Austrophaea Lawrence, 1952

Haddad, Charles R., 2007, A revision of the endemic South African dark sac spider genus Austrophaea (Araneae: Corinnidae), African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 47-53 : 48-49

Genus Austrophaea Lawrence, 1952

Type species: Austrophaea zebra Lawrence, 1952 .

Diagnosis: Austrophaea specimens can be easily recognised by the very robust anterior legs, particularly the tibiae and metatarsi, which are enlarged and broad, and very strongly spined ventrally; the carapace is somewhat flattened with a median black longitudinal stripe, and the abdomen bears a black median stripe and 5–7 posterior transverse bands.

Description: Medium-sized spiders, 4.5–6.5 mm in length; cream to deep yellow-orange in colour, with black markings on carapace and abdomen; AER and PER procurved, AME>ALE; AME closer to ALE than to each other; PME and PLE subequal in size;

PME closer to each other than to PLE; carapace slightly convex, somewhat flattened, slightly narrowed behind eye region and invaginated posteriorly; widest at second coxae; legs I longest, with greatly enlarged tibiae and metatarsi; remaining legs with narrow black rings on femora, patellae, tibiae and metatarsi; femora of legs I strongly spined on prolateral margin, tibiae and metatarsi of legs I and II strongly spined ventrally; leg formula 1423; abdomen oval, tapering posteriorly; male with narrow dorsal scutum, absent in females; ventral sclerites absent.