Two new genera of small, six-eyed pholcid spiders from West Africa, and first record of Spermophorides for mainland Africa (Araneae: Pholcidae) Author Huber, Bernhard A. text Zootaxa 2007 1635 23 43 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.179534 8078a54c-e67b-4e6f-aaf2-78c18c7d1821 1175-5326 179534 Anansus , n. gen. Type species. Anansus aowin , n. sp. Etymology. Named for Anansi, one of the most important gods of west African lore, depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof. Gender male. Diagnosis. Small, short-legged, six-eyed pholcines (proximo-lateral cheliceral apophyses!), distinguished from other known pholcines by combination of following characters: small male palpal femur but extremely large and thick tibia (Figs. 33, 40, 58); bulb with single process (embolus) (Figs. 32, 39, 47); procursus with distinctive sclerite provided with retrolateral brush of long hairs (Figs. 33, 40, 53); unique pattern on sternum in males and females ( Fig. 8 ); male cheliceral apophyses without modified hairs ( Fig. 44 ); epigynum without scape (Figs. 35, 41, 60); eye triads close together ( Figs. 4, 6 ); presence of several ALS spigots (versus two) ( Fig. 49 , 55 ). Description. See species descriptions below. Relationships. As indicated above, Anansus is either resolved as representative of a mainly African group of genera characterized by the dorsal rather than prolateral attachment of the genital bulb to the cymbium, or as a much more “basal” taxon within pholcines ( Figs. 1 A, B). The latter topology considers posteriorly directed cheliceral apophyses as plesiomorphic for pholcines, while upward pointing cheliceral apophyses are a synapomorphy of the sister group of Anansus (clade 8 in Fig. 1 B). Both solutions make sense biologically, so the phylogenetic position of this genus within pholcines remains open. Distribution. The three species described below are from Ivory Coast , Ghana , and Congo DR ( Fig. 74 ). The MRAC has a further closely related species from Cameroon (Mbam near Koutoupi, MRAC 167.984). The single male specimen is very poorly preserved and therefore not described herein.