Sphingius scrobiculatus Thorell, 1897

Dankittipakul, Pakawin, Tavano, Maria & Singtripop, Tippawan, 2011, Neotype designation for Sphingius thecatus Thorell, 1890, synonymies, new records and descriptions of six new species from Southeast Asia (Araneae, Liocranidae), Zootaxa 3066, pp. 1-20 : 18

Sphingius scrobiculatus Thorell, 1897

Figure 1

Sphingius scrobiculatus Thorell: Thorell, 1897 : 236; description of male. Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001: 489, fig. 839. Sphingius pingtung Tso et al., 2005 : Tso et al., 2005: 49, figs. 9–12; description of male. Zhang, Fu & Zhu, 2009: 37, figs 9–12. Syn. nov.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, MYANMAR: Palon: 1885-1889, leg. L. Fea ( MSNG, examined). Original label: Sphingius scrobiculatus Thor. Birmania: Palon. Fea .

New material. THAILAND, Chaiyaphum Province: Tart Tone NP, mixed forest behind NP headquarters, 500 m, sifting decomposed leaves and organic litter, 12 June 2002, P. Dankittipakul, 2♂ ( MNHG, PDC- 589361) .

Remarks. Sphingius scrobiculatus can be distinguished from its congeners by the thicker embolus, and by the very long, RTA curving backwards ( Fig. 1 ). The description and illustrations of S. pingtung given by Tso et al. (2005) from Taiwan and subsequently by Zhang et al. (2009) from China correspond well with the holotype of S. scrobiculatus originally described from Myanmar ( Fig. 1 ). Both parties ( Tso et al. 2005; Zhang et al. 2009) distinguished S. pingtung from S. scrobiculatus only on the basis of minor differences in the embolus, the shape of median apophysis and the presence of conductor (which was missing in the original description by Tso et al. 2005). The close genitalic similarities and the discovery of a new material in Thailand intermediate between Myanmar and China indicate that S. scrobiculatus and S. pingtung are best considered synonymous.

Judging from overlapped distribution between S. scrobiculatus (only the male is known) and S. gracilis (only the female is known), it is possible that either these species have rather broad distribution range or they are conspecific. No taxonomic treatment for S. gracilis and S. scrobiculatus is proposed at this stage, pending the discovery of the conspecific male of S. gracilis in China, for which its palpal morphology is presumably similar to or not distinctive from that of S. scrobiculatus .

Distribution. Myanmar, Thailand (new record) and China (Guangxi, Taiwan).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Sphingius scrobiculatus Thorell, holotype male from Palon, Myanmar (1). Sphingius gracilis (Thorell), female specimen from Palon, Myanamar (2). Sphingius tristiculus Simon, syntype female from Vietnam (3). Sphingius vivax (Thorell), holotype female from Moulmein, Myanmar (4). Sphingius superbus sp. nov., holotype male (5). 1 Left male palp, retrolateral. 2 – 4 Epigyne, ventral. 5 Ventral scutum of male showing group of bristles.