Pherecydes (spider)
Genus of spiders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pherecydes is a genus of African crab spiders first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1883.[2]
| Pherecydes | |
|---|---|
| |
| female Pherecydes tuberculatus | |
 | |
| male P. nicolaasi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Pherecydes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883[1] |
| Type species | |
| P. tuberculatus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 | |
| Species | |
|
7, see text | |
Description
Members of Pherecydes are small spiders measuring 3 to 5 mm.[3]
Colour varies between species with the carapace ranging from yellowish-brown mottled with dark brown to whitish-grey mottled with black, the abdomen from cream faintly mottled with brown to grey faintly mottled with black, and the legs from cream to fawn mottled with black and brown.[3]
Legs I and II have numerous dark brown and yellow patches on the femora and patellae dorsally, while the tibiae and metatarsi are lightly banded.[3]
The genus is recognised by the two lateral eyes situated on a common elevated area that is widely truncated on top, though this varies between species.[3]
Life style
These spiders have been sampled from trees and shrubs.[3]
Species
As of October 2025[update], this genus includes seven species and one subspecies:[1]
- Pherecydes carinae Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980 – South Africa
- Pherecydes ionae Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980 – Tanzania, South Africa
- Pherecydes livens Simon, 1895 – Tunisia
- Pherecydes lucinae Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980 – South Africa
- Pherecydes nicolaasi Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980 – South Africa
- Pherecydes tuberculatus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 – South Africa, Lesotho (type species)
- Pherecydes zebra Lawrence, 1927 – Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa
- P. z. tropicalis Millot, 1942 – Burkina Faso
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