Gasparia

{{Short description|Genus of spiders}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2025}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = AS000020 Gasparia delli (Forster 1956) Te Papa 125470 262249.jpg | image_caption = ''Gasparia delli'' | taxon = Gasparia | authority = Marples, 1956<ref name=NMBE /> | type_species = ''G. nebulosa'' | type_species_authority = Marples, 1956 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 22, see text | synonyms = *''Hina'' Forster, 1964<ref name=Leht1967>{{cite journal| last1=Lehtinen| first1=P. T.|author-link1=Pekka T. Lehtinen| year=1967| title=Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha| journal=Annales Zoologici Fennici| volume=4| page=235-238}}</ref> | synonyms_ref = <ref name=NMBE /> }}

'''''Gasparia''''' is a genus of South Pacific araneomorph spiders in the family Toxopidae, and was first described by Brian J. Marples in 1956. Originally placed with the intertidal spiders, it was moved to the Toxopidae in 2017. Ranging in size between {{cvt|1.5-4|mm}}, the genus is endemic to New Zealand, with most members found living in forested areas.

==Description==

In the original description, Marples described the genus as below:

{{blockquote|Size small. Chelicerae with teeth on both margins of the groove. None of the spinnerets enlarged.<ref name=Marp1956/>}}

Members of the genus range in size from {{cvt|1.5-4|mm}}, have a relatively low carapace and an ill-defined head region. The eye-group occupies between half to two-thirds of the width of the animal's heads. Eyes are ordered into two rows, and the clypeus is low. The genus most closely resembles ''Gohia'' visually, but can be differentiated by internal genitalia.<ref name="Forster">{{cite Q|Q113167423}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==

The genus was first described by Brian J. Marples in 1956, naming ''G. nebulosa'' as the type species.<ref name=Marp1956>{{cite Q|Q58677519}}</ref> Originally a monotypic genus, ''G. nebulosa'' was joined by ''G. delli'' in 1967, when Pekka T. Lehtinen recombined the species (originally known as ''Ostearius delli'', and later ''Hina delli'').<ref name=Leht1967/> In the same paper, Lehtinen synonymised the genus ''Hina'' with ''Gasparia''.<ref name=Leht1967/> The genus was greatly expanded in 1970, when Ray Forster described 19 new members of the genus, and recombined ''Myro manningeri'' as a member of ''Gasparia''.<ref name="Forster">{{cite Q|Q113167423}}</ref>

In 2017, the genus was moved from the Desidae family to Toxopidae, based on phylogenetic analysis. The analysis suggests that the closest related genus to ''Gasparia'' is ''Otagoa'', and that the genus is more distantly related to ''Lamina'', ''Myro'' and ''Ommatauxesis''.<ref name=Whee2017>{{cite journal| last=Wheeler| first=W. C.| display-authors=etal| year=2017| title=The spider tree of life: phylogeny of Araneae based on target-gene analyses from an extensive taxon sampling| journal=Cladistics| volume=33| issue=6| page=609| doi=10.1111/cla.12182| pmid=34724759| s2cid=35535038}}</ref>

==Behaviour==

Members of ''Gasparia'' do not construct snares, and typically lay egg sacs in a typical domed structure.<ref name="Forster"/>

==Distribution and habitat==

The species is endemic to New Zealand.<ref name=NMBE/> Primarily found on the mainland, some species are endemic to off-shore islands, including ''G. delli'' found on the Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Islands, ''G. kaiangaroa'' in the Chatham Islands, and ''G. manneringi'' on the Snares Islands.<ref name=NMBE/> Most species are forest-dwellers, with a minority of species such as ''G. kaiangaroa'', ''G. littoralis'' and ''G. nelsonensis'' are found on the seashore, and ''G. montana'' and ''G. rustica'' in alpine and lowland areas.<ref name="Forster"/>

==Species== {{as of|2019|05}} it contains twenty-two species, all found in New Zealand:<ref name=NMBE>{{cite journal| title=Gen. Gasparia Marples, 1956| website=World Spider Catalog Version 20.0| access-date=2019-05-31| year=2019| publisher=Natural History Museum Bern| url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/714| doi=10.24436/2}}</ref> *''Gasparia busa'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia coriacea'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia delli'' (Forster, 1955) – New Zealand (Antipodes Is., Auckland Is., Campbell Is.) *''Gasparia dentata'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia edwardsi'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia kaiangaroa'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand (Chatham Is.) *''Gasparia littoralis'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia lomasi'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia mangamuka'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia manneringi'' (Forster, 1964) – New Zealand (Snares Is.) *''Gasparia montana'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia nava'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia nebulosa'' Marples, 1956 (type) – New Zealand *''Gasparia nelsonensis'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia nuntia'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia oparara'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia parva'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia pluta'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia rupicola'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia rustica'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia tepakia'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand *''Gasparia tuaiensis'' Forster, 1970 – New Zealand

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Araneomorphae genera Category:Endemic spiders of New Zealand Category:Taxa described in 1956 Category:Taxa named by Brian John Marples Category:Toxopidae