Falcaranea gen. nov.

Type species. Falcaranea gladius sp. nov.

Etymology. The genus name is a contraction of the Latin falcatus, meaning sword, referring to the shape of the male embolus, and aranea, meaning spider. Gender feminine.

Diagnosis. Males of the genus can be distinguished by the long, curved sword-shaped embolus originating prolaterally on the tegulum, accompanied by a finger-like tegular apophysis, the broad laminate ventral RTA, and the presence of a small retrobasal cymbial process. Females can be distinguished by the anterolateral ST II, with an oblique connecting duct of the spermathecae leading to the posteromedian ST I, and the presence of a membranous scape or smaller anterior hood in the epigyne, the former being a unique character state in Trachelidae .

Description. Small spiders, 2.58–3.80 mm in length; carapace generally yellow-brown, oval, broadest between coxae II and III, eye region narrowed (Figs 95, 100, 105, 117); fovea absent, posterior slope with broad shallow depression (Figs 105, 117), posterior margin straight; slightly convex in lateral profile, elevated from clypeus to behind posterior eyes, highest at midpoint, with steep slope in posterior quarter (Figs 96, 101, 106); carapace surface finely wrinkled, with denticulate setal bases, setae finely barbed (Fig. 118). All eyes surrounded by black rings (Figs 95, 100); AER procurved in anterior view (Fig. 107), recurved in dorsal view (Figs 108, 119), eyes subequal in size, anterior eyes slightly larger than posteriors; AME separated by approximately ½ their diameter, nearly touching ALE (Fig. 107); PME transversely oval, PLE round; PME separated by distance approximately equal to their diameter, separated from PLE by approximately 1¼ times PME diameter; MOQ narrower anteriorly than posteriorly, posterior width slightly greater than length (Fig. 107). Chilum indistinct, a tiny transverse sclerite; cheliceral promargin with two closely spaced teeth, retromargin with two teeth, distal tooth sometimes bifid (Fig. 112); cheliceral promarginal escort seta absent, rake setae present (Fig. 110); fang with distinct serrula (Fig. 111); endites slightly concave or straight laterally (Figs 109, 120), with distinct serrula comprising sharp denticles (Fig. 113); dense maxillar hair tuft on mesal margins; labium trapezoidal, slightly longer than wide (Figs 109, 120). Pleural bars sclerotised, isolated; sternum oval, with straight anterior margin, longer than broad, surface smooth, sparsely covered in long straight setae (Figs 114, 121); precoxal triangles present, intercoxal sclerites present between all coxal pairs, less distinct or absent between coxae III and IV. Leg formula 4123 or 1423, sparsely covered in long fine setae; femora I slightly swollen, with strongly convex dorsal surface, ventral surface almost straight (Figs 98, 103); all femora slightly constricted proximally; patellar indentation on retrolateral side narrow, with lyriform organ at proximal end (Figs 115, 116, 123, 124); anterior legs of males with tuberculate setal bases on tibiae and metatarsi, less pronounced on tarsi (Figs 98, 125–134), less strongly developed in females (Figs 103, 134); tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi with sparse chemosensory setae and trichobothria dorsally, the latter increasing in length distally, ventrally with slightly spatulate scopulate setae (Figs 129–134, 138); metatarsi with weakly developed metatarsal stopper (Figs 132–134) and ventral preening comb at distal end (Figs 99, 104, 137); tarsi with sparse tactile hairs, few dorsal trichobothria and chemosensory setae (Figs 133, 134, 138); trichobothria with slightly lowered distal plate, distal margin of hood overlapping plate, hood with four curved, roughly concentric ridges; tarsal organ terminal (Fig. 134), ovoid in shape, surface finely wrinkled, opening oval and distally placed (Fig. 135); paired tarsal claws short, with approximately seven teeth and dense tenant setae forming claw tufts in between (Figs 133, 139); female palpal claw simple, sharply curved distally, with a few small basal teeth. Abdomen somewhat pentagonal in males, almost straight anteriorly, broadening medially, tapering to a point posteriorly (Fig. 95), more oval and larger in females (Fig. 100), without dorsal scutum or ventral sclerites in either sex, but with two pairs of distinct sigilla. Spinnerets conical, compact (Fig. 140), spigots not studied in detail. Male palpal femora and patellae without apophyses (Figs 142, 148), patella with pro- and retrolateral lyriform organs (Fig. 148); cymbium with dense scopula at distal end (Fig. 141) and retrobasal cymbial process (Figs 156, 161, 166); palpal tibiae with short, broad laminate retrolateral apophysis, almost spanning width of tibia, sometimes with additional adjacent apophysis dorsally (Figs 157, 161, 166); tegulum transversely oval in ventral view (Figs 143, 147), as broad as cymbium, with large digitiform prolateral tegular apophysis; embolus originating mesally near tegular apophysis base, initially directed retrolaterally, bending sharply before tapering to sharp tip distally (Figs 143, 147); conductor absent. Female epigyne occupying most of epigastric plate length, with anterolateral copulatory openings separated by short to long slender median scape (Figs 144–146, 149); copulatory ducts entering almost immediately into ovoid lateral ST II, with long ducts connecting them to posterior mesal ST I initially directed mesally, then posteriorly, converging in V, entering transversely oval ST I along their anteromesal margin; fertilization ducts directed posteriorly, sharply bent laterally.

Composition. Three species, all newly described: F. amatola sp. nov., F. gladius sp. nov. and F. maputensis sp. nov.