COMMON NAMES: Samoan Burrowing-Spider

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Fiji - Samoa - Cook Islands

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: probably Native; S.Group (RR - one early collection only); Land, lowlands - ?mountains

KEY FEATURES: Body length to 7mm. Cephalothorax rounded behind, distinctly narrowed and rounded anteriorly. Abdomen nearly spherical, spinnerets concealed by a ring of hairs. Legs relatively short and stout, distal segments tending to have upper surfaces flattened. Habitus; Body covered with hairs, often in tufts, which hold a layer of debris, so that spider is encrusted and looks black. When disturbed pulls in legs and lies still, looking like a piece of debris. Said to feed primarily on termites. Lives in litter and is slow-moving.

SIMILAR SPECIES: None in Cook Islands