Lycopus bangalores ( Tikader, 1963 ) Sudhin & Sen & Caleb, 2022

Sudhin, Puthoor Pattammal, Sen, Souvik & Caleb, John T. D., 2022, Taxonomic notes on the placement of Tibellus elongatus Tikader, 1960 and Apollophanes bangalores Tikader, 1963 (Araneae: Philodromidae), Zootaxa 5182 (3), pp. 288-296 : 295

Lycopus bangalores ( Tikader, 1963) comb. nov.

Figs 5A–G

Apollophanes bangalores Tikader, 1963: 260 fig. 10 (description and illustrations of female). Tikader 1971: 86, figs 21G–H (description and illustrations of female); Tikader 1980: 231, figs 304–305 (description and illustrations of female).

Type material. Holotype female from INDIA: Karnataka: Mysore: Bangalore city, Lalbagh ( Botanical Garden ), 9 January 1961, B.K. Tikader ( NZC-ZSI, Kolkata, Regd. No. 3161/18), examined . Paratype female data same as holotype (Regd. No. 3162/18), examined .

Note: The ZSI collection has a single glass bottle for this species. In the same bottle there are two glass vials with one holotype and two paratype specimens, all in very poor condition ( Figs 5A–D ). The main glass bottle initially labelled as Tibellus bangalores , was later changed to Apollophanes bangalores ( Fig. 5E ). Both small bottles are labelled as Tibellus bangalores and contain a piece of paper written Apollophanes bangalores ( Figs 5F–G ).

Remarks. Tikader (1963) described this species on the basis of female specimens collected from Karnataka. Detailed examination of the specimens reveal that this species was described based on two subadult specimens. The specimens have the diagnostic features of the family Thomisidae and share some morphological similarity with Lycopus Thorell, 1895 : convex prosoma, relatively larger eyes with conspicuous eye tubercles, clypeus with the same width as the ocular area, and the elongated abdomen ( Tang & Li 2009). Based on these characters we are provisionally transferring it to Lycopus . Another species, Lycopus trabeatus Simon, 1895 was described from Madurai, Trichy and Kodaikanal localities in Tamil Nadu, but there are no illustrations to recognize the species ( Simon 1895). Since L. bangalores is known only based on subadult specimens, its validity needs to be confirmed with new samples collected from the type locality and compared with the type of L. trabeatus .

Figures

FIGURES 5A–G. Lycopus bangalores (Tikader, 1963). A–B Holotype female (A dorsal, B ventral); C–D Paratype female (C dorsal, D ventral); E–G Labels from type bottles. Scale bars: A–D: 1 mm.