Sceliraptor raffrayi ( Simon, 1893 ) Sankaran & Tripathi & Kadam, 2024

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Tripathi, Rishikesh & Kadam, Gautam, 2024, A new species of Steriphopus Simon, 1887 from India (Araneae: Palpimanidae, Chediminae), with the proposal of a new combination, Zootaxa 5474 (1), pp. 97-100 : 99-100

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5474.1.10

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12526842

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A62E878A-FFE8-463D-FF77-FF28FC28FCEC

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Sceliraptor raffrayi ( Simon, 1893 )
status

comb. nov.

Sceliraptor raffrayi ( Simon, 1893) comb. nov.

Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3

Sarascelis raffrayi Simon, 1893: 313 View in CoL (♂).

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( MNHN AR1703 About MNHN ) from SINGAPORE, date unknown, collector unknown, examined based on photographs.

Diagnosis. The male of S. raffrayi comb. nov. are most similar to those of S. murphyorum Zonstein & Marusik, 2022 from Kenya as both have a slender prolateral branch of tegular apophysis, and a similarly long tegular process, but it can be distinguished by the absence of a tegular spur (vs. present), slightly curved distal part of retrolateral branch of tegular apophysis (vs. U-shaped), and inclined basal process of embolus (vs. directed upward) ( Fig. 3E–F View FIGURE 3 cf. Zonstein & Marusik 2022: figs 11, 29).

Supplementary description of the holotype male ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). After Simon (1893): carapace blackish red, legs rufous chestnut, opisthosoma tawny chestnut; carapace wrinkled, covered with setae; sternum rugous; opisthosoma oblong, hirsute; body length 7.00. Palp ( Fig. 3E–H View FIGURE 3 ). Tibia swollen ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ). Cymbium narrow, with short retrobasal projection ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ). Bulb ovoid, without tegular spur ( Fig. 3F, H View FIGURE 3 ). Tegular apophysis (TA) stout, slightly curved, with narrow, slender, slightly curved prolateral (Tp) and retrolateral (Tr), and flat, strongly curved intermediate (Ti) branches ( Fig. 3E–F View FIGURE 3 ). Dorsal tegular process (Dp) moderately long, broader at base, gradually narrowing towards apex, distally curved; embolus (E) thin and fragile, with short and inclined rod-like process (Ep) at base ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality. The record of this species from India ( Gravely 1921) is doubtful and refers most likely to a different species (see Tripathi et al. 2023).

Justification of the transfer. An examination of the holotype male of S. raffrayi revealed that Simon (1893) misplaced this species in Sarascelis Simon, 1887 as its male palp has partly fused tegular sclerites, which are completely fused and integrated in Sarascelis species ( Fig. 3E–F View FIGURE 3 cf. Zonstein & Marusik 2022: figs 25–26). Instead, it shows similarities with the species of Sceliraptor : cymbium with a retrobasal projection, stout tegular apophysis with several branches, and thin embolus with a basal process ( Fig. 3E–H View FIGURE 3 cf. Zonstein & Marusik 2022: figs 8, 20, 26, 35). Based on these observations, we consider the transfer of Sarascelis raffrayi to Sceliraptor justified.

MNHN

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Palpimanidae

Genus

Sceliraptor

Loc

Sceliraptor raffrayi ( Simon, 1893 )

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Tripathi, Rishikesh & Kadam, Gautam 2024
2024
Loc

Sarascelis raffrayi

Simon, E. 1893: 313
1893
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