Flat-carapaced Spotted Huntsman
This species was described by the French arachnologist Eugène Simon who personally collected a sub-adult female in 19th century Singapore. He must have intended to draw attention to its relatively flat carapace and named it "planithorax", derived from the Latin words for "plane" and thorax". Simon also highlighted a few other features that help to identify the species: six pairs of long and "forward-pointing" ventral spines on tibiae I and II, and a narrow and posteriorly tapering abdomen with three rows of small blackish spots, including a median series of triangular patches.
As Simon’s description was based on an immature female, he did not mention another unmistakable character of this species: the tibia of the male palp has an elongated sclerotised outgrowth that appears like an elephant trunk.
More studies will be required to define the genus Stasina more precisely, and assess its relationship with the genus Thelcticopis. The two groups are related to each other, but it should be borne in mind that Thelcticopis is in itself a complex of species groups showing a diverse range of copulatory structures.
| Length | ♀ 12 mm; ♂ 9–11 mm |
| Type Locality | Singapore |
| Distribution | Singapore. |
| Habitat | Foliage in secondary forests. |
| Biology | Hides during the day in a silken retreat between joined leaves. The egg sac is a flattened cushion-like structure tucked within the retreat. |
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Suborder Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
Holotype
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris, France; Juvenile (AR6008) (Simon, 1897b)
Stasina planithorax (Original description j)
* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.
Singapore.