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[1]
Type species
P. aculeata
Westwood, 1835
Species

83, see text

Synonyms[1]

Phoroncidia is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by J. O. Westwood in 1835.[2]

Description

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Males measure 1 to 4.5 mm, while females range from 1.3 to 8.5 mm.[3]

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.[3]

The legs are short, with the fourth leg usually longer than the first.[3]

Species

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As of October 2025, this genus includes 83 species and one subspecies:[1]

Formerly included:

Nomen dubium

  • P. quadrispinella Strand, 1907

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b c 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

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  • Nicolet, H. (1849), "Aracnidos", in Gay, C. (ed.), Historia física y política de Chile
  • Simon, E (1894). Histoire naturelle des araignées (in French). Paris: Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.