Diagnoses of genera
of South East Asia: 51.2 Square headed salticids with long thin,
colourful abdomens. Found on shrubs and plants. General remarks:
Some of the commoner salticids likely to be seen on foliage in rain forest
or garden. They are often brightly coloured and immediately attract attention.
Their large, dark, anterior median eyes are noticed immediately. The long thin
bodies, long legs and long chelicerae of males are characteristic. Genus:
Epeus. See also Koh, p. 102, 104. This is a colourful salticid associated
with broad-leaved plants or shrubs of rain forest and suitable gardens. It is
long legged and has a long but not particularly thin abdomen. Characteristic
of the the male is a conspicuous v-shaped crest of raised, long hairs on the
cephalus (somewhat akin to a punk hair style). The shape of both the cephalothorax
and the abdomen are similar to those of Bathippus, except the abdomen
of the female Epeus is more oval. For E. glorius the carapace
is pale orange in colour with the striking crest of hairs deep orange. The eye
pattern is 2,2,2,2 with the rear three pairs having black surrounds with white
squamose hairs. The abdomen is uniformly pale yellow. The legs are long, slender
and shiny. The two front pairs of legs of the male are brown with yellowish
tarsi and the rear two pairs are, overall, a lighter brown. Ventrally on metatarsi
I of the male, and to a much lesser extent on metatarsi II, there is a noticeable
black fringe. The legs of the female are uniformly pale yellow with the tips
of all the tarsi black. There are numerous fairly long, strong spines. Distribution:
Epeus is a genus which inhabits the tropical region bounded by India
to the west and S. China and Borneo to the east. Murphy
& Murphy 2000: 298-299. By courtesy of the Authors' and the Malaysian
Nature Society.
Copyright © for the page by J. Proszynski, 1999.