Pherecydes | |
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Pherecydes tuberculatus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Thomisidae |
Genus: | Pherecydes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 [1] |
Type species | |
P. tuberculatus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 | |
Species | |
7, see text |
Pherecydes is a genus of African crab spiders first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1883. [2]
Members of Pherecydes are small spiders measuring 3 to 5 mm. [3]
Colour varies between species with the carapace ranging from yellowish-brown mottled with dark brown to whitish-grey mottled with black, the abdomen from cream faintly mottled with brown to grey faintly mottled with black, and the legs from cream to fawn mottled with black and brown. [3]
Legs I and II have numerous dark brown and yellow patches on the femora and patellae dorsally, while the tibiae and metatarsi are lightly banded. [3]
The genus is recognised by the two lateral eyes situated on a common elevated area that is widely truncated on top, though this varies between species. [3]
These spiders have been sampled from trees and shrubs. [3]
As of October 2025 [update] , this genus includes seven species and one subspecies: [1]