Hitobia tikaderi ( Patel, 1989 ), 2025

Sankaran, Pradeep M. & Caleb, John T. D., 2025, On the taxonomic validity of Indian ground spiders: VI. Genera Ladissa Simon, 1907, Melicymnis Simon, 1885, and Poecilochroa Westring, 1874 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), Zootaxa 5673 (1), pp. 132-142 : 141

Hitobia tikaderi ( Patel, 1989) comb. nov.

Poecilochroa tikaderi Patel, 1989: 328 , fig. 1a–e (♂ ♀).

Type material. Syntypes ♂, ♀, INDIA: Gujarat: Botad: ca 72 kms South-West of Bhavnagar: Gadhada (not Gadhaga) (22°29’N 74°30’E; 0 m a.s.l.), date unknown, collector unknown, repository NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (no register number specified), not examined .

Description: Male and female. For description and illustrations of the male and female, see Patel (1989).

Justification of the transfer. Patel (1989) did not assign holotype for this species. We were unable to trace out the syntypes of P. tikaderi in the arachnid collection of ZSI though the author had mentioned that the types would be deposited there ( Patel 1989). It may be lost or misplaced elsewhere in the collection or not deposited there. Even though the original genitalic illustrations of this species ( Patel 1989: fig. 1c–e) are highly schematic, and do not facilitate identification, the presence of prolateral cluster of long macrosetae on the palpal tibia, and large balloon-like spermathecae suggest a similarity of this species with the genitalia of Hitobia (cf. Patel 1989: fig. 1c–d and Sankaran et al. 2021: figs 5d, 7, 8d). Thus, we propose to transfer this species to Hitobia . The abdominal pattern together with the female genitalia illustrated for this species show close resemblances with that of H. behni comb. nov. suggesting a possible synonymy of H. tikaderi comb. nov. with the latter (cf. Patel 1989: fig. 1a, c–d and herein Figs 16, 18 ), but confirmation requires the examination of syntypes or topotype material of H. tikaderi comb. nov..

Distribution. India: Gujarat ( Patel 1989).

Figures

FIGURES 16–19. Hitobia behni (Thorell, 1891) comb. nov., holotype female of Poecilochroa behni Thorell, 1891. 16 habitus, dorsal. 17 chelicerae, upper. 18 epigyne, ventral. 19 original label found in the holotype vial. Figures are not to scale. © ZMUC, Denmark.