Hyllus semicupreus male

Description:

Light or colourful, sometimes iridescent salticids.

Habitat:

Shrubs, plants, especially broad leaved.

Notes:

Pancorius appears to be restricted to the tropics from India eastwards to Borneo and the Philippines In the field, plants with large green leaves, such as ginger, are often favoured by salticids, particularly colourful species. Some are clothed with dense, coloured, iridescent hairs which makes them particularly attractive and conspicuous. They are often to be seen wandering about or sunning themselves on top of the leaves and sometimes to be found resting or in a cell under a leaf. Salticids often build a retreat between and attached to two closely overlapping leaves. With care and a suitably placed sweep net, one can often collect the owner. Genus: Pancorius. Most species of this genus of stout, dull coloured spiders, somewhat akin to Hyllus and Evarcha in appearance, occur in our area. The cephalothorax is fairly high with the flat cephalus sloping gently towards the front eyes, the thorax sloping quite steeply to the rear edge and the sides almost vertical. In plan, the carapace is broad, longer than wide and more or less U-shaped with a wide posterior edge. The abdomen is a moderate elongate oval, not as wide as the carapace, widish anteriorly and less wide posteriorly. The legs are quite strong and spiny, with legs I rather longer and stronger. The carapace of P. magnus is chestnut-brown, becoming slightly lighter on the cephalus. The underlying colour of the abdomen is lightish orange on which there is a superimposed pattern of dark brown chevrons near the spinnerets, and the sides are dark brown/orange. The patellae and tibiae of legs I and II are dark brown in colour with the other segments light orange. Legs III and IV are paler editions of legs I and II. Ventrally on the patellae and tibiae of legs I and II there are thin fringes of long, black hairs, and dorsally on tibiae I there are thin fringes of short black hairs.