Genus

Type species.

Dictyna hedini Schenkel, 1936.

Diagnosis.

Sudesna can be distinguished from Dictyna by the reduced or absent spur of the male palpal tibia, the anteriorly located, widely separated epigynal copulatory openings, the tube-like copulatory ducts, and the laterally located spermathecal heads (Zhang and Li 2011).

Description.

Diminutive in size (1.60–4.57). Dorsum of prosoma pale darker to brown, with high cephalic area. Fovea absent. Cervical groove distinct, radial furrows indistinct. Eight eyes in 2 rows; eyes located on eye tubercles; eye tubercles coloured same as carapace. Chelicerae stout, yellowish to brown, with small yellow lateral condyles, 3–4 promarginal and 1–3 retromarginal teeth. Endites yellow, longer than wide. Labium yellow-brown, as long as wide. Sternum yellow-brown, with truncated anterior margin and blunt posterior margin. Legs yellowish to brown, patella with a small protrusion. Opisthosoma oval. Dorsum pale to darker brown, with some small, white, scale-like markings near midline. Venter of abdomen yellow-brown, with small, undivided cribellum. Spinnerets short and yellowish brown.

Palp with droplet-shaped cymbium. Tibia dorsally with two ctenidia or absent (S. circularis Zhang & Li, 2011 and S. yangi sp. nov.). Retrolateral tibial apophysis triangular or hook-shaped. Embolus semicircular and originating at about 8: 00 to 11: 30 o’clock position. Anterior arm of conductor (AA) short and membranous; posterior arm (PA) finger-shaped or twisted, usually with scaly tip.

Epigyne with widely separated copulatory openings. Copulatory openings with pronounced inner margins. Copulatory ducts short or long, usually twisted, and membranous or slightly sclerotized. Spermathecae sclerotized, irregularly shaped. Spermathecal heads spherical or oval. Fertilization ducts thin, long, extending from the anterior parts of spermathecae, curving and pointing laterally.