Live katipo spiders are on display at the Discovery Centre in the Canterbury Museum. Katipo spiders are found mostly north of Banks Peninsula. They have a preference for sandy, sloping coastal habitats with sparse marram or pingao grass in which they weave small tangled webs to catch insects. Although they also like to live in driftwood, little driftwood remains undisturbed on our beaches for long enough. James Griffiths, a student at Lincoln University, is studying the lives and habitats of the katipo spider.
Studies show a decline in numbers over much of New Zealand.
The reason for this decline is probably due to the katipo spiders' slow ability to recover from a loss or disturbance of their habitat. An introduced South African spider, Steatoda capensis, may be displacing the katipo spider, as it is better at recolonising newly vacant sites. Compared with S. capensis, the katipo is not such a fast reproducer, and it is only available for recolonisation from a small habitat area. It is likely that the katipo will continue to decrease in numbers as their habitat is continually disturbed by human interference along coastal areas, and from storm events. It is important to not disturb them.