Lychas srilankensis Lourenço, 1997

(Figs. 13, 152–192, 198, 251, 407–408, 550)

Lychas srilankensis Lourenço, 1997: 831–836, figs. 1–9; Lourenço & Huber, 1999: 26; Fet & Lowe, 2000: 168; Kovařík & Ojanguren, 2013: 209, 364, figs. 1462–1470.

= Lychas ceylonensis Lourenço & Huber, 1999: 23–26, figs. 1–7 (syn. by Kovařík & Ojanguren, 2013: 209).

TYPE LOCALITY AND TYPE REPOSITORY. Sri Lanka, Northern Province, Mannar District, Occapu Kallu, Wilpattu; MHNG.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Sri Lanka, Northern Province, Jaffna District, 09°42'51.6"N 080°04'44.8"E, 19 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CJ, Fig. 586), 26. –27.IV.2015, 1♂ after 5th ecdysis (Figs. 152–153, 158, 160, 162–168, 174–180, 182, 198, 407) 1♀ (Figs. 154–155, 159, 161, 169–173, 181, 408) 1im. ♂, FKCP, 1♂, UPSL, leg. Kovařík et al .; North Central Province, Puttalam District, Eluwankulam, 08°12'35.1"N 079°51'32"E, 52 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CN, Fig. 591), 28.IV.2015, 1♂ after 3rd ecdysis (Figs. 183–186, 189, 550) 1♂ after 4th ecdysis 1♀ (Figs. 191–192), FKCP, leg. Kovařík et al .; North Central Province, Puttalam District, Eluwankulam, 08°17'15"N 079°50'38.7"E, 38 m a.s.l. (Locality 15CO, Fig. 592), 28.IV.2015, 2♂ (Figs. 156–157, 251) 1♀, FKCP, 1♀ 1juv, UPSL, leg. Kovařík et al .

DIAGNOSIS. Total length 38–65 mm. Sternum type 1, subpentagonal, exhibiting horizontal compression. Metasoma approximately the same length in both sexes, or male with slightly longer metasoma. Sixth row of granules on both movable and fixed fingers of pedipalps with out external and internal granules. First through third metasomal segments with 10 carinae, fourth with eight carinae. Lateral inframedian carinae of second and third metasomal segments may be incomplete. Fingers and manus of pedipalps identically colored, light and spotted. Manus of pedipalps smooth without granules in females and usually finely granulated in males. Pectinal teeth number 21–25.

HEMISPERMATOPHORE (Figs. 183–186). Trunk broad, short, only slightly longer than capsule region. Capsule region broad. Flagellum short, laminiform, with broad hyaline fin along internal margin of cylindrical core. Median lobe broad, with thin dorsal carina near internal margin. Basal lobe strongly developed, a broad, blunt hook-like process arising dorsally at base of median lobe carina.

COMMENTS. The taxonomic position of this species is not clear. L. srilankensis is very similar to L. tricarinatus (Simon, 1884) and there is a real possibility that further study of L. tricarinatus (type locality India, Pondichéry) could reveal that these two species are synonyms. Lourenço did not compare these two species and only compared L. srilankensis with L. shoplandi (Oates, 1888) and L. feae (Thorell, 1889) (= L. shoplandi) from Myanmar in the original description (Lourenço, 1997: 831–836, figs. 1–9). The description is superficial with several errors (e.g. compare Fig. 179 with fig. 6 in Lourenço 1997: 833, which depicts a spurious additional trichobothrium between d 4 and d 5; and the shape and densely hirsute setation of tarsomere II of leg IV in Fig. 165 with fig. 8 in Lourenço 1997: 833, which depicts same setation for tarsomeres I and II). Kovařík et Ojanguren (2013: 196) cited a difference in the length of the metasoma in males, but our study of new Sri Lankan specimens shows that there is little or no significant difference. Both species L. srilankensis and L. tricarinatus have the metasoma approximately the same length in both sexes, or the male has a slightly longer metasoma.

In the original description, L. ceylonensis was characterized as having the terminal accessory granules on the movable finger of the pedipalp modified into another (seventh) row of granules (see fig. 7 in Lourenço & Huber, 1999: 24). The authors (p. 26) distinguished L. ceylonensis from L. srilankensis as follows: "... the presence of 7 oblique rows of granules on the movable finger of pedipalp, instead of 6 as in L. srilankensis . The row of granules on the extremity of the finger is normal, and not represented merely by 3 or 4 accessory granules as it is in L. srilankensis ". This is incorrect. The male holotype of L. ceylonensis only has a right movable finger (the left is missing), and this finger only bears six rows of granules and three external accessory granules on its distal extremity (see Fig. 1465 in Kovařík & Ojanguren, 2013: 364), which is the normal condition for the genus Lychas (see genus diagnosis), including L. srilankensis .

DISTRIBUTION. Sri Lanka.