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Genus Parapua n.gen.
Carapace high, without thoracic groove. Eight eyes in two rows. Posterior row recurved. Sternum convex, broadly rounded behind. Chelicerae without condyles, teeth on retromargin only. Legs 1: 4: 2: 3 without spines, trichobothria on all tibiae and metatarsi of legs 1–3, absent from metatarsus 4. Tarsi much longer than metatarsi, tarsal drum proximal, three claws. Male palp with patellar process. Female palp without claw, small; with reduced number of segments. Abdomen with ventral scute, dorsal scute lacking. Six spinnerets and colulus. Posterior spiracle absent, tracheae from anterior spiracles supplying both cephalothorax and abdomen.
Type species Parapua punctata n. sp.
Parapua shares many characters with Micropholcomma, but may be separated from it by the absence of a posterior spiracle and the different form of the male palp.
Parapua punctata n. sp. (Figs. 78–81).
Male. Measurements: Carapace—Length, 0. 51; width, 0. 50, height, 0. 31. Abdomen—Length, 0. 67, width, 0. 67.
| Femur | Patella | Tibia | Metatarsus | Tarsus | Total | |
| Leg 1 | 0. 58 | 0. 15 | 0. 48 | 0. 25 | 0. 32 | 1. 78 |
| Leg 2 | 0. 50 | 0. 15 | 0. 41 | 0. 21 | 0. 30 | 1. 57 |
| Leg 3 | 0. 42 | 0. 12 | 0. 37 | 0. 21 | 0. 30 | 1. 42 |
| Leg 4 | 0. 49 | 0. 13 | 0. 43 | 0. 22 | 0. 31 | 1. 58 |
| Palp | 0. 06 | 0. 06 | 0.19 | 0. 31 |
Colour. Cephalothorax and abdominal scutes deep reddish-brown. Appendages paler yellow-brown. Soft portions of abdomen blackish grey.
Carapace (Fig. 78). Coarsely punctate. The anterior portion of the eye region slightly overhangs the clypeus. The head region is flat when viewed from the side and the slopes, and then slopes gently down posteriorly to the petiolus. Thoracic groove lacking.
Eyes Eight. When viewed from above both rows are strongly recurved, when viewed from in front the posterior row appears procurved while the anterior row is recurved. Ratio of AME: ALE: PME:·PLE = 6: 6:7:6. AME are separated from each other by ⅓ and from the ALE by ½ of width of an AME. Lateral eyes contiguous. PME separated from each other by ½ and separated from the PLE by a distance equal to the diameter of an AME. Clypeus curving under the AME, height equal to three times the diameter of an AME. Clypheus curving under the AME, height equal to three times the diameter of an AME.
Chelicerae (Fig. 79). Vertical, without lobes. There is a single tooth on mid-retromargin and further proximal tooth, but the promargin is smooth.
Sternum. Convex, coarsely granulate, slightly longer than wide, almost round in outline, joined to carapace by strips between the coxae. Coxae 4 separated by a distance equal to one
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Text-fig. 14—Figs. 78–81.—Parapua punctata n. gen., n. sp. Fig. 78—Side view of body of male Fig. 79—Male chelicera. Fig. 80—Retrolateral surface of male palp Fig. 81.—Female palp.
and a-half times their diameter. Maxillae, twice as long as wide, oblique. Labium fused to sternum, twice as wide as long.
Palp (Fig. 80). Patella with a blunt lobe on the subdistal dorsal surface curved over to the retrolateral surface, followed by a sharp erect process. Bulb simple with a slender spinous embolus on the retrolateral surface. Conductor absent.
Legs. Spines absent. Clothed with smooth hairs. Tibiae of legs 1–3 with three (1. 1. 1) trichobothria, metatarsi with a single median trichobothrium. Tibia of leg 4 with four (1. 2. 1) trichobothria, metatarsus none. Taisal drum proximal. Three claws, prolateral with a ventral row of from 15–20 strong teeth, retrolateral and inferior smooth.
Abdomen. Subglobose, sparsely clothed with long and short smooth hans, spinnerets ventral Dorsal scute absent, with a number of round sclerotic patches on both dorsal and lateral surfaces. Ventral scute encircling the petiolus Six spinnerets and colulus enclosed by a broad sclerotic ring.
Female. Measurements: Carapace—Length, 0.55; width, 0.54; height, 0.40. Abdomen—Length, 0. 71; width, 0. 64.
| Femur | Patella | Tibia | Metatarsus | Tarsus | Total | |
| Leg 1 | 0. 54 | 0. 13 | 0. 42 | 0. 28 | 0. 34 | 1. 71 |
| Leg 2 | 0. 48 | 0. 12 | 0. 42 | 0. 23 | 0. 32 | 1. 57 |
| Leg 3 | 0. 40 | 0. 10 | 0. 38 | 0. 18 | 0. 31 | 1. 37 |
| Leg 4 | 0. 50 | 0. 12 | 0. 38 | 0. 21 | 0. 32 | 1. 53 |
| Palp | 0. 03 | 0. 06 | 0. 02 | 0. 11 |
In general characters the female agrees with the male. The palp is reduced three segments (Fig. 81) and is very small.
Types. Holotype male. Canterbury: Methven, ex leafmould, June 10, 1954, J. S. Dugdale; allotype female, Canterbury, Hoods Bush, Malvein Hills, ex moss, May 3, 1953, R. R. Forster (Holotype and allotype Canterbury Museum, paratype Otago Museum.)
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Records. Canterbury: Lewis Pass, 2,000ft, ex moss, January 29, R. R. Forster; Okuku Pass, ex moss, April 6, 1952, J. S. Dugdale; Pukaratai, ex leafmould, June 19, 1946, A. J. Healy. Fiordland: Cascade Creek, ex moss, January 23, 1951, R. R. Forster; Manapouri, ex moss, January 23, 1951, R. R. Forster; Otago, Meads Landing, Lake Hawea, January 21, 1951, R. R. Forster.