Genus Maeota Simon, 1901

Diagnosis. They are medium sized spiders that usually live on foliage; the chelicera has two promarginal teeth and one retromarginal tooth; first tibia has three pairs of ventral macrosetae, first metatarsus has two pairs; the embolus is coiled usually with the plane of the spiral more or less perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bulb; the tegulum has a proximal lobe.

Remarks. The genus was described for Maeota dichrura Simon (see Simon 1901a), which is unique for the abnormally elongate posterior lateral spinneret in the male. However, unpublished molecular data discovered a group of species that are closely related to M. dichrura, but have no elongate posterior lateral spinneret in the male. Here we extend the delimitation of Maeota to include these closely related species.