Sidymella trapezia

Description 3

Sidymella trapezia has been introduced into NZ over the last 25--30 years from its native Australia, where it is not known to prey on spiders at all. It is rampant at least throughout the North Island, probably more widely by now. Since my field work is focused solely on dunes I can only report that in the dunes both on the West Coast (lower North Island ) and East Coast, S. trapezia definitely has moved into the dunes habitat where I have photographed a number of occasions of the large females in particular preying on katipo and our endemic seashore wolf spider (Anoteropsis litoralis), as well as other spider species of lesser concern, incl. Anzacia gemmea and Steatoda capensis, ref. the following observations which have reasonable photo sets:

Sidymella eating seashore wolf
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/7152029
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/7152319

katipo victim:
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/7152143

S.capensis victim:
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/6970072

Anzacia gemmea victim:
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/5387042
http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/5902854

(Text provided by Arnim Littek)

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Gavin Kingsley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/catnthehat/14247961459/
  2. (c) Gavin Kingsley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/catnthehat/14431260011/
  3. (c) Tony Wills, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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