Tropizodium bengalensis ( Tikader & Patel, 1975 ) Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian, 2019

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2019, Transfer of the Indian species formerly included in the genus Lutica Marx, 1891 to Tropizodium Jocqué & Churchill, 2005 and Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 (Araneae Zodariidae), Zootaxa 4658 (1), pp. 168-174 : 170

Tropizodium bengalensis ( Tikader & Patel, 1975) comb. nov.

( Fig. 1 A–H)

Lutica bengalensis Tikader & Patel, 1975: 138 , figs 12–15 (Description and illustrations of female). Tikader, 1981: 139, figs 3–4 (Illustrations of female).

Type material. Holotype female from INDIA: West Bengal: Kolkata (=Calcutta): Bhowanipore / Bhabanipur (=Bhowanipur) (22°31’59.65’’N, 88°20’45.37’’E), 10 m alt.; B. Goswami leg.; 4 May 1974; repository NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (no register number), examined . Paratype (1 female, no register number) with same data as holotype, examined .

Type material status. The ZSI collection has two glass bottles for this species. The first bottle, labelled as ‘holotype’, contains one female specimen in fairly good condition. The same bottle has a small glass vial containing the dissected genitalia of the holotype. The second bottle labelled as ‘paratype’ contains one female specimen in good condition, but with detached opisthosoma.

Justification of transfer. Tikader and Patel (1975) described this species on the basis of two female specimens collected in West Bengal. Detailed examination of the holotype ( Fig.1A , C–D) and the paratype ( Fig. 1B, E ) shows that this species has all the diagnostic features of Tropizodium : AME largest, small intercheliceral triangle and distantly lying globular spermathecae without clearly defined copulatory ducts. Based on these observations, we propose to transfer L. bengalensis to Tropizodium .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Tropizodium bengalensis (Tikader & Patel, 1975) comb. nov.. A Holotype female habitus, dorsal. B Paratype female habitus, dorsal. C Epigyne of holotype female, ventral. D Vulva of the same, dorsal. E Epigyne of paratype female, ventral. F–G Labels from type bottles. H Original illustrations adopted from Tikader and Patel (1975). Scale bars: A–B 1 mm; C–E 0.2 mm.