Spiders from some Pacific Islands B. J. MARPLES l KNOWLEDGE OF THE SPIDERS of the Pacific Rarotonga. It consists of several islets scat­ is largely the result of the work of Berland tered around the reef, with an area of 2 square (1934, et. seqq.). He has published a number miles which is said to be decreasing. I am of papers dealing with the spiders of the New indebted to Dr. G. N. Davies for a collection Caledonian and New Hebridean region; of of eight species, none having been recorded Samoa; and of the Marquesas, Society, and previously. They are all species known from Austral groups, and other islands in the south­ Samoa. eastern Pacific. Recently I have completed a Rarotonga is one of the Cook Islands, lying study of the spiders of Western Samoa (not some 850 miles east of the Tonga group. It yet published) based on two summers' col­ is a high volcanic island, rising to about 3,000 lecting. It adds considerably to the list of feet, and has an area of some 26 square miles. species already known, bringing it to a total Berland records five species from there. I am of 123 and includes several families not pre­ indebted to Dr. G. H. Satchell for the present viously known to have representatives in the collecrion of nine species, which raises the Pacific region. It is clear that much intensive total to 13. One seems to be new and is collecting is needed before more than tenta­ described here and tentatively placed in a new tive conclusions can be drawn regarding the genus. The others are all known from Samoa geographical distribution of spiders in the except two, one, Mollicia microphtha/ma, re­ Pacific. The present paper records 31 species corded by Berland, the other, Sanda/odes ca/vus, ofspiders from the islands ofNiue, Pukapuka, a new record. Both occur in the island groups Rarotonga, Tokelau, Tongatabu, and Pit­ to the east and then again far to the west, M. cairn from which few or· none have been microphtha/ma in New Caledonia and Loyalty, known. Forty-nine of the records are new. A and S. ca/vus in Australia. It is curious that new genus and two new species of Salticidae neither has been found in Samoa. are described. The Tokelau Islands consist of a group of Niue is situated about 400 miles SSW of three atolls lying 270 miles north of Western Samoa and the same distance WNW of Ton­ Samoa, with areas of 1,350, 650 and 500 acres gatabu. It consists of a single low-lying island respectively. No spiders have been recorded some 14 miles long by 10 miles wide. I am from them. I am indebted to Dr. and Mrs. indebted to Mr. P. T. Church for sending me J. C. Lopdell for a collection from the island specimens of five species, none having been of Atafu, the smallest of the three. It consists recorded previously. of 13 species, all known from Samoa. The Pukapuka is an atoll in the northern part most remarkable of these is Apiacera minuta, of the Cook group, 720 miles northwest of one of the Ochyroceratidae, a family which has not been recorded previously in the Pa­ cific. This species and Conopistha unimacu/ata 1 Department ofZoology, University of Otago, New Zealand. Manuscript received February 11, 1954. I am describing elsewhere (Marples, in press). 69 70 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. IX, January, 1955 The Tonga Islands are an extensive group SCYTODIDAE lying some 450 miles east of Fiji. They are Scytodes striatipes 1. Koch. Tongatabu. very low islands, especially Tongatabu which Scytodes marmorata 1. Koch. Tongatabu. has an area of about 100 square miles and a height of only 200 feet. Berland records 20 OCHYROCERATIDAE species, and the present collection, from Ton­ gatabu only, includes 15, bringing the total Apiacera minuta Marples. Tokelau. to 31 species. One appears to be new and is PHOLCIDAE described here. Pitcairn Island does not belong to the same Pholcus ancoralis 1. Koch. Rarotonga. region as the others included here. It lies to Physocyclus globosus Taczanowski. Pukapuka. the southeast of the Tuamotu Group, some Smeringopus elongatus Vinson. Tokelau, Ton- 1,500 miles east of the Cook Islands. It is gatabu, Pukapuka. small, with an area of 1,200 acres and a height CLUBIONIDAE of 1,000 feet. Berland records two species and· the present collection adds four more. I am Clubiona samoensis Berland. Rarotonga. indebted to Mrs. o. Clark and her family for Corinna sp. Pitcairn. the collection. SPARASSIDAE Measurements were made with a micro­ meter eyepiece, converted to millimeters and Hfteropoda venatoria (Linn.). Niue, Pitcairn, given to the nearest second decimal place. Pukapuka, Rarotonga, Tokelau, Tonga­ The leg formula is written as the legs in order tabu. of length above the line and the leg indices SALTICIDAE below it. For example, 1 2 4 3 indicates that Leg I is the longest and Leg III is the shortest. Bavia aericeps Simon. Pukapuka, Tokelau. The leg index is calculated by dividing the Menemerus bivittatus Dufour. Tongatabu. length of the leg by the length of the cara­ Plexippus payculli Audouin. Tokelau. pace. The tibial index, giving a measure ofthe Sandalodes calvus Simon. Rarotonga. stoutness of the leg, is calculated by dividing Ascyltus pterygodes (1. Koch). Niue, Tokelau, the combined lengths of the tibia and patella Tongatabu. by the breadth of the proximal end of the Athamas whitmei Cambridge. Pukapuka, Ra­ patella. It is given for Legs I and IV in each rotonga, Tokelau. case. These methods of measurement follow Thorellia ensifera Thorell. Pukapuka, Raro- those of Petrunkevitch. Dimensions of the tonga, Tokelau. abdomen, though of course not precise, are Hasarius albocircumdatus 1. Koch. Tongatabu. given to indicate its approximate shape. Trite longipalpis n. sp. Tongatabu. Avarua satchelli gen. et sp. nov. Rarotonga. LIST OF THE SPECIES RECORDED LYCOSIDAE DICTYNIDAE Lycosa tongatabuensis Strand. Pukapuka. Lycosa sp. Tongatabu. Syrorisa mumfordi Berland. Tokelau. THERIDIIDAE ULOBORIDAE Conopistha samoensis (1. Koch). Tongatabu. Uloborus geniculatus Olivier. Tokelau. Conopistha unimaculata Marples. Tongatabu, Uloborus tenelltlS 1. Koch. Tokelau. ?Niue. Pacific Island Spiders - MARPLES 71 TETRAGNATHIDAE OCHYROCERATIDAE Tetragnatha panopea 1. Koch. Tokelau. Apiacera minuta Marples <;?, EPEIRIDAE 1 Id"'. Tokelau. This species is described from Samoa. The family was not known pre­ Epeira theisi Walckenaer. Pitcairn, Pukapaka, viously from the Pacific, but I have specimens Rarotonga, Tokelau, Tongatabu. from Fiji, not yet determined specifically, of Cyrtophora moluccensis Doleschall. Niue, Ton­ both Apiacera and another genus found in gatabu. Samoa. Nephila prolixa 1. Koch. Niue, Tongatabu. PHOLCIDAE Nephila flagellans 1. Koch. Tongatabu. Pholcus ancoralis 1. Koch DICTYNIDAE 1d"'. Rarotonga. New record. The species is recorded also from Samoa, Marquesas, Tahiti, Syrorisa mumfordi Berland and the Austral Islands. 4'l? imm., 1d"' imm. Tokelau. Described from Physocyclus globosus Taczanowski the Marquesas, this species has been recorded also from Samoa. These specimens agree with 1 <;? • Pukapuka. A cosmopolitan species pre­ those from Samoa in having 3 prolateral and viously recorded from Samoa and the Mar­ 2 retrolateral teeth on the cheliceral groove, quesas. and the PME one and one-half diameters Smeringopus elongatus Vinson apart. Those from the Marquesas have 2 and 1 teeth and the PME are 1 diameter apart. 1 <;? Tongatabu. 11 <;? and 1 imm., 1 d"' and 2 imm. Tokelau. 5 <;? and 1 imm., Id"' imm. Pukapuka. 3 <;? Rarotonga. 5 'l? Pitcairn. A ULOBORIDAE widespread species in the Pacific, but appar­ Uloborus geniculatus Olivier ently not recorded previously from these localities. 9 '¥' and 3 imm., 4d"'. Tokelau. This species seems ro be more or less universally distrib­ CLUBIONIDAE , uted in the Pacific. Clubiona samoensis Berland Uloborus tenellus 1. Koch 1 'l? Rarotonga. New record, known pre­ viously from Samoa, Tahiti, and Rapa. 1" imm. Tokelau. This immature specimen apparently belongs to this species which has Corinna sp. previously been recorded only from Samoa. Id"' imm. Pitcairn. This specimen does not have the thick pitted cuticle of C. cetrata, SCYTODIDAE known from adjacent islands, but this might be due to its immaturity. It is included here Scytodes marmorata 1. Koch as the family has not been recorded from 1 <;? Tongatabu. It does not seem to have Pitcairn. been recorded previously. SPARASSIDAE Scytodes striatipes 1. Koch Heteropoda venatoria (Linn.) 1 <;? • Tongatabu. This is the colour form with This species, found throughout the tropics, the completely chestnut-coloured carapace. is often referred to as H. regia Fabricius, but 72 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. IX, January, 1955 Bonnet (1951) has considered the question Tokelau specimens are slightly paler than ones and decided that the name H. venatoria (Linn.) from Samoa. The chelicerae of the male from should be used. It was collected on all the Niue are more robust, darker and much more islands under consideration. There is another hairy than those of specimens from Samoa, very similar species, H. nobilis L. Koch, which and the same is true of the other appendages. is distinguishable most certainly by the sexual to a slight extent. organs. An immature specimen from Raro­ tonga might belong to this species. Athamas whitmei Cambridge 1rJI. Tokelau. 1rJI. Rarotonga. 2 9. Puka­ SALTICIDAE puka. The species is recorded also from New Bavia aericeps Simon Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, Samoa, Tahiti, Austral Islands, Mangareva, and the Mar­ 1 9. Tokelau. 1 rJI and 2 imm. Pukapuka. quesas. The specimen from Tokelau, as com­ This species has a very wide distribution, pared with ones from Samoa, Rarotonga, and ranging from the Marquesas and Hawaii to Berland's figure (1935) of one from the Mar­ Malaya and the Phillipines. Compared with quesas, is paler. The carapace between the Samoan specimens these have a much paler posterior eyes is dark blue while the rest is abdomen, the same colour pattern being dis­ chestnut coloured, the abdomen pale with tinguishable but only very faintly marked.