Diagnoses of genera
of South East Asia: Canama (7-8; 8-10). Two species, C.
rutila Peckham & Peckham, 1907 from Sarawak and C. forceps (Doleschall,
1859) from Java, occur in our area. The cephalothorax is high and steep sided.
The elongate, tapering abdomen is clothed in white hairs with red streaks and
bands. The male chelicerae are very large, very long, and diverge and project
forwards. The long, spiny legs are dark with pale tarsi and metatarsi. Male
palp, chelicerae and cephalothorax are drawn by Proszynski, 1984 and 1987. He
says that externally Canama is very similar to and possibly synonymous
with the widespread genus Bathippus,
Distribution: The small genus, Canama, appears to be confined
to the region that stretches from Java and Sarawak to Papua New Guinea.
Murphy & Murphy 2000: 283. By
courtesy of the Authors' and the Malaysian Nature Society.
NB. Proszynski suggested merging of Canama with Bathippus because of similarities in genital organs, whilst differences between both genera seemed to be limited to bifurcation of one of cheliceral teeth (cf. Proszynski 1987: 9, also unpublished materials). Research by Zabka leads to different conclusions, so we leave provisionally the contents of these genera as listed above, with understanding that delimitation of species in both genera await further studies. J. Proszynski
Copyright © for the page by J. Proszynski, 2000.