Angaeus Thorell, 1881

Benjamin, Suresh P., 2013, On the crab spider genus Angaeus Thorell, 1881 and its junior synonym Paraborboropactus Tang and Li, 2009 (Araneae: Thomisidae), Zootaxa 3635 (1), pp. 71-80 : 72

Genus Angaeus Thorell, 1881

Angaeus Thorell, 1881: 346 (type species by original designation Angaeus pudicus Thorell, 1881 ). Paraborboropactus Tang and Li, 2009: 713 (type species by original designation Paraborboropactus zhengi Tang & Li, 2009). Tang and Li, 2010a: 49; Tang and Li, 2010b: 44. New synonymy.

Synonymy. The type species of Paraborboropactus is here considered a typical member of the genus Angaeus as it fulfills criteria given in the diagnosis below.

Diagnosis. Angaeus can be separated from all other thomisids, except for Borboropactus Simon, 1884 and Geraesta Simon, 1889 by the presence of ET in females ( Figs 2 D, 5C). Separated from Borboropactus by the absence of a sensory patch on tarsi (Benjamin 2011: figs 24C–E). Females can be separated by the presence of an epigynal lip in Geraesta (Benjamin 2011: figs 41E, 42C, 44D, 46D). Further, Angaeus females can be separated from those of Geraesta and Borboropactus by the presence of an anterior epigynal cavity or hood ( Figs 1 C, 3D, 4B, 5C). Separated from Epidius by the absence of an elongated male palp tibia (tibia is longer than the cymbium in Epidius ; Benjamin 2011: fig 35C) and the absence of 4 to 6 thick long spines on the distal margin of the tibia of the male palp (Benjamin 2011: figs 33B, 35C, 36B). Further, enlarged AME, positioned at about 90° to the dorsal surface of the prosoma might be diagnostic ( Fig 4 C; Tang & Li 2009). However, this needs further investigation.

Remarks. Angaeus is related to Geraesta and Borboropactus . They share the following characters: bulb with a concave MA (absent in A. christae sp. nov.), hyaline conductor (except for A. christae sp. nov.), and epigynal teeth (characters: states, 13: 1, 17: 0, 26: 1 in Benjamin 2011). Angaeus and Borboropactus females also possess a median epigynal septum, termed epigynal folds; character 25: 1 in Benjamin (2011).

Description. See Tang & Li (2009).

Composition. Angaeus canalis (Tang & Li, 2010) comb. nov., A. christae sp. nov., A. comatulus Simon, 1909 , A. lenticulosus Simon, 1903 , A. liangweii (Tang & Li, 2010) comb. nov., A. pentagonalis Pocock, 1901 , A. pudicus Thorell, 1881 , A. rhombifer Thorell, 1890 , A. rhombus (Tang & Li, 2009) comb. nov. and A. zhengi (Tang & Li, 2009) comb. nov.

Distribution. Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Angaeus comatulus. A juvenile syntype (MNHN 22168 / 1573), habitus (dorsal). B – E Angaeus lenticulosus female syntype (MNHN 22125 / 1573). B prosoma (dorsal); C epigynum (ventral); D opisthosoma (dorsal); E chelicerae (ventral). Angaeus pudicus. F male holotype (MCSN), habitus (dorsal).

FIGURE 2. Angaeus rhombifer (RMBR). A – C male from Singapore, left male palp (A ventral, B retrolateral, C prolateral); D – E Syntype of Stephanopis weyersi (MNHN 10869) (D epigynum, ventral, E vulva, dorsal); F – G Angaeus pudicus, male holotype, right palp (F ventral, G retrolateral). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 4. Angaeus rhombifer. Syntype of Stephanopis weyersi (MNHN 10869). A female habitus (dorsal); B epigynum (ventral); C eye region.