Cryptaranea venustula

Cryptaranea venustula is a species of orb-weaver spider that is endemic to New Zealand.^[1]

Cryptaranea venustula
Conservation status
Not Threatened (NZ TCS)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Cryptaranea
Species:	C. venustula
Binomial name
Cryptaranea venustula (Urquhart, 1891)
Synonyms
Epeira venustula Epeira munda Epeira munda inversa Araneus venustulus Aranea mundania Aranea mundania inversa

Taxonomy

This species was described as Epeira venustula in 1891 by Arthur Urquhart from a female specimen collected in Stratford.^[2] It was most recently revised in 1988, in which it was transferred to the Cryptaranea genus.^[1]

Description

The female is recorded at 6.5mm in length whereas the male is 3.4mm.^[1]

Distribution

This species is widespread throughout New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands.^[1]

Conservation status

Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System, this species is listed as "Not Threatened".^[3]