Cispius (spider)

Cispius is a genus of African nursery web spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898.^[2]

Cispius
C. kimbius in Pretoria
female C. variegatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Pisauridae
Genus:	Cispius Simon, 1898[1]
Type species
C. variegatus Simon, 1898
Species
9, see text

Distribution

All species are found in Africa, from South Africa up to Tanzania and Ivory Coast.^[1]

Description

Cispius species have a total size of 7 to 8 mm. The carapace is slightly longer than wide and narrower in the eye region. The eyes are arranged in two rows, with the anterior row more or less recurved. The anterior eyes are smaller than the posterior eyes. Most species have three cheliceral teeth. The abdomen is oval and decorated with patterns. The legs are strong and frequently banded.^[3]

Taxonomy

The genus Cispius was described by Simon in 1898 and has been revised by Blandin (1987). Blandin remarked that Charminus and Cispius are morphologically very similar.^[3]

Species

As of October 2025^[update], this genus includes nine species:^[1]

• Cispius affinis Lessert, 1916 – Tanzania
• Cispius bidentatus Lessert, 1936 – DR Congo, Mozambique
• Cispius kimbius Blandin, 1978 – South Africa, Eswatini
• Cispius maruanus (Roewer, 1955) – Ivory Coast, Cameroon, DR Congo
• Cispius problematicus Blandin, 1978 – DR Congo, South Africa, Eswatini
• Cispius simoni Lessert, 1915 – Uganda
• Cispius strandi Caporiacco, 1947 – Tanzania
• Cispius thorelli Blandin, 1978 – DR Congo
• Cispius variegatus Simon, 1898 – DR Congo, South Africa (type species)

See also

• List of Pisauridae species