Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874 )

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 : 161-163

Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874)

Figs 27–33

Drassus luridus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874: 396 , plate 52, fig. 21 [holotype female from INDIA: Bombay, Maharashtra, deposited in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (bottle No. 254, tube No. 138), not examined].

Drassodes luridus Tikader, 1982: 409 , figs 260–263; Caleb, Karthikeyani & Muthuchelian, 2014: 135, figs 1a–f, 2a–c.

Scopodes maitraiae Tikader & Gajbe, 1977: 14 , fig. 1A–E [holotype female from INDIA: Maharashtra, deposited in NZC-ZSI (5008/18), examined]; Tikader, 1982: 365, figs 164–169; Gajbe, 2007: 462, figs 97–102. New synonymy

Scopoides samarae Gawande & Bodkhe, 2018: 225 , figs 1–6 [holotype female from INDIA: Maharashtra, Buldhana, Wari Reserve Forest, deposited in SRL JDPSM, not examined (images given in Gawande and Bodkhe (2018) are diagnosable and were used for comparison)]. New synonymy

Material examined. INDIA: Maharashtra: Ahmednagar, Kopargaon (19 o 53’30.04’’N, 74 o 28’44.72’’E), 502 m alt., 1 female, 9 October 1973, M. Babu Rao leg. (NZC-ZSI5008/18) ; Pune (formerly Poona): NCL Colony (18 o 32’40.45’’N, 73 o 48’39.70’’E), 582 m alt; 6 females ( S. maitraiae paratype), 20 October 1973, D.B. Bastawde leg. (NZC-ZSI5009/18)

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Justification of the synonymy of S. maitraiae . Detailed study of the types of S. maitraiae ( Figs 27–28 ) revealed that this species has all diagnostic characteristics of D. luridus : the inverted pyriform epigynal plate with antero-laterally thickened rims and small, sclerotized, horizontally oriented primary spermathecae with large, hyaline, inflated balloon-like secondary spermathecae (compare Figs 29–31 with Tikader 1982: figs 261–262 and Caleb, Karthikeyani & Muthuchelian 2014: fig. 1e–f). Based on these observations, we consider S. maitraiae a junior synonym of D. luridus .

Remarks. One of the seven specimens in the bottle labeled as ‘paratype’ (NZC-ZSI 5009/18) actually belongs to a different gnaphosid genus. We were unable to trace out the allotype males in the collection, which may either be lost or misplaced elsewhere in the collection. There seems to be inconsistency in paratype labeling: one label mentions ‘two females’, where as another label indicates ‘seven females’.

Justification of the synonymy of S. samarae . Judging from the original genitalic illustrations of S. samarae ( Gawande & Bodkhe 2018: figs 5–6), it is clear that this species has all diagnostic features of D. luridus as mentioned under the synonymy of S. maitraiae (compare Gawande & Bodkhe 2018: figs 5–6 with Tikader 1982: figs 261–262 and Caleb, Karthikeyani & Muthuchelian 2014: fig. 1e–f). The species S. samarae should thus be regarded as a junior synonym of D. luridus .

Figures

FIGURES 27–33. Scopodes maitraiae Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 (NZC-ZSI-5008-9/18). 27 holotype female habitus, dorso-retrolateral view; 28 paratype female habitus, dorsal view. 29 epigyne of holotype female, ventral view; 30 vulvae of the same, dorsal view; 31 epigyne of paratype female, ventral view; 32–33 labels from type bottles. Scale bars: 27–28, 2 mm; 29–30, 0.2 mm; 31, 0.5 mm.