Xysticus tortuosus Simon, 1932
Description
Male palp with 2 tegular apophyses, median one hook-shaped, with short shaft and massive, and right-angled branch. Lateral apophysis small and hook-shaped. Tibial apophysis bipartite, ventral apophysis broad at base, bellied, strongly narrowed apically and cut straight or transversely. Retrolateral apophysis broad, cone-shaped in ventral view. Embolus with rectangularly bent tip. Epigyne with short median septum, slightly widened anteriorly. Lateral margin bent semicircularly. Prosoma brown to light brown with many white parts, contrast-rich with striking V-shaped pattern. Broad, cream eye band. Sternum white to cream with yellow margin, heart-shaped to longish oval. Chelicerae distally cream, proximally beige, frontally spined. Legs thick, bright, brown, dorsally slightly darker. Femur prolaterally spotted. Opisthosoma bright brown and grey colouring with fine white margin. White fir-shaped folium (can be reduced) and broad transverse bands posteriorly. Spinnerets grey-brown to light brown.
Body length male: 3.5-4.1 mmBody length female: 5.2-6.9 mm
Distribution
Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Pesarini 2000)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Habitus, dorsal view
(Iorio 2017)
Epigyne
(Pesarini 2000)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Urones 2021)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Lecigne et al. 2025)
Distribution List
"No references" does not mean that the species does not occur in this country, but that we have not yet inserted the reference for it. We are working on it.
References
Benhacene R, Adjami A, Hadjeb A, Kermiche K, Ouakid M L (2023) Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae). Zootaxa 5352: 301-357 
Benhalima S, Bosmans R (2024) First historical checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Morocco, between 1840–2024. Zootaxa 5555: 407-535
Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254
Esyunin S L, Efimik V E, Mazura N S (1999) Remarks on the Ural spider fauna, 10. New records of spider species (Aranei). Arthropoda Selecta 7: 319-327
Iorio E (2017) Inventaire des araignées et opilions de la Réserve Naturelle Régionale de la Pointe Saint-Gildas à Préfailles (Loire-Atlantique) (Arachnida). Invertébrés Armoricains 17: 45-61
Isaia M, Tolve M, Pantini P (2025) Araneae.it: 2.0: the new updated version of the digital catalog of the Italian spiders and other arachnids (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Palpigradi, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 57: 197-204
Jantscher E (2001a) Revision der Krabbenspinnengattung Xysticus C.L. Koch, 1835 (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Zentraleuropa. Dissertation, Univ. Graz, 328 pp., 81 pls.
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Lecigne S, Moutaouakil S, Lips J (2025) Contribution to the knowledge of the spider fauna of Morocco (Arachnida: Araneae) – second note. On new species and new records from caves and miscellaneous terrestrial ecosystems. Journal of the Belgian Arachnological Society 40(1, supplement): 1-184
Pesarini C (2000) Contributo alla conoscenza della fauna araneologica italiana (Araneae). Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana 78: 379-393
Thaler K, Knoflach B (2004b) Zur Faunistik der Spinnen (Araneae) von Österreich: Gnaphosidae, Thomisidae (Dionycha pro parte). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 36: 417-484
Urones C (2021) Registros nuevos de arañas (Araneae) de la provincia de Ourense (Galicia, España). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología 39: 55-66
WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (13.2.2026) doi: 10.24436/2