Aethriscus

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Aethriscus
Aethriscus olivaceus 344657036.jpg
A. olivaceus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Aethriscus
Pocock, 1902 [1]
Type species
A. olivaceus
Pocock, 1902
Species
  • A. olivaceusPocock, 1902
  • A. paniLessert, 1930

Aethriscus is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1902. [2] The two described species are found in the DR Congo. [1] One of them was later also found in South Africa. [3]

Contents

They are rare spiders and resemble Cyrtarachne . [3]

Description

The total length of females ranges from 7 to 10 mm, while the size of males remains unknown. [3]

When viewed from above, the body displays a triangular shape. The carapace is olive-brown in color and appears smooth and shiny, featuring a small tubercle positioned at the level of the cephalic region constriction, while the median ocular area is narrower at the front. The abdomen has a shiny appearance and is olive yellow with darker humps, maintaining a triangular shape with a straight anterior border that contains 11 sigilla and blunt round humps, while the posterior area appears paler in color. [3]

The legs are olive-brown, very short in length, and fold around the body. [3]

Species

As of September 2025, this genus includes two species: [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Genus Aethriscus". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Pocock, R. I. (1902). "Some new African spiders". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 10 (7): 315–330. doi:10.1080/00222930208678678.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 1 (A-C). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326922. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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