Pseudicius africanus

Pseudicius africanus is a small spider. The spider's slender, flattened body is divided into two main parts: the cephalothorax and the abdomen. The male is larger than the female. It has a cephalothorax that is typically 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.06 in). The carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, and the sternum, or underside, are both dark brown oval. The spider's eye field is darker, with brown bristles near the eyes and black rings encircling the eyes themselves. White hairs form stripes that mark the edges of the carapace and a thin band that stretches from the front of the eyes all the way to the back. The spider's face, known as the clypeus, is adorned with short white hairs. The mouthparts, consisting of chelicerae, labium and maxilae, are also dark brown.^[11]

The abdomen, which is typically 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long and 1.8 mm (0.07 in) wide, is a slightly elongated ovoid that is similarly dark brown with a white stripe down the middle and others along the edges. These stretch all the way to the spinnerets. The foremost spinnerets are darker than the rearmost. The underside of the abdomen is a contrasting grey with two pale lines visible. The spider's legs are brown, with brown leg hairs and spines. The front legs are darker and stouter than the others. The spider has stridulatory apparatus which it rubs to make sounds. The pedipalps, sensory organs near the mouth are brown.^[12] The spider has distinctive copulatory organs. The palpal tibia has a wide scoop-like spike, called the tibial apophysis, which has a characteristic additional tooth towards its root. The palpal bulb has a large lobe at its base and an embolus that curves into the cymbium that surrounds palpal bulb.^[13]

The female is smaller than the male, with a cephalothorax that is typically 2 mm (0.08 in) long and an abdomen 2.2 mm (0.09 in) long, both being typically 1.3 mm (0.05 in) wide.^[12] Apart from that, it is roughly the same shape to the male with a similar pattern on its surfaces. The legs are different, being lighter. The front legs are also less stout and similar to the others.^[13] Some examples have yellow legs.^[14] The epigyne is typical for the genus, but has is marked by a large depression in the middle. The copulatory openings are on the edges and lead to wide winding insemination ducts and large spermathecae.^[15]

The species is similar to Pseudicius maculatus, but can be recognised by its abdominal pattern. The male has a slightly shorter embolus and the tooth on the tibial apophysis. The female can be distinguished by the position of its copulatory openings, which are on the edge of the depression rather than the back.^[12]

Pseudicius spiders can be found across Afro-Eurasia and the Eastern hemisphere.^[16] Pseudicius africanus is found in Lesotho and South Africa.^[1] The female holotype was found in the Cape Colony, which is likely to be near Cape Town. Other examples, both female and male, have been identified in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in Western Cape in 2004.^[17] Meanwhile, the first examples seen in Lesotho had been found near the Mohale Dam in Maseru District in 2003. Other specimen were also collected in the same year near to the village of Ha Liphapang in Quthing District. It is now known to live in both central and southern Lesotho.^[18] The spider is foliage-dwelling and thrives in shrubs in fynbos, particularly in forests of Eucalyptus trees.^[13] It has also been found on rocks near to rivers.^[19]