Genus Tekellina Levi, 1957

Tekellina Levi, 1957: 107 (type species by original designation, Tekellina archboldi Levi, 1957).

Tekellina – World Spider Catalog 2024.

Emended diagnosis

Species of Tekellina differ from those of most Synotaxidae genera in lacking teeth on the chelicerae, in being minute-sized spiders (less than 1.5 mm, male of Tekellina minor 0.97 mm). Males have a circular cymbium prominent in the retrolateral base (Figs 1E, 2 E, H, L, 6B, E), paracymbium not articulated (Fig. 22A–B, D–E, G–H, J–K) and a big conductor divided into three parts: terminal claw-like arm, coiled ribbon-shaped arm and mesal arm (Fig. 5A–D). Female genitalia have one pair of long receptacles sometimes twisted around the axis with various loops (Figs 1F–G, 2F, L) and fertilization ducts occasionally conspicuous (Fig. 2C).

Description

See Levi (1957).

Included species

Tekellina includes nine Neotropical species: Tekellina araucana Marusik, Eskov & Ramirez, 2022; T. archboldi Levi, 1957; T. bella Marques & Buckup, 1993; T. crica Marques & Buckup, 1993; T. guaiba Marques & Buckup, 1993; T. minor Marques & Buckup, 1993; T. picurrucha Rodrigues & Estol sp. nov.; T. miuda Rodrigues & Estol sp. nov. and T. miudinha Rodrigues & Estol sp. nov.; and other three Palearctic species: Tekellina helixicis Gao & Li, 2014 (from China); T. sadamotoi Yoshida & Ogata, 2016 (from China and Japan) and T. yoshidai Marusik & Omelko, 2017 (from Russian Far East) (World Spider Catalog 2024). With the present work, Tekellina includes a total of twelve species.