Trachelas Koch, 1872

Leister, Matthew & Miller, Kelly B., 2015, Description of a new tracheline spider, Trachelas mombachensis sp. n., in the T. bispinosus species group from the Mombacho Volcano in Nicaragua (Araneae: Trachelidae), Zootaxa 3936 (1), pp. 141-146 : 141-142

Trachelas Koch, 1872

Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 ; type species by monotypy: Trachelas minor O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872: 256 –257.

Diagnosis. Due to the variation seen in this most likely polyphyletic genus, a detailed generic description that unites all species is not possible. Instead a generic description of the New World Trachelas is provided.

New World members of the genus Trachelas lack leg spines in both sexes, but possess ventral leg cusps limited to the distal three segments of the anterior legs in all males and some females. These spiders have a bright red, dorsally domed carapace that bulges anteriorly, with PER strongly recurved and AER slightly recurved from above. The New World members of the trachelid genus Cetonana Strand, 1929 are probably misplaced but differ in having a dorsally flattened carapace, while members of Trachelopachys Simon, 1897 have a distinctly black carapace.

New World Trachelas are most similar and sympatric with Meriola Banks, 1895 , although this genus differs from Trachelas in having a near linear PER, and ventral leg cusps elongate with sharp apices, whereas Trachelas has a recurved PER and shorter, apically blunt cusps.