A revision of the spider genus Simorcus Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) of the afrotropical region

Abstract

The afrotropical representatives of the spider genus Simorcus Simon, 1895 are revised. The genus belongs to the subfamily Strophiinae and is known from the Afrotropical and the Oriental Regions. The genus Simorcus is redescribed and twelve species are keyed out, with six species known from one sex only. Nine species are described as new : S. cummingae (♀, ♂), S. guinea (♀), S. haddadi (♀, ♂), S. hakos (♀), S. itombwe (♂), S. kalemie (♂), S. lotzi (♂), S. okavango (♀) and S. vanharteni (♀, ♂). Of the four previously known species, three are redescribed : S. capensis Simon, 1895, S. coronatus, Simon, 1895 and S. cotti Lessert, 1936. The male of S. cotti is described for the first time and S. zuluanus Lawrence, 1942 is recognized as a junior synonym of S. cotti and a new lectotype for S. capensis is designated.