Genetic relationships of Amaurobioides (Anyphaenidae) spiders from the southeastern coast of New Zealand

Members of the genus Amaurobioides construct silk retreats in rock crevices of the marine spray zone, a harsh and unusual habitat for spiders. This study expands the distribution records of three morphological species of Amaurobioides found on the eastern and southern coasts of New Zealand’s South Island and uses mitochondrial DNA to examine their relationships and characterize their dispersal capabilities. Both 16S and ND1 sequences distinguish A. pletus found on the northeastern coast from a complex of two southern species comprised of A. maritimus from the mainland and A. picunus from Stewart Island. Neither 16S DNA nor ND1 protein separates these southern species. However, ND1 parsimony and likelihood analyses place 10 of 11 Stewart Island specimens in a clade of low support that nests deeply within A. maritimus. A nested haplotype analysis characterizes A. maritimus and A. picunus populations as having restricted gene flow/dispersal but with some long distance dispersal. Genetic distances between A. pletus and the A. maritimus-A. picunus complex indicate a Pliocene origin, whereas distances between A. maritimus and A. picunus suggest a Pleistocene divergence.