Trabea Simon, 1876

"Definition. Small to large spiders ranging from 3.1 to 7.8mm in length. Sexes alike with slight colour dimorphism in some species. Carapace: Normally high with a markedly square-fronted appearance due to enlargement of second row eyes. Most species with two longitudinal brown bands extending from behind posterior eyes but a few without distinct markings. Eyes: Anterior row strongly procurved, laterals 1.1- 1.75 x diameter of medians and the eyes either equidistant or laterals further from medians than distance between medians. Second row  eyes much enlarged and 1.7-2.0 x width of anterior row. Width of posterior row greater than second row, eyes 0.6-0.8 x diameter of those of second row. The region of all eyes blackened. Chelicerae: Short (0.87-1.27 x depth of face) and relatively broad. Normally with three teeth on both margins but without obvious teeth on theanterior margin in T. heteroculata. Some species with characteristic dark markings. Maxillae and labium: Both relatively short and broad; labium 0.4-0.6 x length of maxilla. Sternum: Oval or scutate, usually somewhat produced between coxae IV. Legs: Of moderate length, either without markings or with vague rings and blotches of darker pigment. Spines long, stout and tapering, with sharp points. Ventral spines ofleg I: normally three pairs on metatarsus (exceptionally two) and three pairs on tibia (exceptionally four). Trabaea paradoxa and T, unicolor with a fringe of dark hairs beneath tibia I. Tarsi normally scopulate, claws of moderate length with three to six teeth. Patella and tibia IV 1.13-1.45 x metatarsus length. Abdomen: Most species with two dorsal longitudinal bands continuous with those on carapace, absent in a few species. Ranging from short and oval in T. rubriceps to long and narrow in T. ornutipalpis. Male palp: Fig. 1A-C. With a long, strapshaped 'terminal apophysis' the tip of which lies adjacent to the tip of the short, spike-like tegular apophysis. In the unexpanded palp the embolus lies beneath a transparent membranous portion of the tegulum which forms an extension stretching behind the 'terminal apophysis'. In some species the cymbium bears specialized flattened setae. Female epigyne: Fig. 2D. With a simple median plate, normally smoothly rounded posteriorly but pointed in T. ornutipalpis. Outline of spermathecae usually clearly visible through integument. Vulva: Fig. 1 1A-F. Both the size and position of the two sets of spermathecae show considerable variation between species." Russell-Smith, 1982