Cryptachaea Archer, 1946

Santanna, Manoela, Rodrigues, Everton Nei Lopes, Cizauskas, Igor & Brescovit, Antonio Domingos, 2019, On the spider genus Cryptachaea from Peru, Bolivia and cave environments in Brazil: a new species, additional descriptions and new records (Araneae, Theridiidae), Zootaxa 4646 (2), pp. 271-292 : 272

Cryptachaea Archer, 1946

Type species. Cryptachaea porteri (Banks, 1896)

Diagnosis. Cryptachaea species lack the theridiid tegular apophysis, and as other members of the subfamily, also lack a colulus ( Agnarsson, 2004; Buckup et al., 2012; Rodrigues & Poeta, 2015). The genus is similar to Achaearanea Strand, 1929 , Hentziectypus Archer, 1946 and Parasteatoda Archer, 1946 , however can be distinguished from these genera by the male palp with a medium to short embolus, which is not articulated and not supported on the back of the cymbium; the base is fused to the median apophysis lodged in the cymbial hood ( Agnarsson, 2004; Yoshida, 2008; Buckup et al., 2012; Rodrigues & Poeta, 2015). The epigynum of Cryptachaea has simple, uncoiled copulatory ducts leading to a pair of simple subcircular spermathecae and a slightly sclerotized epigynal plate ( Agnarsson, 2004; Buckup et al., 2012; Rodrigues & Poeta, 2015).

Composition and distribution. 90 species, including the new species described here. Cryptachaea includes 73 species exclusive from Neotropical Region, seven species exclusive to the Nearctic Region, five species exclusive to the Palearctic Region, three species exclusive to the Australian Region, one species shared between Neotropical Region and Nearctic Region, and one species shared between Neotropical Region, Nearctic Region, Palearctic Region, Afrotropical Region and Australian Region.