Tithaeus Thorell, 1891

Zhu, Wei-Guang Lian Ming-Sheng & Kury, Adriano B., 2008, A new species of the genus Tithaeus from China (Arachnida: Laniatores: Epedanidae), Zootaxa 1841, pp. 53-60 : 53-54

Tithaeus Thorell, 1891

Tithaeus Thorell, 1891: 371 , type species by original designation: Tithaeus laevigatus Thorell, 1891 ; Loman, 1905: 33; Roewer, 1912: 120 (in part); 1923: 79; 1927: 279; 1949: 44; Banks, 1931: 67; Suzuki, 1969a: 24; 1972: 3.

Sinis Loman, 1892: 12 [junior homonym of Sinis Heer 1862 (Coleoptera) and of Sinis Thorell 1878 (Araneae) ]. Sinniculus Loman, 1902: 198 [valid replacement name for Sinis Loman, 1892 ].

Diagnosis. Medium-sized epedanids with a low or moderate common eye tubercle removed from the anterior margin of carapace, without a median spine. Few with a slight hump situated between the eye tubercle and the anterior margin, lower than eye tubercle. Scutal region divided into five areas. Palpus relatively short and thickened, its femur and patella each usually provided with a setiferous tubercle medially-distally. Tarsal formula (I–¦IV): 5: more than 5: 5: 6. Distitarsi of first and second tarsus usually with two tarsalia each. Tarsi III– IV with simple and smooth double claws, no scopulae. Distal margin of ventral plate of penis usually with deep cleft, glans with simple membranous lobe to protect the stylus, stylar tip ending with a bifurcate lobe or slightly inflatable. Each lobe of ovipositor usually with 2 ventral and 2 dorsal setae.

Distribution. Indo-Malaysian Region: Burma ( Myanmar), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, ( Roewer 1912, 1923, 1949; Suzuki 1969a, 1969b, 1972, 1985) and China (new record). There is a record from Timor in the Australasian Region, but this is highly doubtful because it does not fit with the known distribution of the genus, otherwise confined to the Indo-Malaysian side of Wallace’s Line ( Fig. 3 ). Timor is a common word in Bahasa Indonesia and applies to many different places. In the absence of further records of Tithaeus from Australasia, and in view of the notorious cases of mislabelled localities in the Roewer collection (e.g., Helversen & Martens 1972; Kury 2003), it is reasonable to assume a mislabeling by Roewer. On the other hand, significance of the Wallace’s Line and other related lines in the Wallacea is evident for mammals, birds, some reptiles, and freshwater fish. However, biogeographical boundaries between Oriental and Australasia are rather obscure for insects and arachnids in the Wallacea. In Opiliones there are many representatives that are distributed in both western and eastern part of Indonesia beyond the Wallace’s Line, like laniatorids Dampetrinae, podoctids such as Ibalonius Karsch, 1880 and epedanids such as Beloniscus Thorell, 1891 (assuming these taxa do represent monophyletic units).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Southeast Asia, showing the distribution of species of Tithaeus from literature records (open circles), the doubtful record for Timor (black circle) and the records for the new species described here: Tithaeus drac (black triangle).