TAXONOMIC STUDIES ON SOME SPIDERS OF THE GENERA DRASSO DES WESTRING, HAPLODRASSUS CHAMBERLIN, GEODRASSUS CHAMBERLIN AND NODOCION CHAMBERLIN (FAMILY: GNAPHOSIDAE) FROM INDIA

The spiders of the family Gnaphosidae are very little known from the .Indian fauna. Even the representative work by Pocock (1900) on Indian spiders contains no reference to this family. ReCejltly Tikader (1962. 1973) has reported four species of the genus Drassodes from India, and Tikader and Gajbe (1975) have described five more species of this genus from India. The other genera are being recorded here for the first time fro m India.

2. Inner and outer margin of furrow of chelicera with two teeth each.
. Haplodrassus Chamberlin 3. Inner margin of furrow of chelicera with a single tooth, outer m~rgin with three teeth. . .Characters : Cephalothora:xl flat, broad in fro~t with a fovea and covered with pubescence.E}es anterior row slightly pr~curved (as seen from in front); medians slightly larger than laterals and a little closer to the laterals than to each other.Posterior row longer, procurv .. ed; medians oval, slightly larger than laterals and much closer to each other than to adjacent laterals.Chelicerae strong, inner margin normally with two teeth and two on the outer margin.Sternum oval and pointed behind.Maxillae and labium longer than wide.Legs long and strong, tibiae I and II sometimes bear one ventral spine on the apical half.Scopulae consist of closely set, short blunt.little spines.Abdomen longer than wide, narrowing behind, covered with' pubescence and with a 'mousy' appearance.
Distribution : Oriental, sub-tropical and temperate regions of the ." world.
Cephalothorax : Longer than wide, not v~ry broad in front, thickly clothed with fine hairs, posterior middle provided with a conspicuous fovea.Cephalic region slightly high.Eyes pearly white except anterior medians, posterior row of ey~s slightly long~r than the anterior row.Anterior row of eyes slightly procurv~d (as seen from in front), ,nedians slightly larger than the laterals and closer to laterals than to each other.Posterior row of eyes procurved, medians oval, larger tJlan the laterals and much closer to each other than to the adjacent laterals.Chelicerae moderately strong, inner and outer margin provided with two.small teeth and two slightly J?igger teeth respectively.Sternu m heart-shaped, pointed behind, clothed with fine hairs.Maxillae and labium reddishgreen, shape as in text-fig.1  , Type-locality: Pashan, Poona, Maharashtra, India.ColI.U. A. Gajbe, 23-3-1975.This species closely resembles Drassodes indraprastha Tikader .&Gajbe but differs as follows : (i) Anterior median eyes slightly larger than the laterals but in D. indraprastha they are of the same size.(ii) Maxillae and labium reddish-green but in D. indraprastha maxillae and labium light brownish green.(iii) Epigyne also structurally different.
Cepahlothorax : Longer than wide, not very broad jn front,-clothcd with pubsecence, posterior middle provided with a conspicuous fovea.A pattern of radiating streaks diverges from a short fovea to the sides.Eyes pearly white except anterior medians, posterior row of eyes slightly longer than the anterior row.Anterior row of eyes procurvod (as seen from in front), medians slightly larger than the laterals and closer.to laterals than to each other.Posterior row o~ eyes procurved, medians elliptical, slightly smaller than laterals and closer to each other than to adjacent laterals.Chelice rae m.oderately strong, inner and outer margin provided with two small teeth each.S temum heartshaped, pointed behind, clothed with short, black fine hairs.Maxillae and labium light-reddish-green, sh~pe as in text-fig.2C.Legs relatively long and strong, clothed with hairs and spines.Metatarsi and tarsi of I and II provided ventrally with conspicuous scopulae and tarsi with prominent claw tufts.Legs formula 4123.Abdomen : Longer than wide, nearly elliptical, clothed with hairs and provided with three _pairs of sigilla as in text-fig.2A.Ventral side lighter than the dorsal.Epigyne as in text .. fig.2B.Spinnerets prominent, anterior spinnerets longer than others as in te<t-fig.2D.
Holotype female in spirit.
Cephalothorax : Longer than wide, broad in front, clothed with pubescence, posterior middle provided with a conspicuous fovea, just above the fovea there is a W-shaped conspicuous deep brown marking.Cephaljc region slightly high.Eyes pearly white except anterior medians, posterior row of eyes slightly longer than the anterior row.Anterior row of eyes slightly procurved (as seen from in fr\}nt), medians sligh~ly larger than the laterals and closer to laterals than to each other.Posterior row of eyes procurved, medians oblique, larger than the laterals and closer to each other than to the adjac~nt laterals.C~,)liCJIaJ moderately strong, inner and Quter margin provided with two and three s~all teeth respectively.Sternum heart-shaped, pointed behind, clothed with fine hairs.Maxillae and labium light rJ ddish-gre all, shape as in text-fig.3D.Legs relatively long and strong, clothed with hairs and spines.Metatarsi and tarsi of I and II provided ventrally with conspicuous scopulae and tarsi with prominent claw tufts.Legs formula 4123.The colour and size of male almost like female, male palp as in text-fig. 10.
Abdomen : Longer than wide, narrowing anteriorly, covered with pubescence and provided with brownish patches as in text-fig.3A.Ventral side same in colour as dorsal.Epigyne with prominent chitinous ridge as ,in text-fig.3C.Spinner0ts prominent, anterior spinncrets cylindrical and longer than others as in text-fig.3E.
Holotype, female, paratype five females, allotype one male in spirit.: ..: .. \W".."i f "';:.:".Cephalothorax :' Longer than wide, broad in front, clothed with fine hairs~ posterior middle provided with a conspicuous fovea.Eyes pearly white eXlcept anterior medians, posterior row of eyes s~~ghtly lon'ger than the anterior row.'Anterior row of eyes slightly procurve4 (as seen' from in' front), medians slightly larger than th~ late!a~s ~and closer to laterals than to each other.Posterior row of e,yes procurVcd, medians oblique, larger tlian the laterals and ~uch closer to each'other than to the adjacent laterals~ Chelicerae moderately strong, inner margi~ provided with ~wo smaH similar tee~h and outer margin w-ith -three Type-locality : Am.banali village near MahabalesW'ar, Dist.Satara, Maharashtra, India.CoIl.M. Babu Rao, 9-2-1973.This species resembles Haplodrassus tehriensis sp.nov.but differs as fol\pws : (i) Cephalothorax without markings but in: H. teh~f~nsis just above the' fovea there is a W -shaped deep brown n arking.
(ii) Abdomen provided with chalk-white chevrons but in H. tehriensis abdomen provided with brownish patches.(iii) Epigyne and male palp also structurally different.
Characters :' This g~nus is closely allied to Drassodes.The lower margin of the furrow of the chelicera is armed with a single .small tooth.The eyes of the anterior row aT\} subequal in size.The palpus of the.male is very shorl:, and the tibia completely lacks an apophysis.
Ceph<tlothorax : Longer than wide, broad in front, clothed with fine thic~ black;.hairs, posterior middle provided with a conspicuous foyea.Pattern of radiating streaks diverges from a fovea to the sides.(as seen from in 'front), medians.smaller than the laterals and closer to laterals than to each other.Posterior row of eyes procurv~d, medians oval, larger than laterals and m"'Jch closer to c~ch other than to the' adjacent laterals.Chelicerae moderately strong, inner and outer margin provided with one and three teeth respectively.Sternum heartshaped, point0d Characters : The low~r margin of the furrow of the chelicera is completely unarmed as in Liodrassus.The anterior median eyes are considerably smaller than the lateral ey~s.The m'3dian ocular quadrangle is narrowJi in fro~lt, the anterior median ey~s smaller than the posterior DlJdian . .The chelicerae ar~ armed in front with a thick covering of stiff bristles.
fig. 4B.Abdomen : Longer than wide, nearly elliptical, clothed with thick h~irs and provided with chalk-white chevrons as in text-fig.4A.Ventral side same as dorsal.Epigyne with prominent chitinous ridge as in text-fig.4C.Spinnerets prom.inent,anterior spinnerets cylindrical and longer than others as in text-fig.4D.Holotype female, allotype two males in spirit.

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Eyes pearly white e:xIcept anterior medians, posterior row of eyes slightly longer than the anterior row.Anterior roW of eyes procurved Records of the Zoological Survey of India -3 B 3 .Text-fig. 5. Geodrassus sirmourensis D. sp. A. Dorsal view of female, legs omitted; B. Right male palp, ventral view; C. Epigyne; D. Labium and maxillae; E. Spinnerets.
~~xt~fig.1. • e E -Abdomen : Longer than wide, narrowing behind, clothed with thic1c: hairs as in text-fig.lA~ Ventral side slightly lighter than the z.s .... s Byes of the anterior row round.. Posterior medians l~rger than others and oblique, and close together, well -away from the posterior laterals.Median ocular area as wide behind as in front.Height of the clypeus greater than the diameter of anterior medians.Inner margin of chelic~ral furrow b0ars two teeth and outer margin with two or three teeth.Leg formula 4123.Fourth tibia without spines on dorsal side.Anterior spinnerets widely separated than median or posterior' spinnerets.Epigyne with large paired chitinous processes separated by median septum.