Theridiidae Thymoites

"Thymoites" sp. "Tiny Hyena"

Tiny Hyena Comb-footed spider

Thymoites is a cosmopolitan genus of small (usually < 2.5 mm) theridiids with their greatest diversity in the Americas. The eye region in males typically projects forwards in varying degrees, and may appear grotesquely bulging in some species (not found in Singapore). In other foreign species, the eye region is armed with a pair of elongated, forward-directed spines, or a dense cluster of almost erect bristles..

The species featured here is easily recognised by its hyena-like black-and-brown colouration on the carapace and the abdomen. The protruding ocular area of the male suggests that it may be a Thymoites or a member of the Hadrotarsinae. However, in addition to the minute body size, its palps differ from those of the hadrotarsines known to us. It is thus provisionally parked under Thymoites, but with the caveat that its unique eye arrangement is not typical of Thymoites. In most Thymoites, the PME are well separated from the lateral eyes. In contrast, the PME of this species are set close to the PLE and ALE.