Megamyrmaekion pritiae ( Tikader, 1982 ) Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian, 2019

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2019, On the taxonomic validity of Indian ground spiders: I. Genus Scopoides Platnick, 1989 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), Zootaxa 4648 (1), pp. 155-164 : 156-159

Megamyrmaekion pritiae ( Tikader, 1982) comb. nov.

Figs 7–16

Scopodes pritiae Tikader, 1982: 369 , figs 175–180.

Scopoides pritiae Platnick, 1989 .

Type material. Holotype female from INDIA: Maharashtra: Pune (formerly Poona): Bhaja Cave near Karla (18 o 43’42.21’’N, 73 o 28’53.56’’E), 721 m alt.; B.K. Tikader leg.; 5 November 1963; repository NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (5011/18), examined. Two male paratypes with the same data as holotype except collection number, which is 5012/18, examined.

Justification of the transfer. Tikader (1982) described S. pritiae based on male and female specimens collected from Maharashtra.The original genitalic illustrations ( Tikader 1982: figs 176–177, 179) of this species clearly showed that it is misplaced within Scopoides . Detailed examination of the types of S. pritiae revealed that it has resemblance with the species of Megamyrmaekion Reuss, 1834 as illustrated in Murphy (2007: figs 362–363), in Levy (1999: fig. 31) and in Levy (2009: fig. 32): prosoma with short trapezoid cephalic and nearly circular thoracic parts, arrangement of eyes and vulvae with distinct primary spermathecae with blind paramedian lobes and secondary spermathecae with tubular stalks ( Figs 8–9 , 15–16 ). Moreover the pedipalp of this species ( Figs 12–13 ) has structural similarities with the pedipalp of Megamyrmaekion caudatum Reuss, 1834 , the type species of the genus, illustrated in Levy (2009; fig. 29). Based on these observations, we consider the decision to transfer S. pritiae to Megamyrmaekion fully justified.

Supplemetary description. Male (allotype; Fig. 8 ). Trochanters notched. Body length 8.64. Prosoma length 4.27, width 2.98. Opisthosoma length 4.37, width 2.88. Eye diameters: ALE 0.17. AME 0.23. PLE 0.18. PME 0.17. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.10. AME–PME 0.26. PME–PLE 0.16. PME–PME 0.09. Chelicerae length 1.42. Measurements of pedipalp and legs. Pedipalp (left) 3.92 [1.44, 0.78, 0.61, 1.09], I (right) 11.57 [3.47, 1.95, 2.48, 2.25, 1.42], II 11.01 [3.24, 1.80, 2.46, 2.29, 1.22], III 10.94 [3.06, 1.49, 2.36, 2.52, 1.51], IV—[3.54, 1.75, 2.77, 3.52, --]. Pedipalp ( Figs 12–14 ). Retrolateral tibial apophysis short, stout with distal bent, with its tip directed at 2-o’ clock position ( Figs 13–14 ). Bulb sac-like, with slight postero-prolateral bulging ( Fig. 12 ). Median apophysis short, stout, apico-retrolaterally oriented, with distal part lying in close proximity with embolic tip, directed at 10-o’ clock position ( Fig. 12 ). Embolus short, narrow, apico-prolaterally oriented ( Fig. 12 ).

Female (holotype; Figs 7, 9 ). Body length 8.04. Prosoma length 3.70, width 2.90. Opisthosoma length 4.34, width 2.85. Eye diameters: ALE 0.19. AME 0.20. PLE 0.20. PME 0.16. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.06. AME–PME 0.23. PME–PLE 0.15. PME–PME 0.10. Chelicerae length 1.11. Genitalia ( Figs 15–16 ). Epigyne roughly squarish, less sclerotized plate, without median depression, with antero-lateral hoods and narrow lateral folds, with W-shaped posterior margin ( Fig. 15 ). Copulatory ducts short, sclerotized. Primary spermathecae sclerotized, confronting each other, with ventro-medially oriented short blind paramedian lobes ( Fig. 16 ). Secondary spermathecae globular, with long tubular stalks attached basally to copulatory ducts. Fertilization ducts moderately large, flat, diverging ( Fig. 16 ).

Remarks. The ZSI collection has two glass bottles for this species. First bottle labeled as ‘holotype’ (5012/18) contains one female specimen with detached opisthosoma, left legs II and IV and right legs III–IV. The same bottle has a small glass vial containing the dissected genitalia. Second bottle labeled as ‘allotype’ (5012/18) contains two male specimens, all of which are in fairly good condition. There seems to be inconsistency in the collecting month mentioned in the labels: holotype label mentions ‘January’, where the allotype label indicates ‘November’; but in the literature, the collecting month was given as ‘November’ for both holotype and allotype.

Figures

FIGURES 7–11. Scopodes pritiae Tikader, 1982 (NZC-ZSI-5012/18). 7 holotype female habitus, dorsal view; 8 allotype male habitus, dorsal view. 9 eye group of holotype female, dorsal view. 10–11 labels from type bottle. Scale bars: 7–8, 2 mm; 9, 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 12–16. Scopodes pritiae Tikader, 1982 (NZC-ZSI-5012/18). 12–14 left pedipalp of allotype male (12 ventral view, 13 retrolateral view, 14 enlarged view of retrolateral tibial apophysis); 15–16 genitalia of holotype female (15 epigyne, ventral view, 16 vulvae, dorsal view). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.