Oedignatba indica, Reddy & Patel, 1991

Reddy, T. S. & Patel, B. H., 1993, Two New Species Of The Genus Oedignatha Thorell (Araneae: Clubionidae) From Coastal Andhra Pradesh, India, Entomon 18 (1), pp. 47-51 : 49-51

Oedignatba indica sp. novo ( Figs. 8-15 )

General: Cephalothorax black, legs reddish brown, abdomen blackish but decorated with four pairs of pale patches with white hairs arranged in two longitudinal rows. Total length 5.16 mm. Carapace 2.50 mm long, 1.50 mm wide; abdomen 2.88 mm long, 1.45 mm wide.

Cephalothorax: Oblong, longer than broad, black, decorated with irregularly arranged small pits. The cephalic shield extended upto the frontal median eyes and a prominent median tubercle situated just below the median frontal eyes in front of the cephalothorax. Thorax provided with central fovea. Eyes in two rows, anterior and posterior. Anterior row slightly procurved; anterior medians are slightly smaller than the anterior laterals and placed equidistant in a row, anterior and posterior laterals are equal in size. Posterior row procurved, slightly longer than the anterior row; posterior medians slightly smaller than the posterior laterals and placed equidistant from each other in a row. Laterals close to each other. Ocular quad alm08t square, as in Fig. 8 . Sternum, oval, reddish black, clothed with hairs and decorated with irregularly arranged small black pits. Labium reddish brown longer than wide and slightly depressed at the middle and extends beyond the middle of maxillary lobes. Maxillae reddish, longer than wide, very slightly depressed at the middle, distal ends pale broad and rounded, provided with scopulae. Sternum, labium and maxillae as in Fig. 9 .

Chelicerae large, reddish brown in colour, scopulated distally with chocolate brown hairs; inner margin of fang furrow provided with five small teeth and outer margin with three big teeth as in Fig. 15 . Legs long and slender, strong and stout. Femora I and II slightly curved and III and IV very little curved. Tibiae and metatarsi J and II provided with seven pairs of thin ventral spines. Tarsi relatively long,provided with two claws and tenent hairs. Leg formula I 423.

Male: Similar to the female and practically equal in size. Total length 4.25 mm. Male palp as in Figs. 12,13 , and 14.

Abdomen: Oblong, longer than wide, blackish in colour. Dorsum provided with hard sclerotized shield, decorated with four pairs of pale patches with white hairs, arranged mid-longitudinally in two rows as in Fig. 8 Ventral side lighter than the dorsal and not uniformly coloured. Epigyne and internal genitalia as in Figs. 10 and 11 .

Holotype: One ~ allotype l o in spirit. Type-locality: Anakapalli , Dist Visakhapatnam .

13.x.1985. ColI. T. S. Reddy.

Diagnosis: This species resembles Oedignatha scrobiculata ThoreH but it is separated as follows: (i) Tibiae and metatarsi I and II provided with seven pairs of thin ventral spines but in o. scrobiculata tibiae and metatarsi I and II provided with five and seven pairs of ventral spines respectively. (ii) Dorsum of abdomen provided with hard sclerotized shield, decorated with four pairs of patches with white hairs but in O. scrobiculata dorsum of abdomen provided with hard sclerotized shield, decorated with six pairs of white patches extending longitudinally on either side of the mid-dorsal line. (iii) Epigyne and internal genitalia are also structurally different. (iv) Male palp is also structurally different.

Figures

Figs. 8 - 15, Oedignatha indica sp, novo 8. Dorsal view of female (legs omitted); 9. Sternum, labium and maxillae, 10. Epigyne; 11. Internal genitalia; 12. Right male palp - ventral view; 13. Right male palp - inner view; 14. Right male palp ...;. outer view; 15. Right chelicera - ventral view.