Hippasa lycosina Pocock, 1900

Figs 1G, 19–22, 39

Hippasa lycosina Pocock, 1900: 250 (♀). Gravely 1924: 593, fig. 1B (♀)

Hippasa mahabaleshwarensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980: 285, figs 85–89 (♂ ♀), synonymised by Song (1987) (for complete list of references, see World Spider Catalog 2022).

Type material. H. lycosina . Syntypes 2 ♀♀ from INDIA: Maharashtra: Nashik (=Nasik) (20°04'N, 73°36'E; 625 m alt.), date unknown, Millet leg., repository NHM (1899), not examined (illustrations of this species given in Tikader & Malhotra (1980: figs 91–92), who studied the types are diagnostic and were used for comparative purpose). H. mahabaleshwarensis . Holotype ♀ from INDIA: Maharashtra: Satara: Mahabaleshwar (17°56'N, 73°31'E; 151 m alt.); 26 March 1976, B.K. Tikader leg., repository NZC-ZSI (4651/18), examined . Paratypes 3 ♀♀ and allotypes 2 ♂♂, with the same data as holotype, examined .

Other material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: Chikmagalur: Mullayanagiri Peak (13°23'N, 75°43'E; 1894 m alt.), 18 February 2014, M.S. Pradeep leg., from web on ground, by hand: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (ADSH595026) .

Diagnosis. Males of H. lycosina are most similar to the males of H. albopunctata Thorell, 1899 as both share a short anterior arm of tegular apophysis and ventrally visible subtegulum, but can be separated from the latter by anterior arm of tegular apophysis with prolaterally oriented tip (vs. posteriorly in H. albopunctata), and broad mesal arm of tegular apophysis with rounded tip (vs. narrow, thorn-like in H. albopunctata, compare Figs 19F–G, 21A–B with Alderweireldt & Jocqué 2005: fig. 14). Females are similar to the females of H. himalayensis as both share a large epigynal atrium, but can be separated from the latter by a widely triangular epigynal atrium (vs. narrowly triangular in H. himalayensis), and spherical spermathecae (vs. peanut-shaped in H. himalayensis, compare Figs 20F–G, 21D–E with Fig. 14C–D).

Supplementary description. Male in ethanol (ADSH595026; Fig. 19A–D). Carapace pale yellow coloured, with a median straight white stripe extending from PMEs up to rear end of fovea, with paired lateral longitudinal white bands extending along the entire length of carapace, medially clothed with fine black appressed setae, with a few scattered erect spine-like setae restricted to cephalic part. Eye region, clypeus, sternum pale yellow coloured; chelicerae, endites, labium, leg and pedipalp segments, and spinnerets pale brownish; dorsum of opisthosoma black, sides and venter creamy-white; leg and pedipalp segments with black annulations and patches. Thoracic fovea reddish, long (1.38), straight, longitudinal (Fig. 19A). Thoracic part laterally black. Chelicerae dorsally clothed with moderately long setae; inner and outer surfaces provided with stridulatory files; promargin provided with a series of long setae with bend tips, pro- and retromargins with three teeth (Fig. 19C). Sternum provided with thick covering of black setae, with a broad median longitudinal black band (Fig. 19B). Opisthosoma elongate-ovoid, hirsute (Fig. 19A); cardiac area marked with a reddish brown patch bordered by narrow longitudinal creamy-white bands; dorsum anteriorly provided with two pairs of white lateral stripes, with a few scattered white spots and patches, medioposteriorly with a few transverse roughly W-shaped bands; sides with thin black streaks; venter medially with paired, longitudinal broad bands of chalk white spots. Spinnerets hirsute (Fig. 19D). Legs long, slender, hirsute, spinose; metatarsi I–II with distal and all tarsi with complete scopulae, all well-developed. Body length 16.02. Carapace 7.93 long, 5.75 wide. Opisthosoma 8.09 long, 4.62 wide. Eye diameters and interdistances: ALE 0.32, AME 0.34, PLE 0.44, PME 0.50; AME–ALE 0.09, AME–AME 0.16, AME–PME 0.21, PLE–PLE 1.35, PME–PLE 0.51, PME–PME 0.42. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.34, at ALEs 0.34. Length of chelicerae 3.92. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 11.65 [4.13, 1.77, 2.73, 3.02], I 29.76 [7.36, 3.40, 6.70, 8.06, 4.24], II 28.40 [7.41, 3.12, 6.24, 7.82, 3.81], III 26.58 [7.19, 2.90, 5.56, 7.50, 3.43], IV 36.20 [8.83, 3.22, 7.90, 11.78, 4.47]. Leg formula: 4123. Spination of pedipalp: femur pld 1 do 4, patella spineless, tibia pl 1 pld 1 do 2, tarsus/cymbium spineless; legs: femur I pld 2 do 3 rld 3, II–III pld 3 do 3 rld 3, IV pld 3 do 3 rld 1; patellae I–IV pld 1 do 2 rld 1; tibia I pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 3, II pl 1 pld 1 plv 2 rl 2 rlv 3, III pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 do 2 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 2, IV pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 do 2 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 3; metatarsus I pld 2 plv 3 rld 2 rlv 3 vt 1, II pld 3 plv 3 rld 2 rlv 3 vt 1, III pld 3 plv 3 rld 3 rlv 3 vt 1, IV pld 3 plv 3 rld 3 rlv 4 vt 1; tarsi I–IV spineless. Pedipalp (Figs 19E–H, 23A–C): segments hirsute; cymbium proximally wide, gradually narrowing towards apex, without apical claw-like macrosetae, distoventrally provided with long hairs with bend tips (Fig. 19G). Tegulum large, occupying more than half of the ventral side of bulb (Figs 19E–G, 21A–B; T). Subtegulum small, subglobular, posteroprolaterally located (Figs 19E–F, 21A; ST). Palea small, roughly rectangular, less sclerotised (Fig. 19F, H, 21A, C; Pa). Synembolus short, narrow, C-shaped, arising on ventroprolateral margin of palea, with smoothly rounded tip (Figs 19H, 21C; Se). Tegular process short, irregular, visible only in retrolateral view (Figs 19G, 21B; RTP). Tegular apophysis with short, flat, wide anterior arm having prolaterally directed rounded tip and short retrolaterally directed mesal arm (Figs 19F–G, 21A–B; TA, AT, MT). Conductor large, hyaline, lying behind embolus, masking tegular process, with a retrolateral bent (Figs 19F–G, 21A–B; C). Embolus thin, masked entirely by distal part of tegulum, moderately long, with U-shaped curved tip, with broad embolic base (Figs 19H, 21C; E, EB).

Female in ethanol (ADSH595026; Fig. 20A–D). Like the male, except by the following: carapace, clypeus, sternum, leg and palp segments, spinnerets pale brownish; chelicerae, endites, labium brownish; venter of opisthosoma lacks bands of chalk white spots. Thoracic fovea slightly short (1.25) (Fig. 20A). Body length 17.99. Carapace 8.17 long, 6.04 wide. Opisthosoma 9.82 long, 5.58 wide. Eye diameters and interdistances: ALE 0.26, AME 0.28, PLE 0.42, PME 0.45; AME–ALE 0.21, AME–AME 0.26, AME–PME 0.32, PLE–PLE 1.50, PME–PLE 0.55, PME–PME 0.41. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.42, at ALEs 0.34. Length of chelicerae 3.72. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 10.31 [3.55, 1.73, 2.29, 2.74], I 24.22 [6.95, 3.14, 5.40, 5.67, 3.06], II 23.79 [6.99, 3.04, 5.05, 5.48, 3.23], III 22.94 [6.72, 2.89, 4.80, 5.76, 2.77], IV 32.66 [8.73, 3.20, 7.13, 9.71, 3.89]. Spination of palp: femur pld 1 do 3 rld 1, patella pld 1 do 2, tibia pl 1 pld 1 rld 1, tarsus pl 1 pld 2 rl 1 rlv 1; legs: femur II pld 3 do 2 rld 3, IV pld 2 do 3 rld 1; tibia I pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 rl 2 rlv 3, II pl 1 pld 1 plv 2 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 3, III pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 do 2 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 1, IV pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 do 2 rl 1 rld 2 rlv 1. Genitalia (Figs 20E–G, 21D–F): epigyne clothed in bushy setae (Fig. 20E), with broadly triangular median and narrow lateral plates (Figs 20F, 21D; MEP, LEP); median plate with large atrium leading to triangular hood internally (Figs 20F–G, 21D–E; H). Spermathecal stalks with irregular wide proximal and narrow tubular distal parts (Figs 20G, 21E–F; SS). Accessory glands globular, without stalk arising distolateral to spermathecal stalks (Fig. 21F; AG). Spermathecae globular (Figs 20G, 21E; S). Fertilization ducts anteriorly directed, diverging (Figs 20G, 21E; FD).

Distribution. China, Laos and India: Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand (Pocock 1900; Gravely 1924; Tikader & Malhotra 1980; Yin & Wang 1980; Hu 1984; Chen & Gao 1990; Jäger & Praxaysombath 2011; Wang et al. 2015; Ahmed et al. 2015; Marusik & Nadolny 2021; present data) (Fig. 39).

Remarks. We examined the types of Hippasa mahabaleshwarensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 and confirmed its synonymy with H. lycosina as proposed by Song (1987, compare Figs 19F–G, 21A–B with Fig. 22B–C).