Anelosimus Simon, 1891

Agnarsson, Ingi & Zhang, Jun-Xia, 2006, New species of Anelosimus (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Africa and Southeast Asia, with notes on sociality and color polymorphism, Zootaxa 1147, pp. 1-34 : 8

Anelosimus Simon, 1891

Anelosimus Simon 1891 , 60: 11. Type species: Anelosimus socialis Simon, 1891 (= Theridium eximium Keyserling, 1884 ).

Detailed diagnosis and circumscription of the genus Anelosimus including a list of generic synapomorphies can be found in Agnarsson (2006). Textual descriptions of species in the present paper are brief as they do not include general Anelosimus characteristics that are invariable. However, some figures are included to demonstrate general Anelosimus features such as the type and arrangements of spigots on the spinnerets ( Figs 9 G, 13 D, 16 G), shape and hirsuteness of carapace and sternum ( Figs 9 C, 13 C, 17 A–C), reduced stridulatory pick row in females ( Figs 7 D, 9 D, 16 D), irregular male stridulatory ridges on prosoma ( Fig. 7 E), opisthosoma texture and hirsuteness ( Fig. 17 F) and type of tarsal claws ( Figs 13 G, 17 D)

Unusual aspects of some species here described include the egg sacs of Anelosimus kohi and A. agnar which are brightly white ( Figs 2 E, 3 E–H, 5 A–B), unlike the dull grey egg sacs known in the American species, and species from Madagascar (Agnarsson 2005, 2006; Agnarsson & Kuntner 2005). All the species here described have a robust male femur I compared to other femora ( Figs 3 C–D, 7 G, 9 F), as in most of the species in the ethicus group (Agnarsson 2005) but only in some of the eximius lineage ( Agnarsson 2006).