title: Taxonomic revision of the crab spider genus Epicadus Simon, 1895 (Arachnida: Araneae: Thomisidae) with notes on related genera of Stephanopinae Simon, 1895.
abstract: All species of Epicadus Simon, 1895 are reviewed and redescribed, including the previously unknown males of E. rubripes Mello-Leitão, 1924 and E. planus Mello-Leitão, 1932. A new diagnosis based on morphological characters is proposed for the genus. Three valid species of Epicadus are recognized: E. heterogaster (Guérin-Méneville, 1829); E. rubripes and E. planus. The following taxonomic changes are proposed: E. granulatus Banks, 1909 is considered incertae sedis, most likely belonging to a new genus; E. h. scholagriculae Piza, 1933 is considered a junior subjective synonym of E. heterogaster; E. pallidus Mello-Leitão, 1929 is considered a junior subjective synonym of E. rubripes Mello-Leitão, 1924; E. nigronotatus Mello-Leitão, 1940 is considered junior subjective synonym of E. planus Mello-Leitão, 1932. Species distributions were updated with new records in the Neotropics, including Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, which makes Epicadus a genus of Neotropical distribution.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, USA. Departamento de Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, 20.940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. BRAZIL; Email: tmoreira@gwmail.gwu.edu.
authors: Thiago Da
authors: TD
authors: Silva-Moreira
authors: Laboratório de Aracnologia, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, BRAZIL; Email: unknown.
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: Machado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002489:Central America; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013020:South America; D013045:Species Specificity; D013112:Spiders / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*