Bowie indicus ( Gravely, 1931 )

Sankaran, Pradeep M. & Joseph, Mathew M., 2023, The hitherto unknown male of Bowie indicus (Gravely, 1931) (Araneae: Ctenidae), Journal of Natural History 57 (1 - 4), pp. 19-24 : 20-23

Bowie indicus ( Gravely, 1931)

( Figures 1 (a–e, 2))

Ctenus indicus Gravely, 1931: 234 , fig. 2H–I (♀). Tikader and Malhotra 1981: 114, figs 6A–C (♀). Sankaran and Sebastian 2018: 403, figs 1C, F, 2C–E, 7A–C (♀). Karthika and Sunil Jose 2020: 55, fig. 1A–C (subadult ♀).

Bowie indicus Jäger, 2022: 39 , figs 161–162, 184–189 (♀, tip of retrolateral tibial apophysis of ♂).

Material examined

India, Kerala, Trivandrum, Kallar near Ponmudi, on the way to Meenmutty Waterfalls (8.71777N, 77.12694E; 90 m a.s.l.), 22 January 2019, leg. M.S. Pradeep, from ground, by hand: 1 ♂ without left leg II and left pedipalp ( ADSH201037 ).

Diagnosis

Males of B. indicus are closely related to the males of Bowie cladarus ( Jäger, 2012) as both possess a massive retrolateral tibial apophysis with easily broken branched tip, semicircular embolus with distal part being covered by conductor and embolus with membranous extension, but can be distinguished from the latter species by tip of retrolateral tibial apophysis with four branches (vs three in B. cladarus ), cymbium with retrobasal process (vs absent in B. cladarus ) and median apophysis with prolateral extension (vs absent in B. cladarus ) (compare Figure 2 (a–b) with Jäger 2012, figs 60–61).

Description

Male in alcohol ( Figure 1 (a–d)). Carapace, clypeus, chelicerae, endites, labium, sternum, leg and pedipalp segments dark brown; carapace with indistinct black streaks, medially and laterally with broad patches formed of short white hairs, former extending to middle of ocular quad, lateral margin bearing white setae. Leg segments with blackish shading, covered with short white hairs. Pedipalp segments covered with short white hairs. Opisthosoma elongate rectangular, hirsute, yellowish brown with greyish-black shading, rear end with indistinct transverse black bands, venter greyish-black, with creamy-white streaks and scattered patches formed of short white hairs. Spinnerets yellowish brown; fovea narrow, longitudinal, straight, dark. Cheliceral promargin with three and retromargin with four teeth. Femora III–IV retrobasally with a few small humps, each consisting of numerous tiny, tubercles ( Figure 1 (b–d)); all metatarsi with distal scopulae; all tarsi with complete scopulae, with well-developed claw tuft. Body length 15.72. Carapace 9.06 long, 7.11 wide. Opisthosoma 6.66 long, 4.76 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.26, AME 0.36, PLE 0.41, PME 0.46; ALE–ALE 1.53, AME–ALE 0.49, AME–AME 0.21, AME–PME 0.12, PLE–PLE 1.83, PME– ALE 0.18, PME–PME 0.11. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.18, at ALEs 0.79. Length of chelicerae 2.77. Length of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp (right) 13.80 [5.55, 2.35, 3.30, 2.60], I 32.90 [8.74, 3.83, 8.72, 8.74, 2.87], II (right) 30.00 [8.12, 3.79, 7.55, 8.07, 2.47], III 24.59 [7.11, 3.09, 5.64, 6.73, 2.02], IV 35.13 [9.26, 3.33, 8.14, 11.58, 2.82]. Leg formula: 4123. Spination of pedipalp: femur pld 1 do 7 rld 1, patella spineless, tibia rl 1 rld 1, tarsus/cymbium spineless; legs: femur I pl 1 pld 2 do 3 rld 4, II pl 1 pld 3 do 3 rld 4, III pld 4 do 3 rld 4, IV pld 4 do 3 rld 3; patellae I–IV pld 1 rld 1; tibia I pl 1 plv 5 do 2 rl 2 rld 1 rlv 5, II pl 1 plv 5 do 3 rl 2 rlv 5, III pl 2 plv 3 do 3 rl 2 rlv 3, IV pl 2 plv 3 do 3 rl 2 rlv 3; metatarsus I pl 3 pld 1 plv 2 rl 3 rld 2 rlv 2 vt 1, II pl 3 pld 1 plv 3 rl 3 rld 1 rlv 3, III pl 3 pld 1 plv 3 rl 3 rld 1 rlv 3, IV pl 3 pld 1 plv 3 rl 3 rld 2 rlv 4; tarsi I–IV spineless. Pedipalp ( Figures 1 (e), 2): tibia very long, 2.5 times longer than the tibia of B. cochinensis ( Figure 1 (e–f)), distoventrally provided with a few long black setae (omitted in Figure 2 ) ( Figure 1 (e)). Retrolateral tibial apophysis long, massive, with basal stalk and easily broken tip having four branches, with a short membranous triangular process visible only in retrolateral view ( Figure 2 ; RTA, arrows 1–5). Ventral tibial apophysis short, thumb-like, directed at 2 o̍clock ventrally ( Figure 2 ; VTA). Cymbium tip conical with smoothly rounded apex, with a broad, flat retrobasal process having irregular margin ( Figure 2 (a); RCP). Tegulum and subtegulum highly sclerotised ( Figure 2 ; T, ST). Median apophysis broad, baso-retrolateral, concave in ventral view, with a flat distoprolateral extension ( Figure 2 ; MA). Conductor membranous, flat, distomedial, partly folded to cover the distal part of embolus ( Figure 2 ; C). Embolus stout, semi-circular in ventral view, with blunt tip, with short embolic base, with basoprolateral membranous extension ( Figure 2 (a); E, EB, ME).

Female. For redescription and illustrations of the female, see Sankaran and Sebastian (2018).

Distribution

India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu ( Gravely 1931; Tikader and Malhotra 1981; Sankaran and Sebastian 2018; Karthika and Sunil Jose 2020; Jäger 2022).

Figures

Figure 1. Bowie indicus (Gravely, 1931), male (a–e). (a) habitus, dorsal view; (b) left femur IV, retrolateral view showing humps;(c–d) close-up of humps on femur IV; (e) right pedipalp, retrolateral view; (f) left pedipalp of Bowie cochinensis (Gravely, 1931), retrolateral view. Scale bars: a–b, e–f = 2 mm; c– d = 0.2 mm.

Figure 2. Bowie indicus (Gravely, 1931), male right pedipalp (drawings have been rotated so as to appear left). (a) ventral view; (b) retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C, conductor;E, embolus; EB, embolic base; MA, median apophysis; ME, membranous extension of embolus; RCP,retrobasal cymbial process; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; SD, sperm duct; ST, subtegulum; T, tegulum; VTA, ventral tibial apophysis. Arrows indicate branches of the tip of RTA (1–4) and membranous triangular process of RTA (5). Scale bars: 1 mm.