Cladomelea Simon, 1895

Roff, John & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie, 2004, Description of a new species of Cladomelea bolas-spider from South Africa, with notes on its behaviour (Araneae: Araneidae), African Invertebrates 45, pp. 1-6 : 2

Genus Cladomelea Simon, 1895

Cladomelea Simon, 1895: 886 ; Leroy et al. 1998: 8; Levi 2003: 378.

Type species: Cyrtarachne longipes (O.P.­ Cambridge, 1877), by original designation.

According to Levi (2003) the three genera in the bolas­spider group, Mastophora Holmberg , Ordgarius Keyserling and Cladomelea have outgrowths on the carapace. Based on Leroy et al. (1998) Cladomelea is characterised by the following: it is the only genus in the subfamily where the female lacks a row of strong spines on the anterior legs. In Cladomelea the spines are replaced by a dense layer of thin, long setae ( Leroy et al. 1998: 5). A double row of teeth is present on the inferior cheliceral margin with denticles scattered in between. The new species contains all these characteristics.