Phintella Strand

Żabka, Marek, 2012, Phlegra Simon, 1876, Phintella Strand 1906 and Yamangalea Maddison, 2009 (Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae) — new species and new generic records for Australia, Zootaxa 3176, pp. 61-68 : 63

Genus Phintella Strand in Bösenberg et Strand

The genus comprises some 50 species distributed in eastern and south-eastern continental Asia, in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia ( Platnick 2011). Phintella is included in the Heliophaninae clade (sensu Maddison et al. 2008) distributed mostly in the Ethiopian, Palaearctic and Oriental regions. In Australia the clade is represented by Cosmophasis , Menemerus and Afraflacilla .

The spiders of Phintella are usually small to medium (3-6 mm in length), some species are covered with metallic iridescent scales. Cephalothorax is rather high, with distinctive posterior slope, the sides almost parallel. Chelicerae unidentate, in males rather long, vertical or slightly anteriorly inclined, with long fang. Palpal tegulum with lobe and bump, embolus set apically, usually short, pointed or furcate. Tibia with one or more apophyses. Female internal genitalia simple: insemination ducts of different length, usually not twisted, spermathecae round in most species (for details see Prószyński 2007).