Genus Anyphaena Sundevall, 1833

Type species

Aranea accentuata Walckenaer, 1802; gender feminine.

Celer group

Diagnosis

The celer group can be separated from other Anyphaena species groups by the following characters.

Males

Coxae lacking ventral spurs (spine-like modifications) but might present clusters of setae (Fig. 3F) or tubercles (cuticle blunt protuberances of various shapes) (Fig. 41E–F). The palp of the celer group (Fig. 1A–C) (Platnick 1974; Platnick & Lau 1975) presents a tegulum divided in three lamella-shaped projections, described as prolateral tegular projection, retrolateral tegular projection and ventral tegular projection following the homologies in Brescovit (1997) and Oliveira & Brescovit (2021). The embolus is a visible sclerite (in the un-expanded palp), tubular in shape, and curved dorsally. The median apophysis (or conductor in Platnick & Lau 1975) is a thin, transparent and curved sclerite, articulated at the base of the ventral tegular projection by flexible cuticle. In expanded pedipalps, the retrolateral tegular projection and prolateral tegular projection are lamella-shaped and partially articulated. In the unexpanded bulb, these projections lie dorsally like two folded tortillas around the other sclerites (Fig. 1A–C). Their RTA is dominated by the anterior and posterior branches, the former usually larger and shaped as a folded cuticular lamella, the latter is usually smaller and its shape varies considerably between species (Platnick 1974, 1977; Platnick & Lau 1975) (Fig. 5A, C).

Females

Externally the epigynum has a hood close to the anterior margin, a sclerotized median plate below the hood, and a transparent atrium delineated by two sclerotized lateral borders. The copulatory openings are difficult to observe; however, they are located near the lateral border's posterior edge (Figs 2A, 4E, 5E, 7E, 8E, 9E, 18A). Internally, the copulatory and fertilization ducts are usually sclerotized and variable in length and shape (Platnick 1974, 1977; Platnick & Lau 1975). The seminal receptacles are cylindrical in shape and also located near the posterior edge. The spermathecae are usually spherical to oval and close to the posterior margin (Figs 2B, 4F, 5F, 7F, 8F, 9F, 18B).