Smeringopus Simon, 1890

Bernhard A. Huber, Philippe Le Gall & Jacques Francois Mavoungou, 2014, Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 81, pp. 1-46 : 16

Smeringopus Simon, 1890

Smeringopus is currently the most species-rich African pholcid genus (55 species). It is widespread in Central Africa ( Fig. 33 ), but only seven species are known from the area: the pantropical synanthropic S. pallidus (Blackwall, 1858) , which is common in the area but whose previous records from Central Africa are all dubious; the widespread S. cylindrogaster ( Simon, 1907) , which covers at least the western subregions of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest (Upper and Lower Guinea) ( Huber 2012), and its close relative S. luki Huber, 2012 ; the widespread S. lesserti Kraus, 1957 , which covers at least the eastern subregions of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest (Lower Guinea and Congolia) ( Huber 2012); and the three species of the thomensis group ( S. thomensis Simon, 1907 ; S. mayombe Huber, 2012 ; S. principe Huber, 2012 ), all of which are small scale endemics ( Huber 2012).

Figures

Figs 33 - 34. Known distributions of the genera Smeringopus Simon, 1890 and Spermophora Hentz, 1841 in Central Africa. For detailed distribution maps of Smeringopus species see Huber (2012). Question marks denote uncertain identifications (females from Cameroon; one pair from Príncipe Island).