Spiders of New Zealand and their Worldwide Kin

Forest and Bird, Issue 296, 1 May 2000, Page 44

Spiders of New Zealand and their Worldwide Kin

by Ray Forster and Lyn Forster, 270pp limp, Otago University Press in conjunction with Otago Museum, Dunedin 1999, RRP$79.95. It is more than a quarter of a century since the Forsters first published their bulky New Zealand Spiders, An Introduction, and this volume looks set to become the textbook for the next generation. More than 800 more spider species have been ‘named and described’ since the earlier book. It begins with a detailed and useful section on the structure and behaviour of spiders, then looks at them group by group — Living Fossils, Crab Spiders, Hunting Spiders, Seashore Spiders, etc. There are sections too on Harmful Spiders, and How to find and study spiders. The authors write for people interested in natural history, as well as scientists and teachers. The book’s approach covers the anatomy and physiology of spiders, their behaviour and ecology. The detailed writing is illuminated by the generous allocation of pictures, including more than 200 colour photographs, plus black and white photographs and drawings. This must become the standard introduction to New Zealand’s native and introduced spiders, and a userfriendly reference, whether in the enthusiast’s home library, the school system, or the university.