Acta Zoologica Lituanica, 2011, Volumen 21, Numerus 2

ISSN 1648-6919DOI: 10.2478/v10043-011-0019-x

Two new Trapdoor spider species of The genus ScalidognathuS Karsch, 1891 (araneae: idiopidae) from The souThern wesTern ghaTs of india

rajesh V. sanap1, Zeeshan a. mirZa2*

1D–5/2, Marol Police Camp, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400059, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: rajeshvsanap@gmail.com 2 Zoology Department, Bhavan’s College, Andheri (West), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: snakeszeeshan@gmail.com *Corresponding author: Zeeshan A. Mirza: E-mail: snakeszeeshan@gmail.com

abstract. The trapdoor spider genus Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891 is represented in India by a single species, S. montanus Pocock, 1900 from Shevaroy hills in Tamil Nadu. The specimens collected during a recent survey conducted in the southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu enable us to describe two new species of the genus Scalidognathus. Natural history notes and burrow structure of both species are provided.Key words: mygalomorph spider, Tamil Nadu, new species, trapdoor spider, Western Ghats, India

IntroductIon

The trapdoor spider family Idiopidae is represented by 22 genera and 303 species in the world (Platnick 2011) and by 3 genera and 11 species in India (Siliwal & Molur 2007). Of the three genera reported from India (Heligmomerus Simon 1892, Idiops Perty 1833, and Scalidognathus Karsch 1891), the genus Scalidog-nathus is represented by a single species, S. montanus (Pocock 1900). Scalidognathus montanus was origi-nally described under the genus Nemesiellus by Pocock (1900). Later, Raven (1985) synonymized the genus Nemesiellus with Scalidognathus, and subsequently the genus Saclidognathus is represented by 4 species globally (2 species from Sri Lanka, one from India and one from Seychelles). However, Gravely (1915, 1921) mentioned two undescribed specimens of the genus Nemesiellus (= Scalidognathus) in the collec-tion of the Madras Museum; one specimen was from Barkuda Island, Lake Chilka in Orissa, and the other from southern India.The Western Ghats are known for their rich and endemic fauna being a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000). However, the present knowledge of the invertebrate fau-na of the Western Gahts is meagre, and the region most likely supports a wealth of invertebrate fauna which is still unknown (Daniels 2007; Mirza & Sanap 2010). Trapdoor spiders in particular are poorly documented as they are not easy to find until a dedicated effort is made or their discovery is accidental (Javed et al. 2010; S. M. M. Javed, pers. comm.). Apart from the lack of our knowledge of trapdoor spider which is evident from the fact that four new species were described in

the last two years (Siliwal et al. 2009a, b), taxonomy is in a state of flux due to misidentification (Mirza et al. (in press); Siliwal et al. 2010). In order to get a better understanding of the mygalomorph spider of the West-ern Ghats on a broad scale, a survey was conducted in Tamil Nadu, a state of India. During a field trip, trapdoor spider specimens collected from two different localities were identified to belong to the genus Scalidognathus. These specimens represented two distinct populations, and comparison with available literature on S. montanus was made. The comparison confirms that the collected material belongs to two undescribed species, which are described herein as new species.

MaterIal and Methods

All specimens were deposited in the collection of the Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Measurements of body parts, except for eyes, were taken with a MitutoyoTM Dial Caliper. Eye measurements were made with a cali-brated ocular micrometer. All measurements are in mm. Spermathecae were dissected and cleared in clove oil. Total length excludes chelicerae. All illustrations were prepared by R. Sanap. Specimens were observed using a LabomedTM CSM2 stereo-binocular microscope. De-scriptive style follows Siliwal et al. (2009a, b). Informa-tion on S. montanus was taken from Pocock (1900).abbreviations: ALE = anterior lateral eye, AME = anterior median eye, MOQ = median ocular quadrate, PLE = posterior lateral eye, PME = posterior median eye, PLS = posterior lateral spinnerets, PMS = posterior

97Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India

median spinnerets, RS = Rajesh Sanap, WILD = Wild-life Information Liaison Development Society, ZM = Zeeshan Mirza. Abbreviations used for hair and spines count are: d = dorsal, fe = femur, mt = metatarsus, p = prolateral, pa = patella, r = retrolateral, ta = tarsus, ti = tibia, v = ventral.

taxonoMy

family: Idiopidae SimonSub-family: Genysinae SimonScalidognathus Karsch 1891Scalidognathus Karsch 1891:269; Simon 1892:116; Pocock 1900:166; Gravely1915:263; Raven 1985:138–140.nemesiellus Pocock 1900: 167; Gravely 1915: 263; Raven 1985:140. Synonymized by Raven (1985).Type species: Scalidognathus radualis Karsch, 1891diagnosis: carapace with large recurved fovea; ocular area twice as wide as long. Chelicerae armed bellow with a single row of teeth along with a large tooth on the basal region of the oral fringe; rastellum consisting of simple stout spines. Labium unarmed; only posterior sternal sigilla well developed, small, remote from the margin. Legs short, spiny; tarsi and metatarsi I and II scantily scopulate; tarsi of all legs armed with spines; claws armed with a single long tooth (Pocock 1900).

Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov.(Figs 1–6)Type specimens: Tamil Nadu, India: holotype female, near Dodabetta Peak, Ooty, Nilgiri district, 2570 m elev., 11°24'27.55''N, 76°43'52.84''E, 23 January 2011, Rajesh Sanap (WILD-07-ARA-1104); paratype female (WILD-07-ARA-1105), same data as above.diagnosis (female): differs from S. montanus and S. ti-gerinus sp. nov. in having the carapace a little longer than tibia + patella of leg IV, carapace a little shorter than patella + femur of leg IV (whereas in S. montanus, carapace is as long as patella + tibia + metatarsus of leg I; carapace a little longer than femur + patella of leg IV, carapace equal to twice the length of tibia + patella of leg II in S. tigerinus sp. nov.). Abdomen in S. nigiriaraneus sp. nov. is dark blackish brown lacking stripes (abdomen is dorso-laterally striped in S. tigerinus sp. nov.). Further differs from S. tigerinus sp. nov. in having two spermath-ecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of a mushroom-like structure of similar size, the stalks being inclined at an angle of 40° in S. nigriaraneus sp. nov. (whereas in S. ti-gerinus sp. nov., there are two spermathecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of globular structure of similar size, the stalks of which are inclined at an angle of 60°).

etymology: the species name is composed of two Latin words ‘nigri’ which means black, and ‘aranaeus’ which means ‘spider’, combined to refer to the dark blackish coloration of the spider in life.description of female holotype (WILD-07-ARA-1104): total length 10.22. Carapace 3.74 long, 2.98 wide. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 2.32, 1.20, 1.14, 0.92, 0.60, 6.18. II: 1.82, 0.92, 1.04, 0.82, 0.64, 5.24. III: 1.62, 1.08, 0.68, 0.80, 0.72, 4.9. IV: 2.38, 1.62, 2.0, 1.42, 1.04, 8.46. Palp: 2.04, 1.02, 1.06, –, 1.04, 5.16. Midwidths: femora I = 0.48, II = 0.60, III = 1.02, IV = 0.76, palp = 0.30; tibia I = 0.61, II = 0.58, III = 0.68, IV = 0.68, palp = 0.48. Abdomen 6.48 long, 4.48 wide. Spinnerets: PLS, total length 1.16 (0.62 basal, 0.32 middle, 0.22 apical; midwidths 0.46, 0.36, 0.24 respectively), 0.84 apart PMS, 0.48 long, 0.22 wide and 0.30 apart.

Figure 1. Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov. holotype female in life.

Figure 2–6. Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov. holotype female. (2) Dorsal, (3) Ventral, (4) eyes, (5) Chelicerae pro-lateral view, (6) Spermathecae. Scale bar 1 mm.

98Sanap R. V., Mirza Z. A.

coloration in life (Fig. 1): carapace, abdomen (dorso-laterally) and chelicerae dark black. The ventral side is uniformly light yellowish grey. The specimen in alcohol is paler than a live specimen. Carapace dark brownish, glabrous, possessing hair in the posterior region only.Bristles are about 12–13 on the clypeus edge; one long bristle is between anterior eyes; twenty long and 10–12 short ones are on the caput in mid-dorsal line. Fovea deep, strongly recurved. Glabrous bands radiating from fovea, very prominent along sides of caput (Fig. 2).eyes (Fig. 4): ocular group front width 0.86, length 0.46. Anterior row strongly procurved, posterior row straight. MOQ front width 0.24, back width 0.32, length 0.28. Diameter of AME 0.12, ALE 0.14, PME 0.10, PLE 0.12. Eye interspaces: AME–AME 0.12, AME–ALE 0.20, ALE–ALE 0.70, PME–PME 0.30, ALE–PLE 0.18.chelicerae (Fig. 5): 2.60 long. Prolateral face glabrous, yellowish orange with a few small hairs; seven small promarginal teeth and a single large tooth near the fang grove; rastellum consists of 7–8 short thick curved spines, of these 2 long + one broken are on the anterior edge and the rest short stout spines are behind these.Labium (Fig. 3): 0.38 wide, 0.44 long. Labiosternal groove shallow, broad. Cuspules absent.maxillae (Fig. 3): 0.90 long in front, 1.20 long in back, 0.98 wide; 45 cuspules present randomly. Posterior heel slightly produced, anterior lobe short.sternum (Fig. 3): 2.28 long, 1.54 wide, covered with bristles. Sigilla, only the posterior sigilla distinct on either side 0.80 apart, diameter 0.04 and 0.14 from the margin, anterior and middle sigillas are marginal.Legs: uniformly reddish brown, moderately covered with bristles and spines; femora I thinnest, femora III thicker than the rest; coxae IV widest; two glabrous bands longitudinal on femora, patellae and tibiae (very prominent on patella); leg formula 4123.spines: leg I & II: ta, v 3; mt, v 6; ti, v 3; leg III: ta, p 2, v 5, mt, p 10–11, r 7-8, v 5–6; ti, p 7–8, r 2, v 2 (one broken), d 9–10; pa, p 26–27, fe, p 3–4; leg IV: ta, p 5–6, v 8–9; mt, p 2, v 11; palp, ta, v 5, ti, v 6; pa, p 2, fe, p 1. Elsewhere absent.scopula: entire, present only on tarsi and metatarsi leg I, II and palp tarsi. Scopula not divided.Trichobothria: tarsi I, five clavate, 8–9 long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi II, 3 clavate, 8–9 long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi III, 2–3 clavate, 9–10 long and short filiform in distal half in two rows; tarsi IV, calvate absent, 9–10 long filiform in distal half in two rows. Clavate trichoboth-ria confined to basal ¼ of tarsi. Only long and short filiform thricobothria present on tibia and metatarsus of all legs.claws: claw tufts absent on all legs and palp. All claws

edentate, claws of legs I and II almost equal and claw of legs III smallest. Claw on leg IV largest.abdomen: dorsally dark blackish brown with faint cream spots only on the anterior lateral portion, absent on the dorsum and posterior lateral region; uniformly covered with short blackish hairs intermixed with a few black bristles; ventral side, uniformly dull cream, covered with short brown hair.spermathecae (Fig. 6): two stalks, each stalk with a pair of a mushroom-like structure of similar size. Stalks inclined at an angle of 40°.spinnerets: PLS, apical segment dome-shape. Covered with golden brown hair.natural history: burrows of these spiders were found on a moss covered mud slope along a trail parallel to a stream about 2 meter away (Fig. 7) on the way to Dodabetta Peak in Ooty, Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu (Fig. 16). The habitat was burnt and was dominated by Vandeleuria nilagirica. About 10 burrows were found at the base of one of these trees (Fig. 8). The burrow of the holotype female led to a short tube with a single entrance trapdoor. The burrow ended in a bulb like struc-ture/chamber and was covered with thick webbing. The burrows were about 80 mm in depth and the entrance measured from 8–10 mm. The burrows were in an open area lacking any vegetation.morphometry of female paratype (WILD-07-ARA-1105): Total length 9.54. Carapace 3.44 long, 2.78 wide, chelicerae 1.96 long. Sternum 2.20 long, 1.24 wide. Labium 0.42 long, 0.36 wide. Maxillae 0.94 back length, 0.90 front length, 0.86 wide, 35–40 cuspules in anterior corner. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 2.26, 1.44, 1.24, 1.10, 0.78, 6.82. II: 1.96, 1.20, 1.04, 0.88, 0.68, 5.76. III: 1.62, 0.94, 0.78, 0.84, 0.76, 4.94. IV: 2.42, 1.70, 1.88, 1.54, 0.94, 8.44. Palp: 2.04, 1.10, 1.08, –, 1.18, 5.4. Midwidths: femora I = 0.34, II = 0.32, III = 1.10, IV = 0.80, palp = 0.40; tibia I = 0.60, II = 0.40, III = 0.70, IV = 0.68, palp = 0.60. Abdomen 6.10 long, 4.04 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.48 long, 0.22 wide and 0.32 apart; PLS, 0.76 basal, 0.30 middle, 0.20 distal, 2.02 total length, midwidths 0.44, 0.32, 0.22, respectively, apart 0.68.

Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov.(Figs 9–14)Type specimens: Tamil Nadu, India: holotype fe-male, Maruthamalai, Coimbatore district, 476 m elev., 11°1'6.24''N, 76°52'29.1''E, 30 January 2011, Rajesh Sanap & Zeeshan Mirza (WILD-07-ARA-1106); paratype female (WILD-07-ARA-1107) same data as above.diagnosis (female): differs from S. montanus and S. nil-giriensis sp. nov. in having the carapace a little longer

99Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India

than femur + patella of leg IV, carapace equal to twice the length of tibia + patella of leg II (carapace as long as patella + tibia + metatarsus of leg I in S. montanus; carapace a little longer than tibia + patella of leg IV in S. nigriaraneus sp. nov.); abdomen dorso-laterally striped (abdomen is dark blackish brown in S. montanus and S. nigiriaraneus sp. nov., lacking stripes). Further differs from S. nigriaraneus sp. nov. in having two

spermathecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of a globular structure of similar size, the stalks of which are inclined at an angle of 60° (two spermathecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of a mushroom-like structure of similar size, the stalks being inclined at an angle of 40° in S. nigri-araneus sp. nov.).etymology: the species name ‘tigerinus’ is attributed to this species due to similarity of the species abdominal pattern to the prominent lateral stripes in Tigers (Pan-thera tigris).description of female holotype (WILD-07-ARA-1106): total length 10.30. Carapace 3.84 long, 2.30 wide. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 1.86, 1.16, 1.04, 0.92, 0.72, 5.7. II: 1.56, 0.92, 1.00, 0.70, 0.52, 4.7. III: 1.42, 0.86, 0.54, 0.76, 0.68, 4.28. IV: 2.04, 1.44, 1.86, 1.12, 0.76, 7.22. Palp: 1.48, 0.74, 0.80, –, 1.06, 4.06. Midwidths: femora I = 0.40, II = 0.30, III = 0.82, IV = 0.54, palp = 0.22; tibia I = 0.58, II = 0.42, III = 0.62, IV = 0.58, palp = 0.54. Abdomen 6.46 long, 3.48 wide. Spinnerets: PLS, total length 1.36 (0.64 basal, 0.40 middle, 0.32 apical; midwidths 0.40, 0.34, 0.24 respectively), 0.38 apart; PMS, long 0.34, 0.20 wide and 0.24 apart.coloration in life (Fig. 9): carapace yellowish brown. Abdomen faint brown with the anterior region ma-roonish and gets transformed into bands which give it a striped appearance on the dorsal and lateral portion. The ventral side is uniformly light yellowish brown. Colour in alcohol is paler than in a live specimen and abdominal marking is much more distinctly visible on the dorsal and lateral side of abdomen. Carapace covered with short black hair on the posterior region along with black short and long bristles on caput.Bristles are about seven on the clypeus edge; one long between the anterior eyes; twenty long and 10–12 short ones on the caput in mid-dorsal line. Fovea deep, strongly recurved. Glabrous bands radiating from fovea, very prominent along sides of caput (Fig. 10).eyes (Fig. 12): ocular group front width 0.54, midwidth 0.50, back width 0.70, length 0.70. Anterior row strongly procurved, posterior row straight, posterior medians opaque, the rest transparent. MOQ front width 0.28, back width 0.32, length 0.22. Diameter of AME 0.20, ALE 0.12, PME 0.08, PLE 0.10. Eye interspaces: AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.12, ALE–ALE 0.30, PME–PLE adjacent, PME–PME 0.34, ALE–PLE 0.22.chelicerae (Fig. 13) 1.62 long. Prolateral face glabrous, yellowish orange with a few small hairs; seven small promarginal teeth and a single large tooth near the fang grove; rastellum consists of 7-8 short thick curved spines, of these 3 long are on the anterior edge and the rest short stout spines are behind these.Labium (Fig. 11): 0.18 wide, 0.24 long. Labiosternal

Figure 7. Habitat at the type locality of Scalidognathus ni-griaraneus sp. nov.

Figure 8. Trapdoor burrow opening of Scalidognathus nigri-araneus sp. nov.

100Sanap R. V., Mirza Z. A.

groove shallow, broad with two indistinct sigilla on either side. Cuspules absent.maxillae (Fig. 11): 0.90 long in front, 1.20 long in back, 0.72 wide; cuspules 30–35 present randomly. Posterior heel slightly produced, anterior lobe short. sternum (Fig. 11): 2.16 long, 1.30 wide, covered with bristles. Sigilla, only the posterior sigilla distinct on either side 0.78 apart, diameter 0.04 and 0.12 from margin, anterior and middle sigilla marginal.Legs: uniformly yellowish brown, moderately covered with bristles and spines; femora III thicker than the rest; coxae IV widest; two glabrous bands longitudinal on femora, patellae and tibiae (very prominent on patella); leg formula 4123.

spines: leg I: ta, v 2; mt, v 7; ti, v 2; leg II: ta, v 4; mt, v 6; ti, v 4 (one broken); leg III: ta, v 5, p 2; mt, p 4–5, r 9, v 6; ti, p 7, r 2, v 4, d 10–11; pa, p 30–35, r 9–10; leg IV: ta, v 8–9; mt, v 10–11; ti, v 5-6, pa, p 6–7; palp, ta, v 2, ti, v 3–4. Elsewhere absent.scopula: entire, present only on tarsi and metatarsi leg I, II and palp tarsi. Scopula not divided.Trichobothria: tarsi I, 3–4 clavate, 7–8 long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi II, 2 clavate, 6–7 long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi III, 2 clavate, 7–8 long filiform in distal half in two rows; tarsi IV, clavate absent, 10–11 long filiform in distal half in two rows; palp tarsi, 2 calvate, 5–6 long and short filiform. Clavate trichobothria confined to basal ¼ of tarsi. Only long and short filiform thricobothria present on tibia and metatarsus of all legs.

Figure 9. Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov. holotype female in life.

Figure 10–14. Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov. holotype female (10) Dorsal, (11) Ventral, (12) eyes, (13) Chelicerae prolateral view, (14) spermathecae. Scale bar 1 mm (Figs 10, 11, 13, 14) and 0.50 mm (Fig. 12).

Figure 15. Habitat at the type locality of Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov.

Figure 16. Satellite image of Tamil Nadu showing relative position of the type locality in India. Image courtesy Google Earth.

101Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India

claws: claw tufts absent on all legs and palp. All claws edentate, claws of legs I and II clearly smaller than on legs III and IV.abdomen: greyish overall with anterior region dorsally maroonish and transforms into bands linked in the mid-dle with a median stripe. The bands extend on the lateral portion giving a distinct striped pattern on the dorsum and lateral aspect. Overall covered with short brown hairs intermixed with a few black bristles; ventral side, uniformly dull cream, covered with short brown hair.spermathecae (Fig. 14): two stalks, each stalk with a pair of a globular structure of similar size. Stalks inclined at an angle of 60°.spinnerets: PLS, apical segment dome-shape. Covered with golden brown hair.natural history: S. tigerinus sp. nov. was found along a dry rivulet on the sloping bunds bordering the water course (Fig. 15) near Marudhamalai hills, Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu (Fig. 16). The distribution of these spiders was patchy and they were mostly observed under a tree or in a tree root system. The diameter of the burrow entrance of the holotype female was 10 mm and the burrow was ca. 150 mm deep. The burrow has a single entrance like most burrows of the genus Idiops and ends in a bulb like structure. The soil was sandy, soft in many places and hard in several other places. The silk lining of the burrow was thick as observed in other trapdoor family idiopids. The new species was found in sympatry of Diplothele sp. and some species of Idiops. The type locality is heavily disturbed and is under severe threat from sand mining.morphometry of female paratype (WILD-07-ARA-1107): total length 8.08. Carapace 3.10 long, 2.24 wide, chelicerae 1.42 long. Sternum 1.80 long, 1.18 wide. Labium 0.38 long, 0.28 wide. Maxillae 0.84 back length, 0.68. front length, 0.54 wide, 35–40 cuspules in anterior corner. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 2.26, 1.44, 1.24, 1.10, 0.78, 6.82. II: 1.96, 1.20, 1.04, 0.88, 0.68, 5.76. III: 1.62, 0.94, 0.78, 0.84, 0.76, 4.94. IV: 2.42, 1.70, 1.88, 1.54, 0.94, 8.44. Palp: 2.04, 1.10, 1.08, –, 1.18, 5.4. Midwidths: femora I= 0.34, II = 0.32, III = 1.10, IV = 0.80, palp = 0.40; tibia I = 0.60, II = 0.40, III= 0.70, IV = 0.68, palp = 0.60. Abdomen 4.98 long, 3.02 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.38 long, 0.20 wide and 0.38 apart; PLS, 0.46 basal, 0.38 middle, 0.24 distal, 1.08 total length, midwidths 0.40, 0.32, 0.14, respectively, apart 0.48.

acknowledgMents

Manju Siliwal is thanked for all the help and the source of encouragement to study mygalomorph spi-

der and for her constant guidance. Special thanks to N. S. Achuythan, Gavin Desouza, Sushil Chikane, Dev Joshi, Mayur Deshpande, Harshal Bhosale, Sameer Hiremath and Naresh Chandak for their help in the field. ZM acknowledges support and encouragement from Bhavan’s College, Mumbai. ZM & RS wish to thank N. V. Srikanthan for taking all the trouble and making our stay in Tamil Nadu comfortable and to Lakshmi Srikanthan for the lovely food and all her care. Vishal Shah, Shardul Bajikar, Amit Panariya and Pintz Gajjar are thanked for continued support and much needed help. ZM & RS thank Agarwal Jan Seva Charitable Trust for help to procure equipment for the study. Spe-cial thanks to Manju Siliwal and anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments which helped in improving the manuscript.

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dvI naujos ScalidognathuS karsch, 1891 (ArAneAe: IdIopIdAe) gentIes rūsIAvorIų rūšys Iš pIetInės vAkArų gAtų dAlIes, IndIjA

R. V. Sanap, Z. A. Mirza

santrauka

Indijoje rūsiavorių genčiai Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891 atstovauja viena rūšis – S. montanus Pocock, 1900 iš Shevaroy kalvų, Tamil Nadu. Pavyzdžiai, surinkti vyk-dant apskaitą pietinėje Vakarų Gatų kalnų dalyje, Tamil Nadu, leidžia aprašyti dvi naujas genties Scalidognathus rūšis. Straipsnyje pateikiamos abiejų vorų rūšių radim-vietės ir jų urvų struktūra.

Received: 19 April 2011Accepted: 27 June 2011