Capheris escheri Reimoser, 1934

Sankaran, Pradeep M., 2023, Taxonomic notes on the ant-eating spider genera Asceua Thorell, 1887 and Cydrela Thorell, 1873 from India, with comment on Indian species of Euryeidon Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004 (Araneae: Zodariidae), Zootaxa 5296 (3), pp. 381-405 : 394-396

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5296.3.4

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B60263A8-DD7F-4D3C-93B5-8C280D6C55B1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7983995

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038E87AC-FFB7-0423-FF26-F94F006FAD94

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Capheris escheri Reimoser, 1934
status

 

Capheris escheri Reimoser, 1934 comb. rest.

Figs 11 View FIGURE 11 , 18 View FIGURE 18

Capheris escheri Reimoser, 1934: 467 , fig. 1 (♀).

Cydrela escheri View in CoL — Jocqué, 2009: 123 (transfer from Capheris View in CoL ).

Type material. Holotype ♀ from INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Dindigul, Kodaikanal , from small shola near kukkal/kookal, 10°16’N 77°22’E, 1972 m a.s.l., leg. J. Carl & K. Escher, 1926-1927, repository MHNG, Geneva (ARTO-26290), examined based on photographs. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Females of C. escheri are very similar to the females of Capheris oncka Lawrence, 1927 as both share semi-circular epigynal plate and short basomedian septum, but can be separated from the latter species by copulatory openings with straight anterior rim (vs. semi-circular in C. oncka ) (compare Fig. 11G View FIGURE 11 with Jocqué 2009: fig. 173).

Supplementary description. Female (holotype) ( Figs 11A–F View FIGURE 11 ) (partly after Reimoser (1934)). Body length 5.90. Carapace 3.00 long, 1.50 wide. Opisthosoma 2.90 long, 1.70 wide. Carapace yellowish brown, slightly domed, without deep concavity at level of fovea ( Fig. 11D View FIGURE 11 ); endites, sternum yellowish red; legs reddish yellow with darker femora; dorsum of opisthosoma black with small yellow dots and dashes ( Fig. 11F View FIGURE 11 ), with five pairs of large yellow patches in varying sizes and shapes ( Fig. 11F View FIGURE 11 ), laterals with paired pale yellow bands of reeds and spots, venter pale yellow with rows of black bands and spots. ALE almost touching, separated from each other by less than their radius ( Figs 11B–C View FIGURE 11 ); PER straight in dorsal view ( Fig. 11B View FIGURE 11 ). Sternum finely wrinkled, shield-shaped, sparsely covered with long bristles, with anterolateral indentations accommodating posterior part of endites, with precoxal sclerites ( Fig. 11E View FIGURE 11 ). Tarsi II–IV ventrolaterally with two rows of spinules. Epigyne ( Fig. 11G View FIGURE 11 ). Epigynal plate sclerotized, semi-circular, with narrow basomedian septum. Copulatory openings narrow, slit-like, with straight, sclerotized anterior margins.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu) ( Reimoser 1934) ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 ).

Justification of the transfer. This species was originally placed under Capheris ( Reimoser 1934) . Jocqué (2009) erroneously transferred it to Cydrela , without proper justification. An examination of the holotype of this species showed that it has diagnostic features of Capheris species including carapace without deep concavity at level of fovea, ALEs situated in front of AMEs, ALEs almost separated by their radius, straight PER, sternum with anterolateral indentations and precoxal sclerites, and very stout palps ( Figs. 11A–E View FIGURE 11 ). Based on these observations, the transfer of C. escheri is fully justified.

MHNG

Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Zodariidae

Genus

Capheris

Loc

Capheris escheri Reimoser, 1934

Sankaran, Pradeep M. 2023
2023
Loc

Cydrela escheri

Jocque, R. 2009: 123
2009
Loc

Capheris escheri

Reimoser, E. 1934: 467
1934
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