Bianor Peckham et Peckham, 1885

Bianor is the largest genus of the Harmochireae, consisting of 21 valid species (Table 1), with the majority of them occurring in the Ethiopian or Oriental Regions. Six additional species have uncertain taxonomic status or are invalid (Table 2). In the light of findings of a new Bianor species from Madagascar and of new records of B. kovaczi from Botswana (see below), of which females are practically identical to those of B. albobimaculatus (cf. Figs 13-14 and figs 19-27, 36- 46 in Logunov 2001), it is worth reconsidering the taxonomic status of B. rusticulus Peckham et Peckham, 1903 (known from the ♀ holotype), which was synonymized with B. albobimaculatus by Logunov (2001). Yet, such reconsideration will only be possible pending collection of a series of both sexes from the type locality of B. rusticulus, given on the original label as ‘Clanwilliam, Cape Colony’.

With a few exceptions (e.g., B. biocellosus Simon, 1902), species of Bianor cannot be reliably diagnosed from the female copulatory organs alone because of a wide range of intraspecific variation (for details, see Logunov 2001: p. 222). Therefore, descriptions based on single females are hardly sufficient for proper diagnoses of Bianor species. Yet, such descriptions continue to appear (Jastrzębski 2007; Wesołowska and van Harten 2002).