Genus Scotinella Banks

Scotinella Banks, 1911 . Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 63: 442.

Scotinella is a small genus with approximately 15 nominal species, but generic revision could produce 35 or more species. They are small spiders, 1.75-3.10 mm long, with relatively ant-like appearance; cephalothorax ovoid, yellow-brown to pale gray, with black striae, highest at anterior end of dorsal groove, and surfaces bear minute pits; dorsal groove almost absent to shallow; eyes prominent and uniform in size, arranged in two transverse rows, AE straight with PE slightly procurved, PE> AE; chelicerae short and robust, often mottled black, promargin bears two or three minute teeth, similar to retromargin; maxillae as wide as long, convex along lateral margins. Legs yellow-orange to dark brown, slender with thin claw tufts and scopulae, femur I without dorsal spines but with two prolaterals, tibia I with five or six pairs of long overlapping ventral spines, metatarsus I with four pairs of long overlapping ventral setae, trochanter IV bears no ventral notch; abdomen ovoid, sometimes with pale chevrons, anterior end without cluster of setae, male abdomen with shiny dorsal scutum and with epigastric scutum; femur of female pedipalp with hooked structure ventrally, tibia longer than wide with a small ventral and a strong retrolateral apophysis; rounded tegulum without apophysis; embolus short, usually expanded at base and slender distally, emanating at distal end of tegulum; epigynum with elongated plate with prominent paired atrial depressions in anterior one half; copulatory tubes short to long, slender, arched laterad; spermathecae subglobular and set posterolateral to the copulatory openings.

Scotinella is best distinguished from its close allies by the unconstricted lateral margins of maxillae, AE row straight or nearly so, and presence of four ventral spines in metatarsus I.