Storenomorpha raghavai ( Patel & Reddy, 1991 ) Sankaran, 2021

Sankaran, Pradeep M., 2021, Transfer of Homalonychus raghavai Patel & Reddy, 1991 to Storenomorpha Simon 1884 (Araneae: Zodariidae), Zootaxa 5039 (2), pp. 299-300 : 299

Storenomorpha raghavai ( Patel & Reddy, 1991) comb. nov.

Figs 1–3

Homalonychus raghavai Patel & Reddy, 1991: 205 , fig. 1a–d (♀).

Type material. Holotype ♀ from INDIA: Andhra Pradesh: Visakhapatnam: Araku Valley (18°19’38.45’’N, 82°52’39.08’’E), 919 m alt., leg. T. S. Reddy, 13 October 1986; repository NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (no register number), not examined . Paratype: 1 subadult ♀, with same data as holotype, not examined .

Description. For description of the female, see Patel & Reddy (1991).

Male. Unknown.

Justification of the transfer. Patel & Reddy (1991) described this species based on adult and sub-adult female specimens collected from Andhra Pradesh. Even though I was unable to examine the types of this species, the original illustrations clearly indicate its similarity with other Storenomorpha spp. , as illustrated for S. dejiangensis Jiang, Guo, Yu & Chen, 2016 and S. lushanensis Yu & Chen, 2009 : carapace and opisthosoma with paler median and lateral stripes, epigynum with a central plate (CP) in posterior half and vulva consisting of thick, coiled copulatory ducts (compare Figs 1–3 with Yu et al. 2009: figs 2, 6–7, 11–12 and Jiang et al. 2016: fig. 3B). Even though Storenomorpha lacks proper diagnosis and the features such as distally widened tarsi with dense scopulae and three tarsal claws, the paired ones closely set in a shallow cavity proposed to identify this genus ( Jocqué & Bosmans 1989) are unrecognisable in the original illustrations of H. raghavai ( Patel & Reddy 1991: fig. 1a–d), based on the above mentioned observations, I propose to transfer H. raghavai to Storenomorpha .

Remarks. I was unable to trace out the types of H. raghavai in the arachnid collection of ZSI, even though the authors mentioned that the types would be deposited there ( Patel & Reddy 1991).

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Storenomorpha raghavai (Patel & Reddy, 1991) comb. nov., original illustrations of holotype female of Homalonychus raghavai Patel & Reddy, 1991, adapted from Patel & Reddy (1991). 1 female habitus, dorsal view. 2 epigynum, ventral view. 3 vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviation: CP, central plate. Figures are not to scale.