Episinus

Episinus
Temporal range: Palaeogene– Present
Female E. bilineatus
Male Episinus angulatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Episinus
Walckenaer, 1809
Type species
E. truncatus
Latreille, 1809
Species

44, see text

Synonyms
  • Episinopsis Simon, 1894
  • Hyocrea Simon, 1894
  • Hyptimorpha Strand, 1906
  • Penictis Simon, 1894
  • Plocamis Simon, 1894

Episinus is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1809.

They can grow up to 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long.

Distribution

Spiders of this genus are found worldwide.

Life style

Episinus can be found at ground level between low vegetation, making a very simple H or Y-shaped web near ground level. Courtship takes place in summer. The egg-sac is white and spherical and has a coarse loop of silk around it.

Description

female E. bishopi

The body length is 6 mm. The carapace is slightly longer than it is wide, and the eye region is either roundly elevated or projects anteriorly. There is often a pair of horns between the anterior and posterior median eyes that feature silvery and sometimes reddish pigment.

The clypeus is low and flat, and it usually projects anteriorly. The fovea is distinct and long. Eight eyes are arranged more or less circularly, often on tubercles, with the anterior median eyes being the smallest. The eyes are usually bordered by black.

The abdomen is usually widest behind the middle and is modified with humps and tubercles. It is often light-colored with marks and streaks, and sometimes features white pigment.

The leg formula is either 1423 or 4123, and all legs are somewhat robust. The legs are usually pale yellow to brown in color, with dusky flecks and marks or bands.

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes 44 species and one subspecies:

Formerly included:

Nomen dubium

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Genus Episinus". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Levi, H. W.; Levi, L. R. (1962). "The genera of the spider family Theridiidae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 127: 20.
  3. 1 2 Latreille, P. A. (1809). Genera crustaceorum et insectorum. Paris 4. pp. 370–371.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.