Signoret, 1869a
Appearance in life
Scale cover of adult female circular to slightly oval, somewhat convex, dark in colour, with subcentral to submarginal exuviae; ventral scale dark and thick, fused with dorsal scale to form an almost-closed capsule. Scale cover of immature male elongate, similar to female scale in colour and texture but smaller, with exuviae near one end.
Morphology
Adult female not pupillarial; body pyriform to turbinate; prosoma membranous or variously sclerotized. Pygidium short and wide, projecting little, apical angle obtuse, with a pattern of sclerotization: dorsum more or less furrowed, but sclerotization not forming distinct areas or plates. Pygidial margin sclerotized and fairly smooth apart from 3 pairs of unilobulate lobes, well sclerotized; median lobes well-developed, set quite close together; second and third lobes tooth-like, fourth lobes sometimes represented by sclerotized points. Lobes parallel to longitudinal axis, well sclerotized, graduated in size, median lobes being largest. Median to third lobes each either with a broad basal sclerosis extending into the pygidium: or with narrow scleroses arising from their mesal basal angles, sometimes these scleroses, together with scleroses just lateral to median and second lobes, form paired paraphyses bordering the poriferous furrows. Plates absent. Anus oval to circular, small (usually shorter than median lobe), situated quite near centre of pygidium; vulva situated between approximate centre and anterior third of pygidium. Dorsal macroducts moderately long and very slender, quite numerous; 0 or 1, occasionally 2 marginal ducts between median lobes, 0 - 2 between median and second lobes, 1 - 6 between second and third lobes and 1 - 5 between third lobe and position of fourth lobe on either side; a series of marginal ducts often present along pygidial margin anterior to fourth lobe, sometimes along the ventral margin as well. Submarginal ducts arranged in 3 definite poriferous furrows between segments VIII and VII, VII and VI and VI and V on each side. Ventral prepygidial marginal ducts often present. Lateral margins of prepygidial segments and even sometimes of thorax frequently crenulate and bearing a series of minute ducts. Perivulvar pores absent. Stigmatic disc pores absent; antennae situated fairly near mid-line, each bearing one seta and a small, sclerotized spur.