Abstract
Differences in tensile properties were measured among individuals from four species of endemic New Zealand spiders that occupy different positions on the phylogenetic tree. The lowest load, stiffness, and work, but highest strain was measured for Porrhothele antipodiana, an ancestral Mygalomorph. In comparison, the highest load, stiffness, and work, and lowest strain were measured for a modern day Theridiid Cambridgea foliata. The gauge length of the specimen and the speed of the test significantly affected the tensile property data values measured.
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