Makdiops, Crews, Sarah C. & Harvey, Mark S., 2011

Crews, Sarah C. & Harvey, Mark S., 2011, The spider family Selenopidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Australasia and the Oriental Region, ZooKeys 99, pp. 1-104 : 61-62

Genus Makdiops gen. n.

Type species:

Selenops montigenus Simon, 1889.

Etymology.

Makdiops comes from a combination of words and is from the indigenous language of the region in which this genus is found. Hindi: मकड ़ी = makdi (romanization) =spider; Greek: ops = face, eye. We retain the traditional ending of selenopid genera of ops, which originally referred to the eye arrangement. The gender is masculine.

Diagnosis.

Makdiops gen. n.can be separated from all other genera by a combination of characters. The ventral spination of the tibiae and metatarsi is 4-3, 3-3, or 3-2, there are no tarsal scopulae, and the genus is only found from India and Nepal.

Remarks.

Here we describe two new species, move three species from Selenops to Makdiops gen. n. ( Makdiops montigenus comb. n., Makdiops agumbensis comb. n., Makdiops nilgirensis comb. n.), redescribe Makdiops montigenus comb. n., including the first description of the male.

It appears that at least two genera, Makdiops gen. n.and Selenops , occur throughout the Indo-Asian region (Map 1, Map 3). The species of Selenops include Selenops radiatus , the most widespread selenopid species, Selenops sumitrae Patel & Patel, 1973, and Selenops shevaroyensis Gravely, 1931. We were unable to examine specimens of the latter two species, however the published descriptions and illustrations of Selenops sumitrae (Patel & Patel 1973) make it difficult to differentiate from Selenops radiatus , and if it is not a synonym, they are certainly very closely related. The description and illustration of Selenops shevaroyensis are inadequate ( Gravely 1931) and the type is not available. At this time, we will make no taxonomic changes to this species, pending the collection of new material.

It is likely that several more species from this region will be found with further exploration, and it is of note that the male of only one species of Makdiops gen. n. is known. Most of these are known from only a single specimen, and in cases where they are not, there seems to be a lot of variation. While it is possible that these species may represent more than one genus, at this time, we will group them together based on their geographic locations, genitalic similarities, and lack of tarsal scopulae.

Description.

Total length 6.70-9.70. Cephalothorax: Carapace with some dark spots or dusky markings, wider than long. Fovea longitudinal, short, broad, and shallow. Setae variable, ranging from short and spine-like, to long and thin; some are of medium length and thickness. AER straight, PER slightly recurved to recurved. PME larger than AME. Chelicerae slightly geniculate, robust, with 3 prolateral and 2 retrolateral teeth. Legs: Leg II or III longest, with III usually longer than IV. Tibial and metatarsal ventral spination variable, either 4-3, 3-3, or 3-2. Tarsal scopulae absent. Female copulatory organs: Epigynum with lateral lobes, a well-defined median area, and with or without epigynal pockets. Spermathecae range from being simple and not coiled, to some coiling, to extremely coiled and asymmetrical. Posterodorsal fold present or not. Male copulatory organs: The male of only one species is known. Palpal tibia with 1 tibial bifid apophysis. Dorsal portion longer, thin and slightly curved; ventral portion shorter and flattened; MA small, simple and single-branched; Conductor large, T-shaped, pointed retrolaterally.

Distribution.

Makdiops gen. n.occurs throughout India and Nepal (Map 3). It has been found at a higher elevation than any other selenopid species, at over 2500 m. It is likely to be found in other countries throughout the region (Map 3).

Composition.

The genus contains five species: Makdiops montigenus (Simon, 1889)comb. n., Makdiops agumbensis (Tikader, 1969)comb. n., Makdiops nilgirensis (Reimoser, 1934)comb. n., Makdiops shiva sp. n. and Makdiops mahishasura sp. n.

Key to Makdiops species