Diagnoses of genera of South East Asia: 51.5 Broad, squat, hairy, brownish salticids with flattish carapace.Genus: Simaetha. In its general colouring and having a cephalothorax which is significantly wider than long, the appearance of Simaetha is rather like that of Rhene, however the genitalia of the two genera are quite different and clearly indicate that Simaetha and Rhene are not closely related. The cephalothorax of Simaetha is fairly thick, flat on top, with rear of the thorax and the sides very steep. In plan, the carapace is wider than long, approximately 3:2, almost parallel-sided and with a widish, truncate, posterior margin. The abdomen is a broadish, elongate oval, rounded at the front and gradually tapering to the rear. Except for the short, strong, ventral spines on legs I, the spines elsewhere are few and much weaker. The legs are long, but legs I, with femora, patellae and tibiae very swollen, are much the longest. The eye surrounds are black and the underlying colour of the carapace is orange with the flat top and borders covered with white, adpressed hairs. There is a broad, submarginal, band of dense, very white hairs on each side and the rear of the thorax is dark brown. The chelicerae are flattened in front, very broad initially, divergent and deep orange in colour. The abdomen is mottled in light orangish-white and light brown, covered with light bronze, iridescent, squamose hairs. There is a collar of white hairs around the shoulders. Legs I and all the other femora are entirely brown in colour and the other leg segments are yellowish with some brown annulations.
Distribution: Simaetha is recorded from the tropical zone that stretches from Africa to Australia. Murphy & Murphy 2000: 315. By courtesy of the Authors' and the Malaysian Nature Society..