Thelcticopis paripes ( Karsch, 1879 )

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Sherwood, Danniella & Jäger, Peter, 2024, On the identity of species of the huntsman spider genus Thelcticopis Karsch, 1884 (Araneae: Sparassidae: Sparianthinae) from India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5463 (3), pp. 301-338 : 318-322

Thelcticopis paripes ( Karsch, 1879) comb. rest.

Figs 15 , 27

Themeropis paripes Karsch, 1879: 559 , pl. 7, fig. 7 (♂).

Stasina paripes (Karsch) : Karsch 1892: 293. Roewer 1955: 685.

Thelcticopis paripes (Karsch) : Pocock 1900: 271.

Type material. Holotype ♂, SRI LANKA: Johann Nietner leg. ( ZMB 2512 ; examined).

Diagnosis. Males of T. paripes comb. rest. are very similar to those of T. nalandica comb. rest. in having a heavily enlarged embolus and conductor, the latter situated in retrolateral half of tegulum, as well as the elongated dRTA with acuminate distad tip, but are distinguished by (1) presence of an additional ventro-medial branch of RTA (vs. without such branch in T. nalandica comb. rest.), (2) dRTA simple without ventral outgrowth (vs. dRTA with distinct tooth-shaped ventral outgrowth in T. nalandica comb. rest.), and (3) conductor tip short, i.e., not extending into prolateral half of tegulum (vs. long and extending distinctly in prolateral half of tegulum in T. nalandica comb. rest.) ( Figs 15A–B vs. Figs 13A–B , 14A–B ).

Description. Male (holotype; Figs 15C–D ) [after Karsch 1879: body length 14.0, carapace length 6.0, opisthosoma length 7.5–8; spination of legs: tibia I–II 222(14), III–IV 2226; leg I/IV total length 22.0]. Chelicerae with three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth, the latter without gap ( Fig. 15D ). Anterior eye row straight, posterior eye row slightly procurved; AME largest, others of similar, smaller size ( Fig. 15C ). Palp ( Figs 15A– B ): cymbium with retro-proximal bulge ( Fig. 15B ). Tibia short, i.e., less than half the length of cymbium ( Fig. 15A ). dRTA slightly S-shaped in retrolateral view, its tip sharply acuminate, distad; ventro-medial branch of RTA acuminates in retrolateral view, ventrad ( Figs 15A–B ). Conductor with acute tip ( Figs 15A–B ). Narrow apical part of embolus visible centrally, close to tegular apophysis ( Fig. 15A ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Sri Lanka ( Fig. 27 ).

Figures

FIGURES 13A–D. Thelcticopis nalandica (Karsch, 1892) comb. rest., holotype male.A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C Eye arrangement, dorsal; D Left chelicera, ventral. Abbreviations: aE—apical narrow part of embolus; bE—basal broad part of embolus; C—conductor; CT—conductor tip; iT—internal tooth; TA—tegular apophysis; VO—ventral outgrowth of RTA. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 14A–L. Thelcticopis nalandica (Karsch, 1892) comb. rest, holotype male of Stasina nigropicta (A–E), female (F–L). A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C, I Eye arrangement, dorsal; D, J–K Chelicerae, ventral (D, K left, J right); E Habitus, dorsal; F Epigyne, ventral; G Vulva, dorsal. H Schematic course of internal duct system, dorsal. L Opisthosoma, dorsal. Abbreviation: CT—conductor tip. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURES 15A–D. Thelcticopis paripes (Karsch, 1879) comb. rest., holotype male. A–B Left palp (A ventral, B retrolateral); C Eye arrangement, dorsal; D Left chelicera, ventral. Abbreviations: aE—apical narrow part of embolus; bE—basal broad part of embolus; C—conductor; CT—conductor tip; TA—tegular apophysis; vmB—ventro-medial branch of RTA. Drawings by Peter Jäger.

FIGURE 27. Distribution of the genus Thelcticopis Karsch, 1884 in southern India and Sri Lanka.