ON SOME NEW OF OF THE OXYOPIDAE FROM INDIA

BY B. K. TIKADEK (Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Station, Poona) Received February 8, 1965 (Communicated by Prof. T. S. Mahabale, F.A.SC.)

INTRODUCTION SPIDERS of the family Oxyopidae have received scant attention in India. Since Pocock's classical work (1900) on the Indian Arachnida no serious attention has been given to explore the fauna of this country. Even this representative work contains no adequate references to such an obscure family as Oxyopidae. Only Pocock (1901) described four new species of the Oxyopes. But the genus is practically unknown from our country. Recently Brady (1964) has described a number of species of the family Oxyopidae from North America. While examining the spider collection from Maharashtra, I came across three new species of spiders of the genera Oxyopes and Peucetia, which are described in tiffs paper. The type specimens will in due course be deposited in the collection of the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta.

1. Oxyopes chittrae sp. nov. General.--Cephalothorax and legs brownish-green, abdomen brown. Total length 6.90 mm. Carapace 2.50 mm. long, 1-50 mm. wide; abdomen 4.20mm. long, 2.40mm. wide. Cephalothorax.--Longer than wide, high, narrowing in front, cephalic region slightly high, clothed with fine hairs; centre of thorax provided with fine fovea. Eyes black, and bases encircled with back patch. Posterior row procurved and situated in equal distance; anterior row strongly re- curved and anterior mediar/eyes smaller than others. Clypeus long. Ster- num heart-shaped, pointed behind, clothed with hairs. Legs long, and strong, clothed with hairs and conspicuous long spines. Male palp as in Fig. 1 c. Abdomen.--Longer than wide, maximum width in front and narrowing behind, clothed with fine hairs. Mid-dorsally with a conspicuous longi- 140 Studies on Some Little-Known Spiders of Family Oxyopidae I41 tudinal deep-brown broad line extending from base to end of abdomen and this deep-brown line surrounded by chalk-white patches, as in Fig. 1 a. Ventral side brown with irregular chalk-white patches. Epigyne as in Fig. 1 b.

Fro. 1. Oxyopes chittrae sp. nov. (a) Dorsal view of female, legs omitted. (b) Epigyne (c) Male palp.

Holotype.--One female, paratype three females, allotype four males in spirit. Type-locality.--National Chemical Laboratory Compound, Poo~aa, Maha- rashtra, India. Coll. B. K. Tikader, 21-9-1962. This species resembles Hentz, but it is separated as follows: (i) Cephalothorax almost uniform light brown but in O. scalaris cephalothorax deep-brown with median light longitudinal line. (ii) Abdomen mid-dorsally with a conspicuous deep-brown longitudinal line extending from base to end but in O. scalaris abdomen mid-dorsally with a white lor~gi- tudinal bar extending from base to end. (iii) Epigyne and male palp structu- rally different.

2. Oxyopes sushilae sp. nov. GeneraL--Cephalothorax and legs green, abdomen brown. Total length 9.00mm. Carapace 3.00ram, long, 2.50ram, wide; abdomen 6.130 rnrn, lon~, 1.90ram. wide. 142 B.K. TIKADER

Cephalothorax.--Longer than wide, convex, cephalic region slightly high, clothed with short spatulate deep brown hairs; centre of thorax pro- vided wih foveal depression. Eyes blackish and bases encircled with black patch. Posterior row procurved and eyes situated in equal distance, anterior row strongly recurved and anterior median eyes smallest. Clypeus long and provided with two black lines extending from anterior median eyes to i1ear the base of fang of chalicerae. Sternum heart-shaped, pointed behind, clothed with fine hairs and spines. Legs long and strong, clothed with hairs and conspicuous long spines; ventral side of femora of all legs provided with a conspicuous longitudinal black line.

Abdomen.--Long, narrowing behind, clothed with fine thick hairs. Dorsally with a broad longitudinal light to deep brown band, as in Fig. 2 a. Ventral side yellowish-white and mid-ventrally with a broad longitudinal deep brown line extending from epigastric fold to near the base of spinners. Epigyne as in Fig. 2 b.

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Fro. 2. Oxyopessushilae sp. no v. (a) Dorsal viewoffem0.1e, legs omitted. (b) Epigyne, Studies on Some Little-Known Spiders of Family Oxyopidae 143 Holotype.--One female paratype, three females in spirit. Type-locality.--Poona University Compound, Maharashtra, India. Coll. B. K. Tikader, 11-9-1962.

This species resembles Oxyopes hindostanicus Pocock but it is separated as follows: (i)Cephalothorax clothed with short spatulate brown hairs but in O. hindostanicus cephalothorax clothed with fine grey hairs. (ii) Abdo- men brown with deep brown dorsal longitudinal band but in O. hindostanicus abdomen uniform green colour. (iii) Epigyne also structurally different.

3. Peucetia ehoprai sp. nov.* General.--Cephalothorax brownish-green, legs green, abdomen light- blue. Total length 7.00mm. Carapace 2.50 mm. long, 1.90 mm. wide; abdomen 4.50 mm. long, 1.90 ram. wide.

Cephalbthorax.---Longer than wide, moderately convex, slightly broader in front, cephalic region high and eyes situated on the top; centre of thorax provided with a fine fovea. Eyes pearly white, posterior row straight or slightly procurved and eyes situated almost equal in space, anterior row short and strongly recurved, anterior median eyes smallest and lateral eyes largest of all eyes. Clypeus long, and provided with two blown lines tending from anterior median eyes to near the base of fang of chaliccrae. Sternum heart-shaped, pointed behind, clothed with hairs and few spines. Legs long and strong, clothed with hairs and spines.

Abdomen.--Long, narrowing behind clothed with fine hairs, lateral sides piovided with a longitudinal whitish line extending from base to end and mid-dorsally provided with three pairs of conspicuous whitish spots arranged longitudinally as in Fig. 3 a. Ventral side, uniform light-blue. Epigyne as in Fig. 3 b. Male almost similar colour but legs very long, palp as in Fig. 3 c. Holotype.--One female, paratype one female, allotype one male in spirit. Type-locality.--Near Pashan Tank, Poona, Maharashtra, India. Coll. R. N. Chopra, 22-9-1961.

* It is with much pleasure that I name this species after Shri R. N, Chopra, Assistant goologist of this Station, who collected this specimen. 144 B.K. TIKADER

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FIG. 3. Peueetia choprai sp. nov. (a) Dorsal view of female, legs omitted. (b) Epigyne. (c) Male palp.

This species resembles Peucetia viridans (Hentz) but it is separated as follows: (i) Abdomen light-blue witb whitish marking but in P. viridans abdomen bright green with chalk white markings. (ii) Clypeus provided with two brown lines extending from anterior median eyes to near the base of fang of chalicerae but in P. viridans clypeus no stLch lines or markings. (iii) Epigyne and male palp also structurally different.

REFERENCES

Brady, A. R. •. "The lynx spiders of North America, North of Mexico (Araneae: Oxyopidae)," Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, 1964, 131 (13), 431-518. Comstock, J. H. .. The Spider Book, New York, 1940. Pocock, R. I. .. Fauna Brit. India Arach., London, 1900. .. "Descriptions of some new species of spiders from British India," J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 1901, 13 (3), 478-98,