Hippasa

Wang, Lu-Yu, Li, Zong-Xu, Zhou, Ke-Xin & Zhang, Zhi-Sheng, 2015, Redescription of three Hippasa species from China (Araneae: Lycosidae), with a proposed species group-division and diagnosis, Zootaxa 3974 (2), pp. 231-244 : 234-235

Hippasa partita- group

Diagnosis. In the H. partita species group, the bifurcation of the two arms of the median apophysis is usually located proximally and may even be invisible in the ventral view of the palp ( Figs 7 A, 8C). The anterior arm (AA) is curved and usually sickle or hook-shaped ( Figs 7 B, 8D). The epigyne lacks a scape but has an obvious atrium ( Figs 7 C, 8E–F).

Composition and distribution. Seventeen species are included ( Fig. 2 ).

Ten of them found only in Africa:

H. affinis Lessert, 1933 (♀, from Angola)

H. albopunctata Thorell, 1899 (♀♂, from Cameroon and Ivory Coast) H. australis Lawrence, 1927 (♀♂, from Southern Africa)

H. brechti Alderweireldt & Jocqué, 2005 (♀, from Ivory Coast and Togo) H. cinerea Simon, 1898 (♀♂, from Africa)

H. decemnotata Simon, 1910 (♀♂, from West Africa)

H. elienae Alderweireldt & Jocqué, 2005 (♀, from Tanzania and Kenya) H. funerea Lessert, 1925 (♀♂, from Southern Africa and Botswana) H. innesi Simon, 1889 (♀, from Egypt)

H. marginata Roewer, 1960 ( Roewer 1960a, ♂, from Cameroon)

Two of them from both Africa and Asia:

H. partita ( O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) (♀♂, from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) H. sinai Alderweireldt & Jocqué, 2005 (♂, from Egypt and Saudi Arabia)

Five of them from Asia only:

H. hansae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999 (♀, from India)

H. himalayensis Gravely, 1924 (♀, from India)

H. lycosina Pocock, 1900 (♀♂, from India, Laos and China) H. olivacea ( Thorell, 1887) (♀, from Myanmar)

H. valiveruensis Patel & Reddy, 1993 (♀, from India)

From the distribution data of this species group, it appears that most Asian species were collected from countries near the Indian Ocean. We hypothesise that the ancestors of this group might be from Africa, some of them spread into Asia along the coast of Egypt, then through central Asia to South and Southeast Asia, where new species evolved.

Among these 30 species and subspecies, there are 10 species known only from females, two species known only from males and one whose sex is unknown ( H. holmerae sundaica ). Inevitably, some species may be synonymised. For example, H. lycosina Pocock, 1900 and H. olivacea ( Thorell, 1887) share the same distribution and have quite similar epigynes, but the latter is known only from females and has not been revised since the original description. They very likely represent the same species. However, the revision on the whole genus is difficult, especially the species from South Asia, because specimens are unavailable.

Remarks on ungrouped Hippasa species. There are seven species that are not included in the two groups discussed in this paper. Two of them, H. flavicoma Caporiacco, 1935 (juvenile, from Karakorum) and H. simoni ( Thorell, 1887) (♀, from Myanmar) have no published figures and only the original descriptions. Judging by the original figures, four species, H. bifasciata Buchar, 1997 (♀, from Bhutan), H. fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999 (♀, from India), H. haryanensis Arora & Monga, 1994 (♀♂, from India) and H. wigglesworthi Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999 (♀, from India) are not true Hippasa species. Further study or revision based on type material is needed. For the remaining species, H. loundesi Gravely, 1924 (♀, from India), there is insufficient information to decide which group it belongs to.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution records of the Hippasa partita - group.

FIGURE 7. Hippasa lycosina Pocock, 1900. A. Left male pedipalp, ventral view; B. Same, retrolateral view; C. Epigyne, ventral view; D. Same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: AA, anterior arm of median apophysis; At, atrium; Co, conductor; CO, copulatory opening; Em, embolus; FD, fertilization duct; HS, head of spermatheca; PA, posterior arm of median apophysis; SS, stalk of spermatheca; St, subtegulum; TA, terminal apophysis (= synembolus sensu Zyuzin (1993 )); Te, tegulum.