a fishing spider, D . schauinslandi has evolved a terrestrial lifestyle, inhabiting forests and feeding predominantly on cave wētā. This article summarises natural history observations from Hokorereoro | Rangatira | South East Island, one of the few places where D . schauinslandi is still present. Based on observations over spring and summer 2024–2025, a description of the species’ ecology is provided, including information on general habitat preference, foraging behaviour, anti‐predator behaviour and parental care.
Authors
- Christina J. Painting (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0701-2648)
- Zita Roithmair
Institutions
- University of Waikato (NZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- New Zealand Journal of Zoology
- Published
- 2026-02-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/njz2.70018
- Primary Topic
- Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00