On the taxonomic validity of Indian ground spiders: V. Genera Megamyrmaekion Reuss, 1834, Sosticus Chamberlin, 1922 and Gaviphosa gen. nov. (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) Author Sankaran, Pradeep M. 0000-0003-0884-5625 Division of Arachnology, Department of Zoology, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Cochin, Kerala 682 013, India. pradeepmspala @ rediffmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0884 - 5625 pradeepmspala@rediffmail.com Author Caleb, John T. D. 0000-0002-9471-9467 Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 053, India. caleb 87 woodgate @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 9471 - 9467 caleb87woodgate@gmail.com text Zootaxa 2021 2021-09-23 5040 4 539 564 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5040.4.5 1175-5326 5531757 310C2BAC-958A-4F78-BF7C-5D60946721B2 Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874 ) Figs 38–43 Drassus luridus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874: 396 , plate 52, fig. 21 ( ♂ ♀ ). Scopodes maitraiae Tikader & Gajbe, 1977: 14 , fig. 1A–E ( ♂ ♀ ). Drassodes luridus Tikader, 1982: 409 , figs 260–263 ( ♂ ♀ ) (for complete list of references, see World Spider Catalog (2021)) . Megamyrmecion kajalae Biswas & Biswas, 1992: 430 , figs 39–41 ( ♀ ) (lapsus). New synonymy Type material of M. kajalae . Holotype ♀ from INDIA : West Bengal : North 24 Parganas : Palta : Santi Nagar ( 22°46’57.51’’N , 88°22’50.46’’E ), 12 m alt., Bijan Biswas leg., 11.VIII.1987 , NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (5408/18), examined . Paratype 1 ♀ , same data as holotype except 5409/18, examined . Justification of the transfer and synonymy. This species possesses diagnostic features of Drassodes : trochanters notched, epigyne with curved lateral margins and vulva consists of primary and secondary spermathecae (compare Figs 40–42 with Platnick & Shadab 1976 : figs 31–32, 35–36). Study of the types of M. kajalae revealed that it well fits to the diagnostic characters of D. luridus : inverted pyriform epigynal plate with antero-laterally thickened rims and small, sclerotised, horizontally oriented primary spermathecae with large, hyaline, inflated balloon-like secondary spermathecae (compare Figs 40–42 with Tikader 1982 : figs 261–262 and Caleb et al. 2014 : fig. 1e–f). Based on these observations, we propose to consider M. kajalae as a junior synonym of D. luridus . Remarks. The ZSI collection has two glass tubes with ‘ M. kajalae ’. There is a common label for both these tubes that mentions as ‘ holotype and paratype’ with registration numbers ‘5408/18’ and ‘5409/18’ respectively. A tube contains one female specimen in good condition. The same tube has a micro-vial containing the dissected epigyne. The other tube contains one female specimen in good condition, with intact epigyne.