Dictis striatipes L. Koch, 1872

Zamani, Alireza, Stockmann, Mark, Magalhaes, Ivan L. F. & Rheims, Cristina A., 2022, New taxonomic considerations in the spitting spider family Scytodidae (Arachnida: Araneae), Zootaxa 5092 (2), pp. 151-175 : 164-168

Dictis striatipes L. Koch, 1872

Figs 10A–C , 11A–K , 12A–D

Dictis striatipes L. Koch,1872:294 ,pl.24,f.5(♀ lectotype ( ZMH-2298 )and juvenile paralectotype (ZMH-A0015358) L.K. M.G. 6536 [here designated], SAMOA ARCHIPELAGO, Upolu [13°55'S 171°45'W]; examined).

Dictis lugubris Thorell, 1887: 86 (♀ holotype from MYANMAR, deposited in MSNG, not examined). Syn. n.

Scytodes bilqis Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten, 2006: 161 , f. 1‒5 (♂ holotype from YEMEN, Al Mahwit, Khamis Bani Sa’ad [15°11'N 43°25'E], 550 m, 28 March 2000, A. van Harten leg., deposited in IBSP 35559, examined. Paratypes : 1♀, same locality as holotype, 28 March 2000, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35560 ; destroyed) ; 1♀, Jebel Bura [14°53'N 43°27'E], 1000 m, 7 December 1998, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35565 ; destroyed) ; 1♂, Socotra Archipelago, Socotra Island [12°30'N 53°55'E], 13 March 1999, A. Sallam & A.R. Shamsam leg. ( NHCY; temporarily IBSP 35568), examined). Syn. n .

Dictis denticulata Dankittipakul & Singtripop, 2010: 126 , figs 1, 3, 9, 17‒20, 47, 50, 52 (♂ holotype from THAILAND, Chaiyaphum, Tad Tone National Park , dry dipterocarp forest (15°59'02.2"N 102°02'06.2"E), 250 m, 26 September 2006, P. Dankittipakul leg., deposited in MHNG, not examined. Paratypes: Chaiyaphum, 1♂, 2♀, Tad Tone National Park, forest behind park headquarters (15°58'32.3"N 102°02'09.2"E), 280 m, pan trap, 10–11 July 2006, ( MHNG); 1♂, ditto, pan trap, 5–8 November 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, ditto, Malaise trap, 19–26 July 2006 ( MHNG); Loei, 1♂, Phu Ruea National Park, park headquarters (17°28'49.6"N 101°21'19.8"E), 860 m, pan traps, 5–6 July 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, Phu Kradueng National Park , Koke Hin Ngam (16°51'49.0"N 101°50'42.2"E), 270 m, pan traps, 13–14 August 2006 ( MHNG); Khonkaen , 1♂, Nam Pong National Park , office (16°37'20.5"N 102°34'28.0"E), 324 m, Malaise traps, 19–26 July 2006 ; Chaiyaphum, 1♂, Pa Hin Ngam National Park, Siamese tulip field (15°38'26.3"N 101°23'34.6"E), 780 m, pan trap, 7–8 July 2006 ( MHNG); Sakon Nakhon, 1♂, 1♀, Phu Phan National Park , Huay Wien Prai Forest Unit (17°06’48.6”N 104°00’19.1”E), 318 m, Malaise trap, 21–27 August 2006 ( TNHM); 2♀, ditto, Malaise trap 15–30 September 2006 ( TNHM); 2♀, ditto, Malaise trap, 21–27 August 2006 ( TNHM); 1♀, park headquarters (17°03'31.3"N 103°58'27.0"E), 320 m, pan trap, 9 July–7 August 2006 ( TNHM); Sakon Nakhon, 1♀, Phu Pha Yon National Park , reservoir (16°55'39.3"N 104°10'39.5"E), 280 m, Malaise trap, 23–29 July 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, deciduous dipterocarp forest (16°55'26.9"N 104°10'45.4"E), 295 m, Malaise trap, 23–29 July 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, ditto, Malaise trap, 17–23 July 2006 ( MHNG); Ubon Ratchathani, 1♂, Pha Taem National Park (15°24'18.2"N 105°31'15.5"E), 230 m, Malaise trap, 5–12 August 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, ditto, Malaise trap, 5–20 September 2006 ( MHNG); 1♀, ditto, Malaise trap, 15 August 2006 ( MHNG), all P. Dankittipakul leg., not examined). Syn. n .

Dictis ganeshi Keswani, 2015: 1 , f. 1–5 (♂ holotype from INDIA Maharashtra, Jalgaon, banana agro-ecosystems near Raver , 21°15'00.0"N 76°01'48.0"E, 21‒25 December 2012, S. Keswani leg., deposited in Arachnology Museum, Forest Training Institute, Chikhaldara, Maharashtra, India, not examined). Syn. n.

Dictis mumbaiensis Ahmed, Satam, Khalap & Mohan, 2015: 60 , f. 1–6 (♀ holotype from INDIA, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Aarey Milk Colony , 19°08'54.6"N 72°52'54.5"E, 7 May 2015, J. Ahmed & Y. Satam leg., deposited in BNHS, not examined. Paratype: 1♀, same locality as holotype, 23 April 2015, same data as holotype, J. Ahmed & Y. Satam leg. (BNHS), not examined). Syn. n.

Additional material examined. IRAN: Hormozgan: 6♂, 1♀, 3juv., Geno , 38 km NW of Bandar Abbas [27°27'N 56°01'E], 3 April 1972, K. Bilek leg. ( NHMW) . UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Dubai: 1♀, Dubai (25°07'46.9"N 55°24'00.8"E), 5 August 2021, P. Van Andel leg. ( ZMUT) . YEMEN: Al Mahwit: 1♂, 1♀, Khamis Bani Sa’ad [15°11'N 43°25'E], 550 m, 9 July 1999, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35564 ) ; 1♂, 1♀, same locality, 23 June 1999, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35561 ) ; Al Hudaydah: 1♀, 10 km NE Bajil , [15°06'N 43°19'E], 250 m, 6 December 1998, A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35566 ); 1♀, at-Tuhayta [14°11'N 43°13'E], 50 m, 4 December 1997 , A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35583 ); Taʿizz: 1♀ Mafraq [13°22'N 43°37'E], 450 m, 13 July 1999 , A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35567 ); Lahij: 1♂, Wadi bana [13°17'N 45°15'E], 100 m, 16 January 2001 , A. van Harten leg. ( IBSP 35569 ) .

Diagnosis. Males of D. striatipes resemble those of D. soeur comb. n. by the palp with a subdistal prolateral pick and a retrolateral claw-like hyaline membrane. It differs from the latter species by the palpal tibia subequal in length to patella (vs. longer in D. soeur ), by the embolus not constricted at base, and undulated at tip (vs. with constriction at base and gently curved at tip in D. soeur ). Females are distinguished from D. soeur comb. n. by the positioning ridges and postepigastric fovea separated from each other by four times their width (vs. seven times in D. soeur comb. n.) and from D. elongata by the outer spermathecae smaller than the inner spermathecae (vs. larger in D. elongata ) ( Fig. 12A–D ).

Synonymies. The synonymy of D. striatipes with S. bilqis is based on the comparison between the type specimens. In the original description of S. bilqis, Rheims et al. (2006) overlooked the inner spermathecae and their stalks ( Rheims et al. 2006: fig. 5), and mistakenly considered the sclerotized border of the median receptacles as copulatory ducts. Material previously cited by Rheims et al. (2006) was re-examined and the presence of these spermathecae was confirmed (see Fig. 12B ).

The synonymies of D. denticulata Dankittipakul & Singtripop, 2010 , D. ganeshi Keswani, 2015 and D. mumbaiensis Ahmed, Satam, Khalap & Mohan, 2015 with D. striatipes are all based on the comparison between the type specimens and the illustrations available in literature. In case of D. denticulata , the synonymy is on the basis of the palp of the male holotype which is identical to that of D. striatipes (cf. Dankittipakul & Singtripop 2010: figs 18, 19 and Fig. 11J, K ); the illustrated females, however, appear to be mismatched and could belong to another species. The figures available for D. ganeshi ( Keswani 2015: figs 1–5) and D. mumbaiensis ( Ahmed et al. 2015: figs 1–6) are not satisfactory; however, the morphology of copulatory organs, coloration pattern of males and females and overall somatic characters are consistent with those of D. striatipes and corroborate the synonymies.

The synonymy of D. lugubris Thorell, 1887 is based on the comparison of available figures (Lessert 1939: figs 19–22; Brignoli 1976: figs 105, 111, 114–115; Rheims et al. 2007: figs 20–22, 90–93; Caleb 2020: figs 20A–D, 29M) and material from Mexico, previously studied by Rheims et al. (2007).

Description. See Rheims et al. (2006: 161) and Dankittipakul & Singtripop (2010: 126).

Complementary description. Male (IBSP 35561, NHMW): habitus as in Fig. 11A, C . Palp as in Fig. 11G– K ; cymbium elongate, longer than tibia, with two apical macrosetae; bulb small, round. Female (IBSP 35561, NHMW): habitus as in Fig. 11B–D . Epigyne as in Fig. 12A–B : epigynal pouch slightly more than three times wider than long; positioning ridges straight and narrow, slightly oblique; fovea rounded. Vulva as in Fig. 12C–D : dorsal receptacles separated from each other by four time their width; inner spermathecae ovoid on a long, slender stalk; outer spermathecae arm-shaped, two times longer than wide.

Distribution. This species has one of the widest ranges in the whole family, known from southern United States, Mexico, Hawaii, southern Iran, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, western India, northeastern China to Australia and French Polynesia, Korea and Japan ( Fig. 16 ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Dictis striatipes L. Koch (ZMH 2298, female holotype) A–B habitus (A dorsal, B ventral) C vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A–B = 2 mm; C = 0.5 mm. AP = anterior plate; DR = dorsal receptacle; F = fovea; IS = inner spermathecae; OS = outer spermathecae; PP = posterior plate; PR = positioning ridge.

FIGURE 11. Dictis striatipes L. Koch.A–D habitus, dorsal.A (IBSP 35568, male); B (IBSP 35566, female); C (NHMW, male); D (NHMW, female); E–F tarsal claws, prolateral (IBSP 35569, male) (E leg I, F leg III); G–H (IBSP 35559, holotype S. bilqis Rheims, Brescovit & van Harten syn. n.), left palp (G prolateral, H retrolateral); I–K (NHMW, male) left palp (I detail of bulb, retrolateral, J prolateral, K detail of embolus, prolateral, arrows point to prolateral pick). Scale bars: A–D = 1 mm; E–K = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 12. Dictis striatipes L. Koch, female. A–B (IBSP 35563) (A epigyne, B vulva); C–D (NHMW) (C epigyne, D vulva). Scale lines: 0.5 mm.AP = anterior plate; DR = dorsal receptacle; F = fovea; IS = inner spermathecae; OS = outer spermathecae; PP = posterior plate; PR = positioning ridge.

FIGURE 16. Distribution map of Dictis striatipes. Red circles refer to literature records; yellow circles refer to records provided in iNaturalist online database.