Diagnoses of genera of South East Asia: Lycidas (?; ?). Elsewhere
(3-7; 3-5). The genus Lycidas was erected by Karsch in 1878 for the single
species L. anomalus from Australia. The genus was, effectively, sunk
by Roewer in his 1954 catalogue, but resurrected by Zabka in 1987. Chiefly by
transfers of species from a number of existing genera, the resulting genus Lycidas
consisted of some 18 species, all from Australia. In the process, Zabka synonymised
the genus Jotus with Lycidas by virtue of the transfer of the
type species J. auripes. With the sort of confusion which exists with
such closely related genera, it is possible that some species listed under Jotus
do not belong to Lycidas. In fact some Japanese species of Jotus
had already been transferred to Phintella.
Distribution: Since most, if not all Lycidas species to date are
from Australia, there is some doubt whether the species L. furvus Song
& Chai from S. China actually belongs to Lycidas. Murphy & Murphy
2000: 275. By courtesy of
the Authors' and the Malaysian Nature Society.
Copyright © for the page by J. Proszynski, 2000.