Color phot] sp. from Singapore]
[TYPE SPECIES weyersi ]
[ kinhi ] [ montiformis ]
[ songi] [ strupifer ]
[ variegatus] [ vittatus]
[ yashodharae ] [ yunnanensis
] [sp. from Hawaii] [
sp. from Thailand ]
Diagnoses of genera
of South East Asia: Light or colourful, sometimes iridescent salticids.
Shrubs, plants, especially broad leaved. General remarks: In the
field, plants with large green leaves, such as ginger, are often favoured by
salticids, particularly colourful species. Some are clothed with dense, coloured,
iridescent hairs which makes them particularly attractive and conspicuous. They
are often to be seen wandering about or sunning themselves on top of the leaves
and sometimes to be found resting or in a cell under a leaf. Salticids often
build a retreat between and attached to two closely overlapping leaves. With
care and a suitably placed sweep net, one can often collect the owner. Genus:
Ptocasius. This is a somewhat ordinary, dull coloured genus of salticids
which are often found on shrubs. At present Ptocasius is a small genus with
most of its species occurring in our area. However, it is said to be close to
and possibly synonymous with the much larger genus Yaginumaella, The
cephalothorax is high with the top rounded and sloping in both directions from
the rear eyes. The carapace is longer than wide with the sides curved, briefly
flared near the front eyes and has a somewhat truncated posterior margin. The
abdomen is oval, truncated anteriorly and slightly pointed near the spinnerets.
The legs are not particularly long or slender and carry some spines. For P.
strupifer, the carapace is dark brown in colour, with white setae near the
fovea. The underlying colour of the abdomen is grey-brown. There are wide, curved,
light transverse bands across the shoulders and the middle, plus a light circular
area near the spinnerets. The legs are dark greyish-brown with the extremes
of the segments lighter.
Distribution: Ptocasius is known from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Sumatra,
Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan. Yaginumaella occurs
in the subtropical Himalayas, a range adjacent to that of Ptocasius.
Murphy & Murphy 2000:
353. By courtesy of the Authors' and the Malaysian Nature Society.
Copyright © for the page by J. Proszynski, 1999. ====================================================================