Icius indicus (Simon, 1901) comb. nov.

Figs 4, 56

Heliophanus indica Simon, 1901: 152 (D♂, male holotype, not examined).

Icius koreanus Xiao, 1993: 123, figs 1–6 (♂, misidentified).

Pseudicius indicus – Wesołowska 1986: 231, figs 876–879 (T♂ from Heliophanus).

Phintella indica – Prószyński 1992: 199, figs 190–192 (T♂ from Pseudicius).

Pseudicius koreanus – Peng et al. 1993: 192, figs 671–679 (♂, misidentified; ♀ uncertain, maybe the unknown female).

Diagnosis

The male of Icius indicus (Simon, 1901) comb. nov. resembles that of I. grassei (Berland & Millot, 1941) in having a similar palp, but it can be easily distinguished by the digitiform cymbial apophysis (in retrolateral view) and the two tibial apophyses (Fig. 4A–B), whereas having a lamellar cymbial apophysis and only one tibial apophysis in I. grassei (Wesołowska 2017: figs 1b–e, 3e–f).

Material examined

CHINA • 1 ♂; Yunnan, Jingdong County, Huashan Township, Wen’e Village; 24°15.27′ N, 101°6.51′ E; 1190 m a.s.l.; 14 Aug. 2015; C. Wang et al. leg.; TRU-JS 0070 .

Redescription

Male (TRU-JS 0070)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.19. Carapace 1.49 long, 1.05 wide. Abdomen 1.68 long, 0.92 wide. Eye sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.30, ALE 0.15, PLE 0.15, AERW 0.88, PERW 0.92, EFL 0.65. Legs: I 2.78 (0.80, 0.50, 0.75, 0.44, 0.29), II 2.05 (0.61, 0.38, 0.45, 0.32, 0.29), III 2.02 (0.63, 0.30, 0.40, 0.37, 0.32), IV 2.56 (0.78, 0.48, 0.50, 0.46, 0.34).

HABITUS. Carapace red-brown to dark brown, covered with white and yellow scale-like setae and brown, long setae anteriorly, bearing four pairs of flat, brown, long scale-like setae on outer sides of eye field, and two clusters of pale scale-like setae behind PLEs (Fig. 4D, F). Chelicerae brown-yellow, with one retromarginal tooth and two promarginal teeth (Fig. 4F–G). Legs I dark to red-brown except metatarsi and tarsi yellow, with slightly inflated femora; other legs pale yellow (Fig. 4D–E). Abdomen elongated, dorsum pale yellow, covered with sparse brown setae, with several indistinct, wave-shaped, transverse, brown bands; venter pale, covered with thin setae (Fig. 4D–E).

PALP. Tibia stubby, with short, digitiform retrolateral apophysis and flat, sclerotized dorsal apophysis in retrolateral view; cymbium longer than wide, with baso-retrolateral apophysis semicircular in ventral view; bulb longer than wide; tegular bump distal-retrolaterally located; embolus short, curved retrolaterally into blunt tip (Fig. 4A–C).

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

China (Yunnan) (Fig. 56) and India.

Comments

Phintella indica (Simon, 1901) is documented as an Indo-Chinese species (Wesołowska 1986). The examined specimen is almost identical to the syntype of P. indica in palpal structure. Based on that, it was identified as P. indica . Moreover, P. indica possesses some unique features of Icius, e.g., having a dorsal cheliceral crest (Wesołowska 2017). Meanwhile, the habitus and palpal structures of this species resemble those of Icius more than those of species of Phintella, so, it is being transferred to Icius herein. Moreover, both males of Icius koreanus described by Xiao (1993), and Pseudicius koreanus described by Peng et al. (1993) are consistent with the examined specimen in palpal structure, and so, they are considered to be misidentified. Moreover, the female of Pseudicius koreanus described by Peng et al. (1993) could also be misidentified, and it may be the true female of I. indicus .