Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2016 | 8(3): 8623–8625 Note

First record of Galeodes indicus Pocock, Olivier, 1791 comprising 13 species. 1900 (Arachnida: : Galeodidae) This study was conducted in from Rajasthan, India the arid rangelands of Jaisalmer District in western Rajasthan, India, ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) Ruquaeya Bano 1 & Sharmila Roy 2 to assess the diversity of soil micro ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) in fodder grassland. 1 Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Vidyanagar, The geographical position of the site OPEN ACCESS Sector-29, P.C.N.T. Post Rawet Road, Near Akurdi Railway Station, 0 0 Akurdi, Pune, Maharashtra 411044, India is 26 59467”N & 71 20164″E near 2 Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 330363, Jaisalmer City. India Lasiurus sindicus Henrard 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected] commonly known as Sewan grass is a bushy, multi branched, perennial desert grass with thin leaf blade and woody rhizome. It is used for pasture and fodder for livestock, mainly grazed by ruminants and is palatable Solifugids are moderately small to large spider-like, pasture for camels (Bhati & Mruthyunjaya 1983; Mertia nocturnal, cursorial and hunting creatures belonging to et al. 2006). It is the primary grass of extremely arid the order Solifugae. They are commonly known as wind parts of Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Barmer districts of spiders or sun spiders and are found in arid, semi-arid western Rajasthan (Bhati & Mruthyunjaya 1983). The habitats worldwide (Muma 1966; Wharton 1987; Gajbe soil is slightly calcareous, coarse-textured, light-brown 2005). They eat small insects and other arthropods by and sandy and has a low moisture-retention capacity. crushing and chewing with the help of their large jaws During the regular collection of soil micro arthropods (Image 1). Solifugae have a well-developed tracheal by pitfall trap in Lasiurus sindicus grassland we came system instead of book lungs. They have adhesive across an interesting specimen of the genus Galeodes organs on the ends of pedipalps (Image 2), called the sp. inside the pitfall along with other soil arthropods on suctorial organs (Cushing & Castro 2012). The females 11 March 2014 at Chandan Village. The dead specimen of the species have fan-shaped organs called malleoli on was examined under a Lawrence & Mayo stereo zoom the ventral surfaces of the hind legs (Image 3). microscope following Pocock (1900) and photographed Solifugae consist of well over 1,116 described using Leica EZ4HD Integrated 3.0 mega pixel CMOS species worldwide belonging to 13 families and 144 Microscopic Camera and the specimen was deposited genera and are generally believed to be the sister group at the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey to the Pseudoscorpions (Harvey 2002). There are 201 of India, Western Regional Centre, Pune, for further species belonging to nine genera under the family analysis. All the measurements are represented in the Galeodidae distributed worldwide, but in India, family millimetres. Galeodidae is represented by a single genus Galeodes

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.2655.8.3.8623-8625 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E528842D-4DCE-4C41-9B73-6D3F9E075152

Editor: Anonymity requested. Date of publication: 26 March 2016 (online & print)

Manuscript details: Ms # 4270 | Received 14 March 2015 | Final received 01 January 2016 | Finally accepted 12 March 2016

Citation: Bano, R. & S. Roy (2016). First record of Galeodes indicus Pocock, 1900 (Arachnida: Solifugae: Galeodidae) from Rajasthan, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(3): 8623–8625; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/jott.2655.8.3.8623-8625

Copyright: © Bano & Roy 2016. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

Funding: None.

Conflict of Interest:The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata and Dr. M.M. Roy, Director Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) for facilities and encouragements.

8623 Record of Galeodes fndfcus from Rajasthan Bano & R oy

Galeodes fndfcus Pocock, 1900 (Images 1–3) © R. Bano Materfal examfned: SLF/01, 1ex. (fmmature), 11.fff.2014, Lasfurus sfndfcus grassland, Chandan Vfllage, Jafsalmer, Rajasthan (26 059467”N & 71 020164″E), coll. S. Roy (Table 1). Dfstrfbufon: Jafsalmer, Rajasthan (new record), Gwalfor (Madhya Pradesh), Bflaspur (Chhafsgarh), Gaya (Bfhar), Thane (Maharashtra), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh). A dfstrfbufon map (Ffg. 1) for Galeodes fndfcus Pocock, 1900 fn Indfa fs provfded based on the publfshed lfterature and present record made from Chandan Vfllage, Jafsalmer, Rajasthan. The collected specfmen was fdenffed as a member of famfly Galeodfdae readfly dfsfngufshed from other members of the order Solffugae by tarsus of palp narrow at base and freely arfculated to fbfa; stalk of claws hafry. Image 1. Head bearfng strong jaws and eyes Dfagnosfs Female (Image 3): The collected specfmen was fdenffed as a female specfmen by the presence of stalked, leaf-lfke chemosensory structures called malleolf © R. Bano or racquet organs on the ventral sfde of coxae and trochanters of the fourth pafr of legs. Head fnfuscate, legs and palpf a tolerably unfform yellowfsh-brown. Coxae of both palpf clothed wfth numerous stout hafrs; about 15–16 short spfnes on trochanter of palp; femur of palp armed wfth seven pafrs of long spfnes; Patella of palp armed below wfth efght pafrs of long-sef-form spfnes, of sub-equal thfckness and alternafng fn length. Tfbfa sfmflarly armed below wfth 11 pafrs of longer and shorter spfnes, half of them on each sfde befng very long and sefform, and slfghtly stouter than others.

Tarsf of palpf armed wfth efght pafrs of long hafrs. Dfstal Image 2. A pafr of Pedfpalp wfth adhesfve organs tarsal segment of fourth leg fs spfned. Blade of external malleolus slfghtly exceedfng the ocular tubercle. Galeodes fndfcus Pocock, 1900 fs reported for the © R. Bano frst fme from Rajasthan. Wfnd scorpfons are a lftle known group fn Indfan fauna. Pocock (1900) reported three specfes from central Indfa, namely Galeodes fatalfs Lfchtensfen & Herbst, G. orfentalfs Stolfczka and G. fndfcus Pocock. Pocock (1900) reported Galeodes fndfcus specfes from Bflaspur, Chhafsgarh, and further descrfbed two subspecfes, namely obscurfor from Pfmpalner, East Khandesh (Maharashtra) and australfs from Secunderabad (Telangana). Presently subspecfes obscurfor fs synonymfzed wfth Galeodes fndfcus (Whffck 1939) and australfs recognfzed as a full specfes (Harvey 2003). Dfstrfbufon wfse Galeodes fndfcus Pocock fs reported from varfous regfons of the Indfa namely Gwalfor (Madhya Pradesh), Bflaspur (Chhafsgarh), Gaya (Bfhar), Thane (Maharashtra) and Kurnool (Andhra Image 3. Fan-shaped Malleolf or Racket organs present on ventral Pradesh). The present record of the Galeodes fndfcus sfde of fourth legs

8624 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2016 | 8(3): 8623–8625 Record of Galeodes indicus from Rajasthan Bano & Roy

Figure 1. Distribution records of Galeodes indicus Pocock, 1900

Table 1. Measurements of body parts in mm

Total Width of Length of Length of Palpi Leg I Leg II Leg III Leg IV Length Head Mandibles

Female 10 2 2 12 8 7 9 15

from Chandan Village, Jaisalmer District is the first report Harvey, M.S. (2003). Catalogue of the Smaller Orders of the of the species from the Rajasthan region. World: Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia, 363pp. Mertia, R.S., R. Prasad, B.K. Kandpal & P. Narain (2006).Regeneration References of Lasiuruss indicus in relation to grazing pressure and root-zone soil moisture in arid rangelands of western Rajasthan (India). Tropical Bhati, G.N. & Mruthyunjaya (1983). Economics of sheep farming on Grasslands 40: 40–44. different pastures in arid land of western Rajasthan. Indian Journal Muma, M.H. (1966). Burrowing habits of North American Solpugida of Sciences 53 (7): 732–737. (Arachnida). Psyche 73: 251–260. Cushing, E.P. & P. Casto (2012). Preliminary survey of the setal and Pocock, R.I. (1900). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and sensory structures on the pedipalps of camel spiders (Arachnida: Burma Arachnida. Taylor and Francis, London, 279pp. Solifugae). Journal of Arachnology 40(1): 123–127; http://dx.doi. Wharton, R.A. (1987). Biology of the diurnal Metasolpugapicta org/10.1636/B11-71.1 (Kraepelin) (Solifugae, Solpugidae) compared with that of nocturnal Gajbe, P. (2005). First record of a wind-scorpion Arachnida Solifugae species. Journal of Arachnology 14: 363–383. from Seoni District, Madhya Pradesh. Journal of the Bombay Natural Whittick, R.J. (1939). Notes on Solifugae (Arachnida)-I. Galeodidae. History Society 102(2): 249–250. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 11(4): 444–450. Harvey, M.S. (2002). The neglected cousins: What do we know about the smaller Arachnid orders? Journal of Arachnology 30: 357–372;

http://dx.doi.org/10.1636/0161-8202(2002)030[0357:TNCWDW]2 Threatened Taxa .0.CO;2

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