Sahastata Benoit, 1968

Marusik, Yuri M. & Zamani, Alireza, 2015, The spider family Filistatidae (Araneae) in Iran, ZooKeys 516, pp. 123-135 : 125

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Filistatidae

Genus Sahastata Benoit, 1968

Type species.

Filistata nigra Simon, 1897.

Sahastata is a small genus of large-sized Filistatinae spiders with four described species distributed from the Mediterranean to India. Members of Sahastata differ distinctly from other genera of Filistatinae by the shape of the calamistrum (two-three rows, not placed in a crest), presence of a dense ventral scopula on the femora I and II of females ( Benoit 1968), dense hairs on female sternum and labium and several small spines on the femora I and II of males. So far, Sahastata males are known only by one species from India, Sahastata ashapuriae Patel, 1978. Unfortunately, the description of this species lacks several important characters, such as female internal genitalia and cribellum and male legs spination (cf. Patel 1978), which are critical for the genus recognition and the separation of species.