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A previously unknown species of native jumping spider boasting incredible eyesight and rather modest genitalia has been discovered near Rotorua.
Rotorua Canopy Tours said in a statement today the spider was found in Dansey Scenic Reserve, the site of its ongoing forest restoration work.
The Salticidae paapaakiri is a native jumping spider that lives beneath the bark of the rimu tree, a strange behaviour not previously observed in other species of jumping spider, and was discovered by Lincoln University PhD student Kate Curtis.
“Most other native jumping spiders live in vegetation, leaf litter, under rocks and even high in the mountain ranges so it was unusual to find one specifically living under the rimu bark,” Curtis said.
“The bark could provide a unique protective microhabitat, offering protection from predators and harsh environmental conditions, as well as an ideal site for ambushing prey.”
The specific name paapaakiri referred to the species’ occurrence under rimu bark. The species will be scientifically named in Curtis’ upcoming published work.
The spider boasts incredible eyesight and rather modest genitalia. Photo / Bryce McQuillan
For a new species to be categorised by a scientist, they ideally must find both an adult male and female of a new species.
To do so, the attending scientists must closely examine the new spider’s genitalia; a more trying task when the spider is as meagerly endowed as the paapaakiri.
“It’s a bit of a weird thing to talk about but male spiders have genitalia called pedipalps, which are kind of like little boxing gloves up near their face,” Curtis said.
“The female spiders have something called an epigyne that sits under her abdomen. Basically we look at their structures, we photograph them, we draw them, we measure them and then we describe all of their features.
“Then we analyse that data to figure if we have discovered a new species.
“Unlike other spiders which rely on webs for trapping, the paapaakiri leaps to hunt its prey, requiring better eyesight and bigger eyes than is typical.
“But the flipside of having great eyes when you’re a spider is that the genitalia is often simpler and more puny, and their mating rituals more complex.
“For scientists, this makes them harder to categorise than other species, but it doesn’t appear to be an issue for the spiders themselves.”
There are an estimated 250 species of jumping spider in New Zealand and only 50 are described, with fewer than 10 that can be reliably identified.
A large proportion of New Zealand’s described jumping spider species are affiliated with Australian relatives and there is very little known about the remaining endemic species.
The Salticidae paapaakiri is a native jumping spider that lives beneath the bark of the rimu tree. Photo / Bryce McQuillan
The Dansey Road Scenic Reserve has played host to a plethora of new species discoveries over previous years, including new kinds of beetles, mushrooms and tunnel web spiders.
Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button said the discovery of new species points to the positive impact of the conservation work the business has undertaken.
“Over the years, we at Rotorua Canopy Tours have worked hard to significantly reduce the number of introduced pests in the bush.
“The benefit of this is not just to the larger animals, like our birds and bats, but also to our smallest creatures such as spiders, beetles and pseudoscorpions, which have historically all struggled but are now resurging,” Button said.
The healthy, virgin New Zealand bushlands have become a keystone for the local tourist operator, which won the Tripadvisor World’s Best Nature Activity in 2022 and Pacific’s Best in 2023.
“To see the forest bounce back into good health has been an incredible pleasure and privilege,” Button said.
“Our pest control doesn’t just protect animals we already knew about, it gives undiscovered creepy crawlies like the paapaakiri a chance at prosperity."
Button said scientists, researchers and hobbyists obsessed with everything from birds, bats, mushrooms and bugs flocked to Dansey Rd.
“It is a special place that has really thrived in recent years due to the focused pest control and now we are seeing new creatures emerge that previously might have been on the edge of extinction.
“For a tourism business, you are the kaitiaki [guardians] of the place you work in.
“It is not enough to keep it as it is, you need to work to improve and restore the natural beauty of the place.
“To see animals thriving in this area is proof that ecotourism is not just a buzzword, but actively contributes to the survival of the incredible life that calls Aotearoa home.”
Canopy Tours said it was privileged to operate in the ancestral lands of Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngākau, the manawhenua of the rohe.
“They are kaitiaki and also do world-leading arachnid research which is led by Bob Cooper, the iwi’s entomologist.”
