Araneidae Araneus

"Araneus" sp. "Porphyrion"

Porphyrion Orb Weaver

The species is superficially similar to Parawixia dehaani. sharing features such as having a pair of anterolateral shoulder horns connected by a line that partitions the dorsum into two zones each with its distinct pattern. Like some P. dehaani, the short tubercle around the lateral eyes is red.

However, this species differs from P. dehaani by the shape of its carapace: in both sexes, it is anteriorly more narrow but posteriorly more rounded, with all eyes mounted on protruding tubercles. By araneid standards, the male is comparatively large in size, calling to mind the giant Porphyrion in Greek mythology. With a length of 8–9 mm, it is only slightly smaller than the female (11 mm). [In contrast, Parawixia males are diminutive (around 3 mm) compared with the female (18–26 mm)]. The anterior legs of the male are heavily armed, including a short hook on each coxa I, a series of five closely arranged prolateral short spines on femur II, two unequal but robust ventral spines at the mid-section tibia II, and three short prolateral spines distally. The species probably belongs to a new genus as its uniquely structured male palps differ significantly from those of Parawixia and other araneid genera. Nevertheless, until its taxonomic status is formally established, the species is provisionally parked under the genus "Araneus", currently a mixed bag of araneids needing further study and reclassification.