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Neoscona theisi

Common Web-spider

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Female	43KB
Image:	Female and male	48KB
Image:	Female beside her nest	66KB
Image:	Female with prey 1	45KB
Image:	Female with prey 2	44KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Common Web-spider

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mangamanga (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: China - se.Asia - Tuamotu-Marquesas; n. to Japan

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native?, Introduced?; S.Group (very common); N.Group (very common); Land, lowlands - mountains to Cloud forest; large herbs, shrubs and trees

KEY FEATURES: To 15mm BodyL. CEPHALOTHORAX (or carapace) dark median and lateral lines dorsally. ABDOMEN coloration highly variable, but usually dark laterally with a lengthwise series of light chevrons in middle portion. WEB A symmetrical wheel-shaped web (orb web) to 40cmØ.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	P				P

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
	++++	P	++++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Neoscona theisi (Walckenaer, 1841)
SYNONYMS: Epeira theisi; Araneus theisi

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; CHELICERATA; ARACHNIDA; Araneae (=Araneida); Araneomorphae; ARANEIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: 1 female, 1 immature (BJM55). Mangaia: 3 females (BJM60). Aitutaki: 10 females, 5 males (BJM60). Manihiki: 1 immature (BJM60); fieldspecimen, 1/2004, very common, GM and ID as Neoscona theisi. Rakahanga: 16 females (BJM60). Pukapuka: 1 male (BJM55); specimen, 1/2004, very common, GM and ID as Neoscona theisi.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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