Tropizodium kovvurensis ( Reddy & Patel, 1993 ) Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian, 2019

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2019, Transfer of the Indian species formerly included in the genus Lutica Marx, 1891 to Tropizodium Jocqué & Churchill, 2005 and Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 (Araneae Zodariidae), Zootaxa 4658 (1), pp. 168-174 : 170-171

Tropizodium kovvurensis ( Reddy & Patel, 1993) comb. nov.

( Fig. 2 A–D)

Lutica kovvurensis Reddy & Patel, 1993: 173 , fig. 1a–h (Description and illustrations of male and female).

Type material. Holotype female from INDIA: costal Andhra Pradesh: West Godavari: Kovvur (17°00’45.08’’N, 81°43’36.24’’E), 21 m alt.; T.S. Reddy leg.; date unknown; repository NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (no register number), not examined . Allotype (1 male, no register number) with same data as holotype, not examined .

Remark. We were unable to trace the types of L. kovvurensis in the arachnid collection of ZSI, even though the authors mentioned that the types are deposited in ZSI, Kolkata ( Reddy & Patel 1993).

Other material examined. INDIA, Kerala: Ernakulam, Malayattoor , (10°11’43.76’’N, 76°29’48.45’’E), 27 m alt., 23 January 2014, M.S. Pradeep leg. , from ground, by hand: 3 females ( ADSH 112763) .

Justification of transfer. Reddy and Patel (1993) described this species on the basis of one female and one male specimens collected in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Although we could not examine the types of L. kovvurensis , the original illustrations of the female habitus and female genitalia of this species are diagnosable and show diagnostic features of Tropizodium . The first and most important diagnostic character refers to the vulva of L. kovvurensis , which is represented by distantly lying spermathecae without clearly defined copulatory ducts ( Reddy & Patel 1993 fig. 1c–d). Such vulva is a characteristic feature of Tropizodium species ( Jocqué & Churchill 2005). Features such as AME largest and epigyne posteriorly with a small central depression of L. kovvurensis ( Reddy & Patel 1993 fig. 1a, c–d) are also congruent with the diagnostic features of Tropizodium species ( Jocqué & Churchill 2005). All these characters clearly indicate that Reddy and Patel (1993) misplaced this species under Lutica . Based on these observations, we propose to transfer L. kovvurensis to Tropizodium .

Redescription. Female in alcohol ( Fig. 2A ). Carapace, clypeus, chelicerae, fangs brownish. Carapace with black patches and streaks. Eye field, opisthosoma black. Endites, labium, sternum, leg and palpal segments pale brownish. Opisthosoma hirsute, elongate triangular, with thin postero-lateral corrugations ( Fig. 2A ). Spinnerets straw coloured. Body length 3.96. Carapace length 1.85, width 1.43. Opisthosoma length 2.11, width 1.41. Eye diameters: ALE 0.11. AME 0.16. PLE 0.07. PME 0.06. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.08. AME–ALE 0.04. AME–PME 0.14. PME–PME 0.29. PME–PLE 0.07. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.36, at ALEs 0.30. Chelicerae length 0.64. Measurements of palp and legs. Palp 1.58 [0.52, 0.37, 0.28, 0.41], I 6.24 [1.67, 0.56, 1.45, 1.70, 0.86], II 6.14 [1.59, 0.65, 1.24, 1.85, 0.81], III 6.02 [1.56, 0.54, 1.26, 1.75, 0.91], IV 8.10 [2.05, 0.68, 1.88, 2.49, 1.00]. Leg formula: 4123. Genitalia ( Fig. 2 B–C): epigyne hardly sclerotized; posteriorly with a central, nearly triangular depression ( Fig. 2C ). Copulatory openings situated postero-laterally, behind the fertilization ducts. Spermathecae ovoid ( Fig. 2C ). Fertilization ducts narrow, lying parallel to each other ( Fig. 2C ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Tropizodium kovvurensis (Reddy & Patel, 1993) comb. nov.. A Female habitus, dorsal. B Epigyne of female, ventral. C Vulva of the same, dorsal. D Original illustrations adopted from Reddy and Patel (1993). Scale bars: A 1 mm; B–C 0.2 mm.