Taxon:
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infra-Order: Araneamorph (true spiders)
- Family: Philodromidae
- Genus: Philodromus
- Species: P. brachycephalus
Female
Unknown.
Male
Around 6mm in body length. Leg span of approximately 18mm diagonally.
Cephalothorax:
Carapace light brown with dark stripe down centre and dark stripe either side in line with posterior lateral eyes, and faint small spots all over. Sternum round and pale. Pedipalps same as legs with darkened and swollen tarsi.
Abdomen:
Abdomen tapered, brown, dorsal with dark heart mark bordered by light lines, spotted faintly. Ventral light and plain.
Legs:
Thin long brown legs with small dark spots. 2, 1, 4, 3.
ABOUT THE GENUS
Philodromus, which is the type genus for the family Philodromidae, is a large and wide-spread genus, having over 250 described species within it. These spiders have flattened bodies and are generally medium sized at an average of 7mm in body length. They are ambush predators that lay in wait of prey by flattening their limbs, and can be found on various substrates, from the ground up into trees.
Spiders in & around Orania 