Carrhotus viduus (C.L. Koch, 1846 )

Gordana, Grbić & Ambros, Hänggi, 2020, ADDITIONAL SPIDER RECORDS FROM MT. FRUŠKA GORA (SERBIA) WITH A FIRST INSIGHT INTO WINTER SPECIES, Arthropoda Selecta 29 (1), pp. 51-66 : 61-65

Carrhotus viduus (C.L. Koch, 1846)

Figs 57–83, Map 2.

Plexippus viduus C.L. Koch, 1846: 104 , fig. 1166 (D#).

Carrhotus viduus : Andreeva et al., 1981: 103, figs 39–42 (#$); Prószyński, 1992: 169, fig. 7 (#); Jastrzębski, 1999: 4, figs 8–11 (#); Roy et al., 2016: 18, figs 14A–E, 25C, 27J ($); Caleb, 2016: 273, figs 1–5 (#).

Marpissa decorata Tikader, 1974: 206 , figs. 4-6 (D$); holotype & paratype $ in NZC-ZSI, examined; comb.n., syn.n.

Marpissa tikaderi Biswas, 1984: 125 , figs 14–16 (D$); holotype $ in NZC-ZSI, examined; comb.n., syn.n.

Marpissa lakshmikantapurensis Majumder, 2004: 32 , figs 11– 15 (D$); holotype $ in the NZC-ZSI, examined; comb.n., syn.n.

For a complete list of taxonomic references see WSC [2019].

TYPES. Marpissa decorata Tikader, 1974 : HOLOTYPE $ (NZC-ZSI) from India, West Bengal, Calcutta, the Sibpur Botanical Garden, 10.11.1956, B.K. Tikader. PARATYPE: 1 $ (NZC-ZSI), together with the holotype. — Marpissa lakshmikantapurensis Majumder, 2004 : HOLOTYPE $ (NZC-ZSI 5470/18) from India, West Bengal, Lakshmikantapur, P.S. Mandirbazar, 18.11.1994, S.C. Majumder. — Marpissa tikaderi Biswas, 1984 : HOLOTYPE $ (NZC-ZSI 5118/ 18) from India, West Bengal, Calcutta, Alipore, Zoological Garden, 04.01.1982, B. Biswas.

OTHER MATERIAL. INDIA: 1 # ( NZC-ZSI 6259 /18), West Bengal, North 24 Parganas Distr., Halisahar (22.924791°N, 88. 422547°E), 17 m a.s.l., 10.01.2017, S. Talukdar; 1 # & 2 subadults ( NZC-ZSI 6313 /18), same state and distr., Halisahar (22.924791°N, 88.422547°E), 17 m a.s.l., 12.02.2017, S. Talukdar; 1 # ( NZC-ZSI 6361 /18), Nagaland, Dimapur, Forest colony (25.910434°N, 93.717406°E), 156 m a.s.l., 20.03.2017, Aneesh; 1 $ ( NZC-ZSI 6454 /18), Surat (21.16°N, 72.83°E), 13.08.1917, unknown; 1 #, 1 $ ( NZC-ZSI 6462 /18, 6463/18), West Bengal, South 24 Parganas Distr. , Tentulberia, Garia Railway Station (22.467030°N, 88.404348°E), 7 m a.s.l., 18.02.2018, C. Bera; 1 # ( NZC-ZSI 6553 /18), West Bengal, Nadia, Kalyani (22.97°N, 88.43°E), 13 m a.s.l., 17.09.1969, D. Sinharny; 1 $ (ZSI-CDT- AA292), West Bengal, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (22.11°N, 88.84°E), 4 m a.s.l., 31.05.2016, Rushati Dey; 2 ##, 1 $ ( NZC-ZSI 6916 /18), Andhra Pradesh, Hope Island (16.959111°N, 82.357583°E), 5 m a.s.l., 27.03.2019, Rameshkumar . — IRAN (?): 2 ##, 1 $ ( NZC-ZSI 6674 /18), “Hung, Persian, Beluchistan”, W. T. Blanford .

COMMENTS. While examining old unidentified collections kept in the NZC-ZSI, we have identified three specimens of C. viduus collected by William Thomas Blanford (1832–1905) from “Beluchistan” (=Balochistan). An exact collecting locality in Balochistan is unknown. Perhaps, the specimens were collected during his appointment as a member of the Persian boundary commission (1870 to 1872), where he recorded that the bulk of his collection was obtained between Gwadar and Shiraz [ Blanford, 1876]. This record represents the westernmost locality of the species distribution.

Three Indian species with identical colour patterns were described in the genus Marpissa C.L. Koch, 1846 : viz., M. decorata Tikader, 1974 , M. tikaderi Biswas, 1984 and M. lakshmikantapurensis Majumder, 2004 . All of them were described solely from the females and from nearby locations in West Bengal (see inset of Map 2). M. decorata was first described from the Sibpur Botanical Garden, Kolkata, West Bengal and later was recorded from other localities in West Bengal, such as: Baikunthapur, Baraipur, Distr. 24 Parganas; Baranagar; Baishnabghata; Ballygunge Lake area [Tikad- er, Biswas, 1981]; Chapramari, Jalpaiguri [ Sen et al., 2015]; Nepuchapur Tea Estate [ Roy et al., 2016]. The holotype and paratype females of M. decorata were re-examined and found to be identical to C. viduus (cf. Figs 70–73 with Figs 60, 63, 64 and figs 41, 42 in Andreeva et al. [1981]). Thus, it is safe to conclude that the species M. decorata is to be treated as a member of Carrhotus and a junior synonym of C. viduus .

M. lakshmikantapurensis was described from Lakshmikantapur, South 24 Parganas Distr., West Bengal. The holotype female ( Fig. 76) was apparently dissected and the copulatory organs kept in a small vial in another glass tube from which the epigyne was found missing. However, the male palp of C. viduus was found in the glass tube containing the vial ( Figs 77, 78), probably belonging to the specimen collected together with the holotype female, indicating a potential matching of sexes and indicating the synonymy of both species names. Based on the general body morphology, the original illustrations of the copulatory organs and the aforementioned observation, it is safe to conclude that the species M. lakshmikantapurensis is to be treated as a member of Carrhotus and a junior synonym of C. viduus .

M. tikaderi was described from zoological garden in Alipore, Kolkata from a single female. The general morphology and copulatory organs ( Figs 80–82) leave no doubt that this species is to be treated as a member of Carrhotus and a junior synonym of C. viduus ( Figs 60, 63–64).

DISTRIBUTION. India to China [ WSC, 2019], Balochistan (new record); the distribution in India is shown in Map 2.