Cesonia aspida Chatzaki, 2002
Description
Male
Palp male: with spines on femur and patella. Tibial apophysis slender, claw-like. Conductor with membranous lobe and sclerotised ventral tip. Embolus small and tapering, additionally with thin lateral branch with bipartite end.
Prosoma with variable colour, from dark brown to grey-black, with 3 bright and 2 dark longitudinal stripes, distance between posterior median and lateral eyes smaller than distance between posterior median eyes. Chelicerae with small fangs and 3 teeth on posterior cheliceral furrow margin. Tarsus I-II with scopula. Opisthosoma variably coloured (cf. prosoma), with 2 dorsal, bright bands and a dark median and 2 lateral bands, males with anterior scutum.
Female
Epigyne weakly sclerotised laterally, opened toward epigastric furrow. Vulva with bilobed spermatheca.
Body length female: 7.8 mmAdditional information
In sandy habitats and in Phrygana near the coast up to 1400 m
Distribution
Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Chatzaki et al. 2002b)
Pedipalp
(Chatzaki et al. 2002b)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Lecigne 2016a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Lecigne 2016a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Seyyar et al. 2007a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Seyyar et al. 2007a)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Embolic division
(Chatzaki et al. 2002b)
Habitus, dorsal view
(Lecigne 2016a)
Habitus, dorsal view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Epigyne
(Chatzaki et al. 2002b)
Epigyne
(Zamani et al. 2025b)
Epigyne
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Vulva
(Chatzaki et al. 2002b)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Zamani et al. 2025b)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Seyyar et al. 2007a)
Vulva, ventral view
(Seyyar et al. 2007a)
Vulva, ventral view
(Seyyar et al. 2007a)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Vulva, ventral view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Habitus, dorsal view
(Seyyar & Demir 2026b)
Distribution List
References
Bosmans R, Chatzaki M (2005) A catalogue of the spiders of Greece – a critical review of all spider species cited from Greece with their localities. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische arachnologische Vereniging 20 (2, suppl.): 1-124 
Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Hadjiconstantis M, Komnenov M, Bosselaers J, Huber S, McCowan D, Snazell R, Decae A, Zoumides C, Kielhorn K-H, Oger P (2019c) Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 34, Suppl. 1: 1-173
Chatzaki M, Thaler K, Mylonas M (2002b) Ground spiders (Gnaphosidae, Araneae) of Crete and adjacent areas of Greece. Taxonomy and distribution. II. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 109: 603-633
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S, Coşar İ (2025a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2025 [last updated 01 December 2025], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Lecigne S (2016a) Contribution à la connaissance de l'aranéofaune (Araneae) de Crète (Grèce) et description de la femelle inconnue de Neaetha absheronica Logunov & Guseinov, 2002 (Salticidae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 30: 95-118
Seyyar O, Ayyildiz N, Topçu A (2007a) Notes on Cesonia, a newly recorded genus for the Asian spider fauna (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen 34: 25-26
Seyyar O, Demir H (2026b) Contributions to Cesonia aspida Chatzaki, 2002 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Türkiye. Munis Entomology and Zoology 21: 1920-1922
WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (20.5.2026) doi: 10.24436/2
Zamani, A., Nuruyeva, T., Snegovaya, N., Freyhof, J., Mustafayev, N. & Marusik, Y. M (2025b) New records of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Azerbaijan, including the first record of Nephilidae from the Western Palaearctic. Arachnology 20: 132-137