Phrynarachne Thorell, 1869

Omelko, Mikhail M., 2025, New species and new records of Phrynarachne crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 1257, pp. 55-70 : 55-70

Genus Phrynarachne Thorell, 1869

Type species.

Phrynarachne rugosa ( Walckenaer, 1805) , from Mauritius.

Note.

Spiders of medium to large size, bearing large tubercles on the opisthosoma. In many species, tubercles are also found on the carapace and legs (especially large ones on legs I and II). Chelicerae with two promarginal and one retromarginal tooth. The epigyne with a simple, usually rectangular median plate, and the receptacles are strongly sclerotized. For the full genus diagnosis, see Lin et al. (2022). The genus comprises 35 described species, of which 9 occur in Africa and 26 in Asia and Australasia ( WSC 2025). The genus is currently not divided into species groups. Afrotropical species (except those from South Africa) are poorly studied and are mainly known only from their original descriptions ( WSC 2025). Despite their broad distribution, the species from Africa and other regions are morphologically similar and clearly belong to the same genus. Species of the genus may occur in sympatry; P. ceylonica and P. decipiens were collected by the author at the same locality on the same day.