Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Sherwood, Danniella & Jäger, Peter, 2024, On the identity of species of the huntsman spider genus Thelcticopis Karsch, 1884 (Araneae: Sparassidae: Sparianthinae) from India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5463 (3), pp. 301-338 : 304-306

Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901

Figs 2–3 , 27

Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901: 488 (♀). Type material. Holotype ♀, INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Ootacamund (=Ooty/ Udhagamandalam) [ca. 11°23’N, 76°41’E; 2249 m a.s.l.], date unknown, G.F. Hampson leg., No. 4 (NHMUK, without registration number; examined).

Diagnosis. Females of T. ajax are distinguished from those of all other known females of Thelcticopis by the short median septum (including region with lateral lobes) in comparison to the total length of the epigynal field, i.e., approximately a third of epigynal field length (vs. half the length or longer in all other species with known females) (e.g., Figs 2D , 3A vs. Figs 6C , 7A , 8D , 9A , 10D , 11D–E , 12C , 14F , 16A , 22D–E , 24C ).

Supplementary description. Female (holotype; Figs 2A–C , 3C–E ). Colouration: dark red-brown [after Pocock 1901: carapace and legs deep black-brown; carapace, opisthosoma and legs clothed with grey-brown setae; thoracic striae evident]. Opisthosoma dorsally without pattern, ventrally with median band. Eyes in two rows, anterior straight, posterior procurved; AME largest, PME smallest, lateral eyes of about the same size ( Fig. 3C ). Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 6–7 retromarginal teeth, anterior teeth with increasing size distally ( Figs 3D–E ). Body length 21.9. Carapace 10.0 long. Opisthosoma 11.9 long. Chelicerae 2.65 long. Legs: I 27.49 (8.02, 4.32, 7.40, 6.20, 1.55), II 26.85 (8.04, 4.02, 7.32, 5.93, 1.54), III 22.80 (6.93, 3.45, 5.72, 4.92, 1.78), IV 26.32 (7.30, 3.37, 6.30, 7.09, 2.26). Leg formula: 1423. Spination of legs: femur I–III 323, tibia I–II 000(12), III–IV 0008, metatarsus I–III 0002, IV 0004. Genitalia ( Figs 2D–E , 3A–B ): epigynal field longer than wide, anteriorly narrower, roughly pentagonal, with two pairs of lateral slit sensilla medially ( Figs 2D , 3A ). Lateral lobes short, i.e., about one third of epigynal field length, obliquely oriented, sclerotized, distinctly separated, without posterior projections ( Figs 2D , 3A ). Median septum with one pair of lateral depressions anteriorly and a broad median ridge ( Figs 2D , 3A ). Copulatory ducts sclerotized, elongate oval in shape, medially broad, with S-shaped narrow part dorsally in posterior half ( Figs 2E , 3B ). Fertilisation ducts narrow, their tips latero-distad ( Fig. 3B ).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu) ( Pocock 1901) ( Fig. 27 ).

Remarks. The holotype of T. ajax is in fact a female specimen ( Fig. 2 ), which is not noted by the World Spider Catalog (2024). The sex of the holotype can be elucidated in the original description, where Pocock (1901) used the word ‘ Vulva’ at the 7 th line of species description, indicating that the type specimen of T. ajax is a female. However, he did not provide the ‘female symbol’ along with the description as in other cases, which is obviously a printing error/ lapsus calami also found with the description of T. hercules (see below).

Figures

FIGURES 2A–F. Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901, holotype female.A–B Prosoma (A dorsal, B ventral); C Opisthosoma, dorsal; D Epigyne, ventral; E Vulva, dorsal; F Labels in the holotype vial. Scale bars: A–E, 1 mm. Photographs by Danniella Sherwood, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

FIGURES 3A–E. Thelcticopis ajax Pocock, 1901, holotype female. A Epigyne, ventral; B Vulva, dorsal; C Eye arrangement, dorsal; D–E Chelicerae, ventral (D left, E right). Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 6A–E. Thelcticopis birmanica Thorell, 1895 stat. rev., holotype female. A–B Habitus (A dorsal, B ventral); C Epigyne, ventral; D Vulva, dorsal; E Labels in the holotype vial. Scale bars: A–D, 1 mm. Photographs by Danniella Sherwood, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

FIGURES 7A–E. Thelcticopis birmanica Thorell, 1895 stat. rev., holotype female. A Epigyne, ventral; B–C Vulva (B dorsal, C anterior); D Eye arrangement, dorsal; E Left chelicera, ventral. Abbreviations: AB—anterior band of epigynal field; CD— copulatory duct; EF—epigynal field; FD—fertilisation duct; LL—lateral lobe; MS—median septum; S—spermatheca; SS—slit sensillum. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 8A–F. Thelcticopis hercules Pocock, 1901, holotype female. A–B Prosoma (A dorsal, B ventral); C Opisthosoma, dorsal; D Epigyne, ventral; E Vulva, dorsal; F Labels in the holotype vial. Scale bars: A–E, 1 mm. Photographs by Danniella Sherwood, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

FIGURES 9A–D. Thelcticopis hercules Pocock, 1901, holotype female. A Epigyne, ventral; B Vulva, dorsal; C Eye arrangement, dorsal; D Right chelicera, ventral. Abbreviation: PP—posterior projection. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 10A–D. Thelcticopis moolampilliensis Sunil Jose & Sebastian, 2007, holotype female (considered lost). A Habitus, dorsal; B Cephalic part, dorsal; C Prosoma, ventral; D Epigyne, ventral. Figures are not to scale. Photographs by Sunil Jose.

FIGURES 11A–F. Thelcticopis moolampilliensis Sunil Jose & Sebastian, 2007, non-type male (A, C) and female (B, D–F) (ZSI/ WGRC/I.R.INV.26579). A–B Habitus, dorsal; C Left palp, ventral; D–E Epigyne ventral (D not dissected, E same dissected and cleared in 10% KOH); F Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A–B, 2 mm; C, 1 mm; D–F, 0.5 mm. Photographs by Pradeep Sankaran.

FIGURES 12A–D. Thelcticopis moolampilliensis Sunil Jose & Sebastian, 2007, genitalia of non-type male (A–B) and female (C–D) (ZSI/WGRC/I.R.INV.26579). A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C Epigyne, ventral; D Vulva, dorsal. Abbreviations: C—conductor; CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; CS—cymbial scopula; E—embolus; FD— fertilisation duct; GA—glandular appendage; LL—lateral lobe of epigyne; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; S—spermatheca; Sp—spermophor; T—tegulum; TA—tegular apophysis; UA—unpaired appendage; VDL—ventro-distal lobe of palpal tibia. Scale bars: A–B, 1 mm; C–D, 0.5 mm. Drawings by Pradeep Sankaran.

FIGURES 14A–L. Thelcticopis nalandica (Karsch, 1892) comb. rest, holotype male of Stasina nigropicta (A–E), female (F–L). A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C, I Eye arrangement, dorsal; D, J–K Chelicerae, ventral (D, K left, J right); E Habitus, dorsal; F Epigyne, ventral; G Vulva, dorsal. H Schematic course of internal duct system, dorsal. L Opisthosoma, dorsal. Abbreviation: CT—conductor tip. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 16A–G. Thelcticopis picta (Thorell, 1887), holotype female.A Epigyne, ventral; B, D Vulva (B dorsal, D lateral); C Schematic course of internal duct system, dorsal; E Eye arrangement, dorsal; F Opisthosoma, dorsal; G Left and right chelicerae, ventral. Drawings by Peter Jäger (modified after Jäger 2005).

FIGURES 22A–F. Thelcticopis virescens Pocock, 1901, non-type male (A, C) (ZSI/WGRC/I.R.INV.26583) and female (B, D–F) (ZSI/WGRC/I.R.INV.26585). A–B Habitus, dorsal; C Left palp, ventral; D–E Epigyne, ventral (D not dissected, E same dissected and cleared in 10% KOH); F Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A–C, 2 mm; D–F, 1 mm. Photographs by Pradeep Sankaran.

FIGURES 24A–D. Thelcticopis virescens Pocock, 1901, genitalia of non-type male (A–B) (ZSI/WGRC/I.R.INV.26583) and female (C–D) (ZSI/WGRC/I.R.INV.26585). A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C Epigyne, ventral; D Vulva, dorsal. Abbreviations: aE—apical filiform part of embolus; bE—basal wide flattened part of embolus; bpC—basal process of conductor; C—conductor; CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; CS—cymbial scopula; dRTA—dorsal part of RTA; FD—fertilisation duct; GA—glandular appendage; LL—lateral lobe of epigyne; MS—median septum; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; S—spermatheca; Sp—spermophor; T—tegulum; TA—tegular apophysis; VDL—ventro-distal lobe of palpal tibia; vRTA—ventral part of RTA. Arrow indicates beak-like process of conductor. Scale bars: A–B, 2 mm; C–D, 1 mm. Drawings by Pradeep Sankaran.

FIGURE 27. Distribution of the genus Thelcticopis Karsch, 1884 in southern India and Sri Lanka.