STUDIES ON SOME SPIDERS OF THE FAMILY ARANEIDAE ( ARANEAE : ARACHNIDA ) FROM MADHYA PRADESH

The araneids are typical-orb-weaving spiders, distributed all over the world. In general they prefer to live in moist places and very rarely found in arid regions. Almost all the species construct orb-webs in the foliage, either high upon the trees or in shrubs, herbs or grass, but they are not ground dwellers. They built their orb-webs having geometrical precision and beauty. Their finished projects are incomparable in tenns of the craftmanship. Many of them build a nest like retreat by folding a leaf or bunch of leaves which is little away from the web but directly connected with the web-centre by threads. The araneids having no retreat, merely run away from the web or drop to the ground when disturbed, if undisturbed they will climb upto the web by means of thread they pulled out while falling. Generally the male araneids are much smaller than females and are not commonly seen in the web unlike females.


INTRODUCTION
The araneids are typical-orb-weaving spiders, distributed all over the world.In general they prefer to live in moist places and very rarely found in arid regions.Almost all the species construct orb-webs in the foliage, either high upon the trees or in shrubs, herbs or grass, but they are not ground dwellers.They built their orb-webs having geometrical precision and beauty.Their finished projects are incomparable in tenns of the craftmanship.Many of them build a nest like retreat by folding a leaf or bunch of leaves which is little away from the web but directly connected with the web-centre by threads.The araneids having no retreat, merely run away from the web or drop to the ground when disturbed, if undisturbed they will climb upto the web by means of thread they pulled out while falling.Generally the male araneids are much smaller than females and are not commonly seen in the web unlike females.
The characteristic feature of an orb-web is the central portion.It is lying within the supporting frame work, consists of series of radiating threads of non-viscid and non-elastic silk.These threads support a continuous thread or viscid and ela~tic silk which is spun spirally from periphery to the web-centre.The web-centre and pattern of viscid spiral are highly variable and often specific to different genera.It is also noticed that as the spiderlings become mature they go on changing their web-building patterns~ Since the araneid spiders are nocturnal in habit they are not seen on the web in day time with a few exceptions as tropical Argiope, Cyclosa, Gastercantha, Leucage etc. Usually after every few days the sticky silk dries up or becomes torn and is replaced and repaired in the evening by the spider.Some spiders roll up their webs in the morning before leaving the web to take shelter under bark or retreat of leaves.Again the web is reconstructed in the evening for trapping the prey at night.
The araneids devour all sorts of arthropods which entangled in their webs.Since these spiders have very poor vision, they locate their prey by feeling the vibration and tension of threads of the web.Then they quickly turn their prey with legs and simultaneously their IVth legs pull out from spinnerets and wrap the victim.The prey is bitten before dragged to the hub or to the retreat in a corner, where prey is sucked.In edible objects are cut out of web and dropped to the ground.
Since orb-weavers have poor vision, the male reveal their presence by plucking the threads of the female web.A female generally does not feast on her mate as many people believe but usually the male die soon after mating.Araneid spiders, in general, mature and breed in the monsoon only and die in the winter.Some Araneus enclose their eggs in a fluffy mass of silk having no definite .Qutline.Egg sac of Argiope is a silken cup which is surrounded by a thick layer of flossy silk which is enclosed in the firm, closely woven pear like outer covering.Ano the whole thing is held by folded leaves in the vegetation.
In the winter many female araneid spider lay several hundred of eggs in egg sacs and then die.
In some cases the spiderlings are hatched out soon, but sometimes not until the next spring.
The spiders of the family Araneidae are little known in the Indian Fauna.Scanty informations are available on Indian forms of araneid spiders from the reports of Stoliczka (1869), Simon (1884Simon ( , 1889Simon ( , 1892)), Thorell (1895) and Pocock (1900) who were the pioneer workers on this group of spiders.They described many species from India, Burma and Sri Lanka.Afterwards Gravely (1922) recorded some species of araneid spiders.
Tika~er (1960,1961,1962, A, B, C, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1977), Tikader & Bal (1981) and (1981) reported so many species from India.Tikader (1982)  Characters : Carapace variable, thoracic region separated from cephalic region by oblique depression.Eyes less variable in size in different genera, eight in number and arranged usually in two rows, median eyes forming a quadrangle, either a square or a trapezium, lateral eyes usually close and often projecting on angular tubercles.Sternum heart-shaped or triangular, narrowing behind, thus coxae IV nearly contiguous, labium with swollen distal edge.Maxillae widest distally and generally not longer than wide.Chelicerae strong, vfrtical and not divergent, provided with a boss on each, fang furrow armed with two sets of strong teeth.Leg long and strong, clothed with hairs and spines, three claws and auxilIary foot claws not provided with trichobothria on femora or tarsi.Pedipalp with a single claw in female, paracymbium of male pal pus attached to proximal end of cymbium.Abdomen variable in size and shape, epigastric furrow nearly straight, six spinnerets.Most of the spiders construct orb-webs, spiders hang in the web head down.
Distribution : Tropical and rarely sub-tropical countries of the world.Renlarks : This species is being reported here for the first time from Madhya Pradesh.Remarks : This species is being reported here for the first time from the Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh.

Argiope pulchella Thorell
1881.Argiope pulchella Thorell, Annali Mus.Civ.Genova, 18 : 74.Remarks: This species is being reported here for the first time from Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh.Characters: Carapace with anteriorly narrow cephalic region, cephalic region distinctly separated from thoracic region by an oblique grove fonning a U-shape, ocular quad trapezium like, much narrower behind than in front, anterior median eyes usually larger than posterior medians, posterior median very close, almost touching, laterals close and situated on prominent tubercles, both rows of eyes recurved".Palpal patella of male with one large strong and curved spines.Abdomen provided with humps, both paired and median unpaired.Epigyne having a small, weak scape which may be straight, wrinckle, bent, pointed or circular.
Characters: Carapace rather long, scarcely convex posteriorly ocular quad fonning a trapezium, nearly twice as wide in front than behind, lateral eyes subequal in size and very close.Maxillae longer than wide.Legs long and slender.Abdomen elongated with a single median blunt point in front and no caudal process, ventral side with a longitudinal white band guarded laterally by black patches between epigastric furrow and spinnerets.Males with pal pal patella bearing two heavy curved spines at the apex.9. Larinia mandlaensis sp.nov.
Cephalothorax : Nearly one and half times longer than wide, narrowing in fro~t, clothed with pubesdence, cephalic region not clearly distinct from thoracic region, black longituqinal mid-dorsal band extending from the posterior median eyes to the deep longitudinal thoracic furrow as in fig. 1. Ocular quad forming a trapezium, more than three times wider in front than behind as in fig. 1  . .~~,.: .. : ... Anterior median eyes much larger than the posterior median eyes, posterior medians closely situated, laterals subequal, closed and situated on distinct tubercles, both rows of eyes recurved but posterior row very slightly recurved than the anterior row.Sternum rather elongated, heart-shaped, pointed behind, light dark shades with pale median area, clothed with pubescence.Labium as long as wide, light brown with pale distal border, maxillae slightly longer than broad, light brown provided with distinct scopulae.Chelicerae strong and stout, brownish, provided with distinct boss, anterior margin of each chelicerae armed with two teeth.Legs long and slender, clothed with hairs and spines.
Abdomen: Elongated, nearly two times longer than wide, pointed anteriorly over the carapace, clothed with pubescence.Dorsum of abdomen silvery white with black mid-longitudinal band extending from anterior to the posterior and laterally with light red band as in fig. 1. Ventral.side slightly lighter than the dorsal.Epigyne as in fig. 2. Internal genitalia as in fig. 3.
Type-locality: INDIA: Madhya Pradesh, Narayanganj village, Mandla district, CoIl.U. A. Gajbe, 23.1.1985.Remarks : This species resemble Larinia phtisica (L.Koch) but differs from it as follows : (i) Cephalothorax provided with a black mid-dorsal band but in L. phtisica no such band is present.(ii) Chelicera provided with two teeth but in L. phtisica chelicera provided with four teeth.(iii) Abdomen mid-dorsally provided with black band but in L. phtisica abdomen provided with a mid longitudinal pale lines and two sub-median pale lines on each side.(iv) Epigyne and internal genitalia also structurally different.Characters: Carapace moderately convex with no horny out growths, thoracic groove transverse in female, but in male longitudinal, often having lateral prolongations.Ocular quad forming a trapezium, not much longer than wi~e, median eyes slightly unequal in size, laterals clo~e and usually situated on prominent tubercles, both rows of eyes recurved.Males with a hook on coxa I and a groove on femur II; tibia II armed with spines on prolateral side and often bent.Epigyne with a prominent scape which may be long, wrinkle and winding or in some straight and' short, epigynal openings situated in to the grooves at the base.Palpus of male with a large terminal apophysis, palpal patella with two strong, long curved spines.Characters : Presence of longitudinal thoracic groove in female separates Neoscona from all members of the genus Araneus.Ocular quad fonning a trapezium and slightly longer than wide, anterior medians largest or subequal to the posterior medians, lateral eyes close and not situated on prominent tubercles, posterior laterals smallest, both rows of eyes recurved.In male, coxa I ventrally provided with a hook on 'the distal rim, tibia II having macrosetae (spines) on prolateral surface.Abdomen may be oval suboval, triangular or sub-triangular in shape.Epigyne is a simple ton'gu'e like, scape completely fused to the base and provided with one or two pairs of lateral lobes, epigynal openings situated on the underneath of scape.Palpal patela of male provided with two strong, curved and long spines, cymbium of male palp broad but it is rather narrow stripe like in Araneus.
Distribution : Species of Neoscona distributed all over the world.
Key to the species of genus Neoscona Simon