IUCN SSC Mid-Atlantic Island Invertebrates Specialist Group

Species

BackMisumena nigromaculata Denis, 1963

Misumena nigromaculata Denis, 1963

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Arachnida
  • Order: Araneae
  • Family: Thomisidae
DD Data Deficient
IUCN Red List Status:

Countries of Occurrence:
Portugal - Madeira

Archipelago(s):
Madeira

Assessor/s:
Luis Crespo
Mario Boieiro
Paulo A.V. Borges
Pedro Cardoso
Cardoso, P., Crespo, L.C., Silva, I., Borges, P. & Boieiro, M.

Reviewer/s:
Henriques, S. & Russell, N.

Contributor/s:

Facilitators / Compilers/s:


Assessment Rationale:

Misumena nigromaculata is only known from Funchal and another unconfirmed locality on Madeira Island, Portugal. This species is assessed as Data Deficient (DD) due to the lack of knowledge on its distribution, ecology and possible threats. More research is needed in order to assess its extinction risk.

Geographic Range:

Misumena nigromaculata is known only from Funchal, south coast of Madeira Island, captured in October 1940 (Denis 1963) and was recently found with doubts in identification at Dunas da Piedade, Ponta de São Lourenco (unpublished). The species EOO and AOO are unknown.

Regions:
Portugal - Madeira
Extent of Occurrence (EOO):
Unknown (km2)
Area of Occupancy (AOO):
Unknown (km2)
Elevation Lower Limit:
(m)
Elevation Upper Limit:
(m)
Biogeographic Realms:
Palearctic
Presence:
Extant
Origin:
Endemic Madeira
Seasonality:
Resident

Population:

There is no information available about population size or trends.

Habitat and Ecology

The only place of confirmed presence in Funchal was largely occupied by farms and gardens at the time. The unconfirmed identification in Ponta de São Lourenco is on a semi-arid grassland. The ecology of Misumena nigromaculata is unknown, but congeners are ambush hunters in low vegetation, often seen waiting for prey on flowers.

Major Threat(s):

The only confirmed locality and location is now mostly residential area in the outskirts of Funchal.

Conservation Actions

No specific conservation measures are in place for this species and it is not known to occur within any protected area. If a small range is confirmed in the future the species should benefit from a recovery plan. However, the scarce information available precludes from advising on any concrete measures. The true distribution of the species should be assessed along with possible threats along its range. If threatened, a species conservation plan encompassing recovery actions and area management should be needed to ensure the species survival.