''Colaranea'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of orb-weaver spiders first described by D. J. Court &

Raymond Robert Forster Raymond Robert Forster (19 June 1922 – 1 July 2000) was a New Zealand arachnologist and museum director. He was a Fellow of The Entomological Society of New Zealand. Biography Forster was born in Hastings, New Zealand in 1922, and was educa ...

in 1988 that are endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Description

''Colaranea'' have variable colouration, but are typically brown, red, yellow and especially green.

Distribution

''Colaranea'' are widespread throughout the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

and

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand.

Species

it contains four species, all found in New Zealand: *'' Colaranea brunnea'' Court & Forster, 1988 – New Zealand *'' Colaranea melanoviridis'' Court & Forster, 1988 – New Zealand *'' Colaranea verutum'' (Urquhart, 1887) – New Zealand *'' Colaranea viriditas'' (Urquhart, 1887) – New Zealand

References

Araneidae Araneidae genera Endemic spiders of New Zealand Taxa named by Raymond Robert Forster {{Araneidae-stub