Hippasa fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999

SANKARAN, PRADEEP M. & CALEB, JOHN T. D., 2023, Notes on Indian wolf spiders: II. Genus Hippasa Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Lycosidae Hippasinae), Zootaxa 5230 (2), pp. 101-152 : 142-143

Hippasa fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999 , nomen dubium

Fig. 32

Hippasa fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999: 24 , figs 4–6 (♀). Gajbe 2004: 59, figs 53–55 (♀).

Type material. Holotype, immature ♀ from INDIA: Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur: Khandari , 9 October 1997, P. Gajbe leg., repository NZC-ZSI (no register number specified), examined.

Remarks. This species must be considered a nomen dubium due to the immature stage of the female holotype. The epigynal area of the immature holotype was found intact except a small part, which was incised and had small piece of tissue removed and kept inside a smaller vial ( Fig. 32C ). It is quite surprising that, irrespective of the immature stage of the holotype, the authors were able to illustrate its genitalia, which are totally different from that of Hippasa species and are quite misleading ( Gajbe & Gajbe 1999: figs 5–6). They probably illustrated the muscle sigillae at the epigynal area as that was the epigyne ( Gajbe & Gajbe 1999: fig. 5).

The NZC-ZSI collection has one glass tube for this species, labeled as ‘holotype’ (no register number specified) containing one large immature female specimen in good condition. The same tube has a small glass vial containing a piece of tissue from the epigynal area ( Fig. 32C ).

Figures

FIGURE 32. Hippasa fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999, holotype female (NZC-ZSI).A habitus, dorsal view. B epigynal area of the same, ventral view. C tissue from the epigynal area, ventral view. D label from type bottle. Scale bars: A–B, 2 mm; C, 0.1 mm.