Nesticodes rufipes (Lucas, 1846)

Kharkongor, Ilona Jacinta, Saikia, Uttam, Khynriam, Dimos & Saikia, Bhaskar, 2023, Current status of faunal diversity of Siju Cave, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 123 (3), pp. 283-303 : 294

25. Nesticodes rufipes (Lucas, 1846)

1846. Theridion rufipes Lucas, Hist. nat. des anim. Art. Exploration Scient. De l’Algérie. Zoologie, 1: 89-271.

Material examined: 1 ex. Siju Cave (~ 250-350m inside the Cave), Siju village, South Garo Hills District , Meghalaya, 25 o 21.061’N, 90 o 41.006’E, 119m, 3.i.2020, coll. I. J. Kharkongor & party, Reg. No. IV /ARA/ERS-72 ; 1 ex. Siju Cave (~ 450-500m inside the Cave), Siju village, South Garo Hills District , Meghalaya, 25 o 21.061’N, 90 o 41.006’E, 119m, 3.i.2020, coll. I. J. Kharkongor & party, Reg. No.IV /ARA/ERS-73 ; 8 ex. Siju Cave (~ 60-80m inside the Cave), Siju village, South Garo Hills District , Meghalaya, 25 o 21.061’N, 90 o 41.006’E, 119m, 3.i.2020, coll. I. J. Kharkongor & party, Reg. No.IV /ARA/ERS-77 .

Remarks: Fage (1924) reported this species from locations at 100ft., 300ft., 400ft., 450ft. and 500ft. from the cave entrance. Our current report is based on specimens collected from 60m to 500m inside the cave. It was observed that their numbers were higher at locations close to the cave entrance rather than deeper inside the cave. Being a cosmopolitan species, Nesticodes rufipes is widely distributed in almost all continents of the world. They are epigean species and their occurrence inside the cave (a hypogean environment) would have been described as opportunistic if not for the fact that they have colonized Siju Cave having been found there since 1922- 24 when the Cave was first surveyed. Having established viable populations within the cave environment they may be considered as an important component of the cavernicolous fauna of Siju Cave even though they do not exhibit visible troglomorphy.