ISSN 0375-1511 Rec. zool. Surv. India: 113(Part-2): 157-162,2013 ORB-WEAVING SIDERS OF BANGLADESH-I: GENUS ARANEUS CLERCK ( ARANEAE : ARANEIDAE) WITH TWO NEW SPECIES 1 V. BISWAS AND D. RAYCHAUDHURI Entomology Laboratory, Department of Zoology University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road Kolkata-700019, India INTRODUCTION 1864. Neopora: Simon, Hist. Nat. des. Araign., ed., I: 261. Spiders of the genus Araneus are very little 1893. Burgessia: Me Cook,Amer. Spid., 3 : 182. known from Bangladesh. The genus was first 1895. Araneus: Simon,Hist. Nat. Araign., 1(4) : 829. established by Clerck (1757) with the type-species 1900. Araneus: Pocock, Fauna Brit. India, Arachn., : 227. A. angulatus. Thorell (1895) first reported the 1935. Araneus: Dyal, Bull. Dept. Zoo I. Panjab Univ,: 177. genus with only two species from Burma the then 1951. Conepeira: Archer,Am. Mus. Novit.,1487: 12. British India. Later Pocock (1900) recorded 11 species from Indian Sub-continent. Patel (1975), 1960. Araneus : Yaginuma, Spiders of Japan in colour, : Tikader (1970, '82), Tikader and Biswas (1981), 51-55. Tikader and Bal (1981) made numerous 1970. Araneus: Tikader, Rec. zool. Surv. India, 64(1-4) : 30. contributions of different species from different 1971. Araneus: Levi, Bull. Mus. Compo Zoo I. Harv., 145(9) parts of India. In Bangladesh, Chowdhury and Pal :473. (1984), first recorded only one species from 1991. Araneus : Chen & Zhang, Fauna of Zhejiang, Chittagong and Begum and Biswas (1997) from Araneida, : 85. Barisal. The present paper composed of two 1995. Araneus : Barrion & Litsinger, Riceland spid. South species namely A. mitifica and A. rumiae. Of these, & S.E. Asia,: 631. A. rumiae is described as new to science. 1997. Araneus : Yin, et aI., Fauna Sinica, Araneae The types are at present in the collection of the Araneidae : 123. Department of Zoology, Government P.e. 1999. Araneus: Song, et aI., Spiders ofChina, : 236. College, Bagerhat and will be deposited to the 2004. Araneus: Majumder,Mem. Zool. Surv. India,20(2): 11. Museum of the Department of Zoology, 2005. Araneus: Majumder, Mem. Zool. Surv. India, 20(3) : 5. University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in due course of time. 2006. Araneus: Platnick, World Spider Catalogue, Version6.5: SYSTEMATICS 2009. Araneus : Biswas: In Ahmed (ed.), Encyclopedia of Flora & Fauna ofBangladesh, Arachnida 18(1) : 129. Genus: Araneus Clerck, 1757 Diagnosis: Spiders of this genus are medium 1757. Araneus Clerck, Argn. Suec.,: 15. in size. Cephalothorax oval, moderately high, 1805. Epeira : Walckenaer, Tableau des Araneides, : convex with no horny outgrowth; thoracic groove 53. conspicuous, transverse in female, but 1837. Atea : c.L. Koch, Uebersicht des Arachnidensystems, longitudinal in male having lateral prolongations. 1:3. Eyes unequal, medians forming a quad, laterals Present Address: Department of Zoology, Khulna Govt. Womens' College, Khulna-9000, Bangladesh. 158 Rec. zool. Surv. India close and situated on prominent tubercles; both 1982. Araneus mitifica : Tikader, Fauna of India, rows of eyes recurved; ocular quad forming a Araneidae, 2(1): 233. trapezium. Chelicerae short, with dissimilar 1986. Araneus mitificus : Yaginuma, Spiders of Japan in teeth. Maxillae and labium short and scopulate color: 100. anteriorly. Sternum variable, clothed with hairs 1991. Araneus mitificus : Chen & Zhang, Fauna of and spines. Legs long and slender; male with Zhejiang, Araneida : 89. hook on coxa I and groove on femur II ; tibia II 1995. Araneus mitificus : Barrion & Litsinger, Riceland armed with spines. Male palpus with terminal spider ofsouth & southeast Asia: 638. apophysis. 1997. Araneus mitificus : Platnick, Advances in Spider Abdomen broad, rounded or oval; epigyne Taxonomy, : 483. with a prominents scape which may be long or 1997. Araneus mitificus : Yen et aI., Fauna Sinica, short and straight; epigynal openings situated in Araneidae, : 139. the grooves at base. 1999. Araneus mitificus : Song et aI., The spiders of China, : Type genus: Araneus angulatus Clerck. 239. 2004. Araneus mitifica : Gajbe, Rec. zool. Surv. India, occ. Distribution: Cosmopolitan. pap. 227: 34. Key to the species 2005. Araneus mitifica : Majumder, Mem. Zoo I. Surv. 1. Abdomen with scaly reticulation (fig. 1); sternum India, 20(3) : 6. triangular (fig. 4); each of inner and outer margins 2009. Araneus mitifica : Ahmed ed., Flora & Fauna of of chelicerae with 2 teeth (fig. 2) ; clypeus convex, Bangladesh, Arachn., 18(1): 131. never tuberculate; epigyne and internal genitalia as in figs. 5 and 6 ............................................. mitifica Material examined : 2Sf. , 10'" , Bagerhat, Abdomen never with scaly reticulation (fig. 8); 9.I1.1993, ColI. V. Biswas ; 8Sf. , S. Park, Dhaka, 4. sternum broadly heart-shaped; inner and outer III. 1993, ColI. V. Biswas ; 2Sf. , Kustia, 12.111.1993, margins of chelicerae with 3 and 1 teeth ColI. V. Biswas; 1 Sf. , Rajshahi, 3.111.1992, ColI. V. respectively (fig. 9); clypeus tuberculate; epigyne Biswas ; 2Sf. , Manikganj, 3.v1.1992, ColI. V. as in fig. 12 ............................................... yumiaen. sp. Biswas; 3 Sf. , BAU, Mymensingh, 15.XI.1993, ColI. 1. Araneus mitifica Simon V. Biswas; 2 Sf. , Japhlong, Sylhet, 28.XII.1993, ColI. (Figs. 1-7) V. Biswas. 1886. Epeira mitifica Simon, Act. Soc. Linn., Bordeaux, General: Cheplalothorax and legs yellow­ 40:150. brown; abdomen dorsally silvery-white and 1887. Epeira mitifica : Thorell, Annali. Mus. civ. Genova, ventrally green. Total body length 9.00 mm. 25 :187. Carapace 3.65 mm long, 2.80 mm wide; abdomen 1896. Epeira mitifica: Workman, Malays. Spid.,: 39. 5.59 mm long and 6.00 mm wide. 1906. Araneus mitifica : Baesenberg & Strand, Abh. Distribution : BANGLADESH : Bagerhat, senekenb. naturforsch. Ges., 39(1-2) : 22. Dhaka, Kustia, Manikganj, Mymensigh, Rajshahi, 1935. Zilla nawazi: Dyal, Bull. Dept. Zool., Panjab Univ., 1 Sylhet; BURMA; CHINA (Chen and Zhang, :186. 1991); INDIA (Tikader, 1980); JAPAN (Yaginuma, 1939. Araneus mitifica : Satio, Satio Ho-no Kai Mus. Res. 1986); MALAYSIA (Koh, 1989); PAKISTAN Bull., 18: 19. (Tikader, 1980); SINGAPORE (Koh, 1989). 1963. Araneus mitifica : Tikader, J. Univ. Poona, Sci. & 2. Araneus rumiae n. sp. Tech., 24: 43. (Figs. 8-12) 1978. Araneus mitificus : Yaginuma, Spiders of Japan in Material examined: 1 Sf. I Barisal, 2.X.1993, ColI. color:55. V. Biswas; 1 Sf. , Jessore, 20.X.1993, ColI. V. Biswas. 1981. Araneus mitifica : Tikader & Bal, Rec. zool. Surv. General: Cephalothorax yellow-brown, legs Inida,occ. pap. 24: 53. yellowish ; abdomen light brown with white BISWAS AND RA YCHAUDHURI : ORB-WEAVING SIDERS OF BANGLADESH-I 159 Table-I: Measurements (inmm) of different leg segments ofAraneus rumiae n. sp. Leg Femur Patella & Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 2.50/2.50 0.80/0.80 2.70/2.70 1.20/1.20 9.70/9.70 II 2.30/2.30 0.60/0.60 2.60/2.60 1.00/1.00 8.80/8.80 III 1.40/1.40 0.50/0.50 2.40/2.40 0.80/0.80 7.10/7.10 IV 2.00/2.00 0.50/0.50 2.50/2.50 0.80/0.85???? 7.95/7.95 median band. Total body length 9.20 mm. Tikader & Bal. These species (Tikader, 1982) Carapace 4.50 mm long, 4.00 mm wide; abdomen however are with a pair of shoulder humps on the 4.70 mm long and 4.60 mm wide. abdominal dorsum which is absent in the new Cephalothorax : Broad, posteromedially wide, species. Typical globular, shape of the abdomen slightly longer than wide; cephalic region raised, brings it, close to A. pentagrammicus (Karsch) with deeply distimet cervical furrows. Eyes (Yaginuma, 1986; Shinkai & Takano, 1984) easily pearly white, similar, each of anterior and be seperated out in not having, the sigilla on the posterior row of eyes strongly recurved, abdominal dorsum. Araneus ventricogus (L. Koch) anteromedians situated on a protuberance, lateral (Chen & Zhang, 1991; Yin, et aI., 1990) may also be eyes close; ocular quad wider anteriorly, wider related to the present species but of shoulder than long. Chelicerae brown, long, anteriorly humps and sigilla on abdominal dorsum and narrowing, inner margin with 3 and outer margin thick, short and blunt epigynal scape justify its with 1 teeth (fig. 9). Maxillae dark brown, longer distinction. The species is, therefore described as than wide, anteriorly scopulate (fig. 10). Sternum new to science. brown, broad, wider than long, clothed with SUMMARY spines and fine hairs (fig. 11). Legs long and The present paper deals with 2 (two) species slender, clothed with hairs and spines; leg of orb-weaving spiders of the genus Araneus formula and the measurements (in mm) : 1243. Clerck of Bangladesh. The species are A. mitifia Abdomen : Globular, medially wide, (Simon) and A. rumiae sp. n. narrowing at both ends, clothed with fine The study on these was initiated since 1994, pubescence; dorsum decorated with white patch; have revealed the existance of above two species ventrally brown; epigyne as in fig. 12. of a particular area of Bangladesh. Identity of the Male: Unknown. species were later confirmed by the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. Holotype : Female in spirit. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Type-locality: Barisal and Jessore, Bangladesh. ColI. V. Biswas. The authors are grateful to Dr. S.c. Majumder, Scientist-SD (Retd.), Sunderban Field Etymology: The species has been named after Research Station, Zoological Survey of India, my beloved niece Dr. Rumi Biswas. Canning, West Bengal, for confirmation of the Remarks: The present species Araneus rumiae identity of the species and the Head, Department n. sp. in having produced tongue like epigynal of Zoology, University of Calcutta for laboratory scape comes close to the Indian congeners A. facilities throughout the course of this study. pahalgaonensis Tikader & Bal and A. anantonagensis REFERENCES Begum, A. and V. Biswas, 1997. A list of spider fauna of Barisal division, Bangladesh. Bangladesh j. Zool., 25(2) : 207-210. 160 Rec. zool. Surv. India Chen, Z. F. and Z. H. Zhang, 1991. Fauna ofZhejiang, Araneida. Zhejiang, Sci.