Evarcha flavocincta (C. L. Koch, 1846 )

Caleb, John T. D., 2023, Deciphering mysteries: On the identity of five enigmatic jumping spiders from Northeast India, China and Philippines (Araneae, Salticidae), Zootaxa 5230 (3), pp. 391-400 : 392

Evarcha flavocincta (C. L. Koch, 1846)

Figs 1–6 , 25

Maevia flavocincta C. L. Koch, 1846: 74 , fig. 1330 (D ♀).

Evarcha flavocincta Żabka, 1985: 224 , figs 187–196 (♁ ♀); Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010: 165, figs 71–72 (♀); Roy et al., 2014: 380, figs 1–6 (♀); Dhali, Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2017: 29, figs 38–42, pl. 17 (♀); Prasad, Kumar & Tyagi, 2022: 1021, figs A–D (♀).

Plexippus optabilis Fox, 1937: 16 , fig, 7 (D ♀); holotype ♀ in the United States National Natural History Museum, Washington, D.C., examined drawings of the holotype by J. Prószyński (1987); syn. nov.

Marpissa mizoramensis B.K. Biswas & K. Biswas, 2007: 458 , figs 1–3 (D ♀); holotype ♀ in NZC-ZSI, Kolkata, examined; syn. nov.

For a complete list of taxonomic references refer the WSC (2022).

Type material. Marpissa mizoramensis Biswas & Biswas, 2007 : Holotype ♀ ( NZC-ZSI 5480 /18) from INDIA, Mizoram, Lunglei (22.8629°N, 92.7750°E), 962 m a.s.l., 25.03.1994, leg. Bijan Biswas.

Justification of synonymy. Marpissa mizoramensis Biswas & Biswas, 2007 was described from Lunglei, Mizoram based on a female holotype ( Biswas & Biswas 2007). Detailed examination of the holotype revealed that the general body colour pattern and the sclerotized epigyne with large, comma shaped grooves separated by a broad median septum; posterior margin with a pair of lateral pockets; complex and coiled internal duct system with membraneous ducts running initially from the copulatory openings and gradually becoming sclerotized; anteriorly placed spermathecae are identical with that of Evarcha flavocincta (cf. Figs 1–4 with figs 187–192 in Żabka (1985)). The name Marpissa mizoramensis is therefore regarded as a junior synonym of E. flavocincta .

Evarcha optabilis ( Fox, 1937) was described based on a female holotype collected from Suifu, Szechwan Province (now Sichuan Province), China ( Fox 1937). The illustrations of the genitalia of the holotype ( Fox 1937; Prószyński 1987) depict the epigyne with comma shaped grooves separated by a broad median septum; posterior margin with a pair of lateral pockets; internal duct system apparently coiling and positioned anteriorly are identical with that of Evarcha flavocincta (cf. fig. 7 in Fox (1937) and illustration in Prószyński (1987: 26) with figs 188 & 191 in Żcabka (1985) and Fig. 2 herein). It is thus safe to consider E. optabilis as a junior synonym of E. flavocincta .

Distribution. India, China to Indonesia ( WSC 2022). India: Mizoram ( Biswas & Biswas 2004: sub Marpissa mizoramensis ), Odisha ( Prasad et al. 2022), West Bengal ( Roy et al. 2014; Dhali, Saha & Raychaudhuri 2017; Tyagi et al. 2019) ( Fig. 25 ).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Map showing the distribution of Evarcha flavocincta (circles), Hyllus diardi (squares) andPancorius manipuriensis (star) studied in this work.

FIGURES 1–6. Somatic and genitalia morphology of Marpissa mizoramensis Biswas & Biswas, 2007, holotype. 1—habitus, dorsal view; 2—epigyne, ventral view; 3—ditto, dorsal view; 4—ditto, anterior view; 5, 6—labels. Scale bars: (1) 1 mm, (2–4) 0.2 mm.