Episinus

{{Short description|Genus of spiders}} {{Automatic taxobox | name = | image = Episinus bilineatus 303365781 546783317.jpg | image_caption = Female ''E. bilineatus'' | image2 = Episinus angulatus.jpg | image2_caption = Male ''Episinus angulatus'' | fossil_range = {{Fossil range| Palaeogene| Present}} | taxon = Episinus | authority = Walckenaer, 1809<ref name=wsc /> | type_species = ''E. truncatus'' | type_species_authority = Latreille, 1809 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 44, see text | synonyms = *''Episinopsis'' Simon, 1894<ref name=Levi1962 /> *''Hyocrea'' Simon, 1894<ref name=Levi1962 /> *''Hyptimorpha'' Strand, 1906<ref name=Levi1962 /> *''Penictis'' Simon, 1894<ref name=Levi1962 /> *''Plocamis'' Simon, 1894<ref name=Levi1962 /> | synonyms_ref = <ref name=wsc /> }}

'''''Episinus''''' is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1809.<ref name=Latr1809 />

They can grow up to {{convert|5|mm}} long.<ref name=Latr1809 />

==Distribution== Spiders of this genus are found worldwide.<ref name="wsc" />

==Life style== ''Episinus'' can be found at ground level between low vegetation, making a very simple H or Y-shaped web near ground level. Courtship takes place in summer. The egg-sac is white and spherical and has a coarse loop of silk around it.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />

==Description== {{see also|Glossary of spider terms}} thumb|center|600px|female ''E. bishopi''

The body length is 6 mm. The carapace is slightly longer than it is wide, and the eye region is either roundly elevated or projects anteriorly. There is often a pair of horns between the anterior and posterior median eyes that feature silvery and sometimes reddish pigment.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />

The clypeus is low and flat, and it usually projects anteriorly. The fovea is distinct and long. Eight eyes are arranged more or less circularly, often on tubercles, with the anterior median eyes being the smallest. The eyes are usually bordered by black.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />

The abdomen is usually widest behind the middle and is modified with humps and tubercles. It is often light-colored with marks and streaks, and sometimes features white pigment.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />

The leg formula is either 1423 or 4123, and all legs are somewhat robust. The legs are usually pale yellow to brown in color, with dusky flecks and marks or bands.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />

==Species== {{as of|2025|10}}, this genus includes 44 species and one subspecies:<ref name="wsc" /> {{Div col}} * ''Episinus affinis'' Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – India, Russia (Far East), Korea, Taiwan, Japan * ''Episinus algiricus'' Lucas, 1846 – Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia * ''Episinus amoenus'' Banks, 1911 – United States, Mexico * ''Episinus angulatus'' (Blackwall, 1836) – Europe, Turkey, Russia (Europe to West Siberia), Kazakhstan, Central Asia * ''Episinus antipodianus'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1880 – New Zealand * ''Episinus bilineatus'' Simon, 1894 – Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho * ''Episinus bimucronatus'' (Simon, 1895) – Venezuela * ''Episinus bishopi'' (Lessert, 1929) – DR Congo, South Africa * ''Episinus bonjovi'' Lin & Li, 2021 – China * ''Episinus cavernicola'' (Kulczyński, 1897) – Croatia, Slovenia * ''Episinus chikunii'' Yoshida, 1985 – Japan * ''Episinus emanus'' Levi, 1964 – Panama * ''Episinus fontinalis'' Levy, 1985 – Israel * ''Episinus garisus'' Buckup & Marques, 1992 – Brazil * ''Episinus gibbus'' Zhu & Wang, 1995 – China * ''Episinus hickmani'' Caporiacco, 1949 – Kenya * ''Episinus immundus'' (Keyserling, 1884) – Peru, Brazil * ''Episinus implexus'' (Simon, 1895) – Venezuela * ''Episinus israeliensis'' Levy, 1985 – Israel * ''Episinus jiangweni'' Lin & Li, 2021 – China * ''Episinus kitazawai'' Yaginuma, 1958 – Russia (Kurile Is.), Japan * ''Episinus longabdomenus'' Zhu, 1998 – China * ''Episinus macrops'' Simon, 1903 – Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo * ''Episinus maculipes'' Cavanna, 1876 – Europe, Algeria, Turkey, Caucasus ** ''E. m. numidicus'' Kulczyński, 1905 – Algeria, Tunisia * ''Episinus maderianus'' Kulczyński, 1905 – Canary Islands, Madeira * ''Episinus makiharai'' Okuma, 1994 – Taiwan * ''Episinus marignaci'' (Lessert, 1933) – Angola, South Africa * ''Episinus meruensis'' Tullgren, 1910 – Tanzania * ''Episinus mikhailovi'' Zamani & Marusik, 2021 – Iran * ''Episinus mucronatus'' (Simon, 1894) – Singapore * ''Episinus nanyue'' Yin, 2012 – China * ''Episinus papilionaceous'' F. J. Liu, Agnarsson, J. Liu & Zhu, 2022 – China * ''Episinus porteri'' (Simon, 1901) – Chile, Argentina * ''Episinus punctisparsus'' Yoshida, 1983 – Taiwan * ''Episinus rhomboidalis'' (Simon, 1895) – Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore * ''Episinus similanus'' Urquhart, 1893 – New Zealand * ''Episinus similitudus'' Urquhart, 1893 – New Zealand * ''Episinus taibeli'' Caporiacco, 1949 – Ethiopia * ''Episinus theridioides'' Simon, 1873 – Spain, France (mainland, Corsica), Italy (Sardinia) * ''Episinus tongyani'' Lin & Li, 2021 – China * ''Episinus truncatus'' Latreille, 1809 – Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Iran (type species) * ''Episinus typicus'' (Nicolet, 1849) – Chile * ''Episinus variacorneus'' Chen, Peng & Zhao, 1992 – China * ''Episinus xiushanicus'' Zhu, 1998 – China {{Div col end}}

'''Formerly included:''' {{Div col}} *''E. bicorniger'' (Simon, 1894) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. bicornis'' (Thorell, 1881) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. bicruciatus'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. bifrons'' (Thorell, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. caudifer'' Dönitz & Strand, 1906 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. coercerveus'' Roberts, 1978 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. conifer'' (Urquhart, 1886) (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. erythrophthalmus'' (Simon, 1894) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. gratiosus'' Bryant, 1940 (Transferred to ''Neopisinus'') *''E. longipes'' Keyserling, 1884 (Transferred to ''Neopisinus'') *''E. luteolimbatus'' (Thorell, 1898) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. malachinus'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. marginatus'' (Thorell, 1898) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. minusculus'' Gertsch, 1936 (Transferred to ''Chrosiothes'') *''E. mirabilis'' (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. modestus'' (Thorell, 1898) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. nebulosus'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. ocreatus'' (Simon, 1909) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. paiki'' Seo, 1985 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. pictus'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. recifensis'' Levi, 1964 (Transferred to ''Neopisinus'') *''E. salobrensis'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. spinigeroides'' Zhu & Song, 1992 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. tanikawai'' Yoshida, 1991 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') *''E. taprobanicus'' (Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Janula'') *''E. yoshimurai'' Yoshida, 1983 (Transferred to ''Moneta'') {{Div col end}}

'''Nomen dubium''' *''E. americanus'' Nicolet, 1849

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="wsc">{{cite web | url=https://wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/3481 | title=Genus Episinus | publisher=World Spider Catalog | doi=10.24436/2 | accessdate=2025-10-02}}</ref> <ref name="dippenaar2021">{{cite book | last1=Dippenaar-Schoeman | first1=A.S. | last2=Haddad | first2=C.R. | last3=Foord | first3=S.H. | last4=Lotz | first4=L.N. | year=2021 | title=The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1 | publisher=South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide | page=27 | doi=10.5281/zenodo.7515890}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4}}</ref> <ref name=Latr1809>{{cite book| last=Latreille| first=P. A.| year=1809| title=Genera crustaceorum et insectorum| publisher=Paris 4| pages=370–371| author-link=Pierre_André_Latreille}}</ref> <ref name=Levi1962>{{cite journal| last=Levi| first=H. W.| last2=Levi| first2=L. R.| year=1962| title=The genera of the spider family Theridiidae| journal=Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology| volume=127| page=20}}</ref> }}

Category:Araneomorphae genera Category:Cosmopolitan spiders Category:Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille Category:Theridiidae