Olpium jacobsoni Tullgren, 1908

Batuwita, Sudesh & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2014, An annotated checklist and a family key to the pseudoscorpion fauna (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) of Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 3814 (1), pp. 37-67 : 49

Olpium jacobsoni Tullgren, 1908

( Fig. 4 I)

Olpium jacobsoni Tullgren 1908: 148 –150, fig 1; Ellingsen 1913: 455.

Distribution. India; Indonesia (Java; type locality); Sri Lanka; Taiwan; Thailand.

Previous record. No specific locality, Ceylon (= Sri Lanka), Arthur Willey, 22 October 1906 ( Ellingsen 1913).

New records. North Western Province: Kurunegala District: L 10; Eastern Province: Ampara District: L 12; Sabaragamuwa Provinc: Kegalle District: L 28.

Remarks. This species is tentatively identified based on Tullgren’s (1908) original description. The new specimens were collected by tree beating as well as litter sieving. The specimens, all males, have the following length/width ratios: carapace 1.4 (vs. 1.2 in male O. ceylonicum ), pedipalpal femur 2.6–2.9 (vs. 3.6), patella 2.2–2.5 (vs. 2.8) and chela 3.0–3.4 (vs. 3.0). The length/width ratios given by Tullgren (1908) were carapace 1.37, pedipalpal femur 3.0 and patella 2.4.

The records of Olpium ceylonicum and O. jacobsoni from Sri Lanka need further consideration. Ellingsen’s (1913) record of Olpium jacobsoni from Sri Lanka was based on a single specimen, which was sent to BMNH by Prof. Arthur Willey of the National Museum, Colombo. Unfortunately, as with many old records of the fauna of Sri Lanka, the exact locality of the specimen is unknown. Furthermore, Ellingsen’s (1913) record of O. jacobsonii from Sri Lanka lacks a detailed description of the specimen. It is possible that Ellingsen’s record might instead pertain to Olpium ceylonicum : the descriptions of these two species ( Tullgren, 1908; Beier, 1973) are very similar.

Figures

FIGURE 4. A. Afrochthonius reductus, male, Dunumadalawa. B. Afrochthonius ceylonicus, male, Ohiya. C. Tyrannochthonius heterodentatus, male, Kottawa-Kombala FR. D. Lagynochthonius brincki, male, Sudagala (Kuruwita). E. Afrosternophorus ceylonicus, female, IFS Aroboretum. F. Hya chamberlini, female (left) and male, Unachchiya. G. Ideoblothrus ceylonicus H. Calocheiridius mussardi, male, Akkaraipattu. I. Olpium jacobsoni, male, Inginiyagala. J. Indolpium loyolae, female, Wanathavillua.