Pisaura (at least the European species) vary in colouration from yellow and bright brown to mostly red-brown and grey or black. A distinct, bright stripe runs down the middle of the prosoma. The opisthosoma is long, slender and tapering posteriorly. On the dorsal surface of the opisthosoma is a wide, jagged stripe with dark margins. The posterior cheliceral furrow margin has two or three teeth.[2]
The genus name Pisaura was first published by Eugène Simon in 1886.[1][4] In 1757, Carl Alexander Clerck had described a species of spider under the name Araneus mirabilis; later authors placed the species either in Dolomedes or more usually in Ocyale. Simon stated that the type species of Ocyale was entirely different from "Ocyale mirabilis", so placed the species in a new genus as Pisaura mirabilis.[4][5] In the same publication, Simon also described Pisaura valida,[4] later placed in Afropisaura as Afropisaura valida.[6]
^ abcSimon, E. (1886), "Etudes arachnologiques. 18e Mémoire. XXVI. Matériaux pour servir à la faune des Arachnides du Sénégal", Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (in French and Latin), 6: 345–396, p. 354. The paper relates to a meeting held in November 1885 but not published until March 1886.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^Blandin, P. (1976), "Etudes sur les Pisauridae africaines VI. Définition des genres Pisaura Simon, 1885, Pisaurellus Roewer, 1961, Afropisaura n. gen. et mise au point sur les espèces des genres Afropisaura and Pisaurellus (Araneae - Pisauridae - Pisaurinae)", Revue Zoologique Africaine, 90: 917–939