About Anoteropsis hilaris (L.Koch, 1877)
Anoteropsis hilaris was first published under three different names in the same 1877 paper by Ludwig Koch: Lycosa hilaris, Lycosa umbrata, and Pardosa vicaria. That same year, Peter D. Goyen described two additional species that would later be synonymized with this taxon: Lycosa virgata and Lycosa taylori. Eugene Simon described Lycosa tremula in 1899. In 1951, Carl Roewer renamed L. virgata to Lycosa virgatella. Four years later in 1955, Roewer transferred L. virgatella and L. taylori to the genus Pardosa, moved L. tremula to the genus Arctosa, and transferred L. umbrata to the genus Avicosa. In 1960, Roewer transferred A. tremula to the genus Arctosella. Ray Forster described Lycosa subantarctica in 1964. In 2002, Cor Vink moved Lycosa hilaris to the genus Anoteropsis, and recognized all the previously listed names as synonyms of Anoteropsis hilaris. This is a small spider, with body lengths ranging 4.9–11mm for males and 4.9–11.8mm for females. A pale yellow stripe runs along the dorsal midline of the main body, starting at the front of the head and extending approximately two-thirds of the way down the abdomen. The colouration of the abdomen and cephalothorax is variable, but these body parts are typically brown, with darker colouring close to the medial stripe. Leg colour is also variable, but they are most often yellow-brown, and may have green segments. Freshly laid eggsacs carry a faint pinkish tinge. Anoteropsis hilaris can be told apart from other species in the genus Anoteropsis by the morphology of its reproductive system. This species is widespread across both of New Zealand's main islands, and also occurs on several of New Zealand's smaller islands including Stewart Island, the Three Kings Islands, Snares Island, and the Auckland Islands. It inhabits grassland and scrub areas, and is not found in alpine zones. Anoteropsis hilaris is one of the most abundant predatory arthropods in New Zealand's agricultural ecosystems.
