Phoroncidia

Phoroncidia
female P. eburnea
male P. ryukyuensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Phoroncidia
Westwood, 1835
Type species
P. aculeata
Westwood, 1835
Species

83, see text

Synonyms

Phoroncidia is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by J. O. Westwood in 1835.

Description

Males measure 1 to 4.5 mm, while females range from 1.3 to 8.5 mm.

The carapace has an eye region projecting above the clypeus. The chelicerae are small with a pair of strong hairs. The abdomen varies in shape, being heavily sclerotized and often leathery, with pronounced folds or humps or with strong spines, tubercles, or extensions. A sclerotized ring surrounds the spinnerets.

The legs are short, with the fourth leg usually longer than the first.

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes 83 species and one subspecies:

Formerly included:

Nomen dubium

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gen. Phoroncidia Westwood, 1835". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  2. ↑ Westwood, J. O. (1835). "Insectorum Arachnoidumque novorum Decades duo". The Zoological Journal. 5: 440–453.
  3. 1 2 3 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Further reading