Hovops Benoit, 1968

Artigas, Sandra Mónica Rodriguez & Corronca, Jose Antonio, 2014, New species and distribution records of selenopid spiders of the genus Hovops Benoit in Madagascar (Araneae, Selenopidae), Zootaxa 3780 (3), pp. 547-557 : 548

Genus Hovops Benoit, 1968

Diagnosis. Hovops can be distinguished from other genera of Selenopidae by the presence of iridescent scale-like hairs covering the entire body; the presence of AME>PME sometimes nearly double; the oval sternum; and the number of major ampullate spigots on the spinnerets ( Corronca and Rodriguez Artigas 2011). The leg spination is variable and includes species with paired spines on Tib I–II (v2.2.2 or v2.2.1) and Mt I–II (v2.2.0); or species with unpaired spines on Tib I–II, with 9 (4 proventral and 5 retroventral), 10 (4–6) or 11 (4–7) ventral spines, and Mt I– II with v2.2.2. The males of Hovops usually have more spines than the females, and in both sexes, the second pair of legs is longer than the fourth, with the first pair usually the shortest. The posterior median spinnerets have three major ampullate spigots and the posterior lateral spinnerets have two.