Oedothorax kodaikanal Tanasevitch 2015, INCERTAE
Creators: name: Lin, Shou-Wang
name: Lopardo, Lara
name: Uhl, Gabriele
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Oedothorax
Oedothorax kodaikanal

description: ‘OEDOTHORAX’ KODAIKANAL TANASEVITCH, 2015 INCERTAE SEDIS
(FIGS 7D, 67E, 68E, 76)
Oedothorax kodaikanal Tanasevitch, 2015: 386, figs 44–50 (Dm).
Type material: Holotype: India: Madras, Palni Hills, 10 km north-west of Kodaikanal, 2150 m, edge of Rhododendron forest with fern, sifting litter near river, ♂ 15.xi.1972, leg. C. Besuchet & I. Löbl (MHNG, examined). Paratypes: India: Madras, Palni Hills, 23 km west of Kodaikanal, Lake Berijam, 2150 m, Rhododendron forest, sifting litter, 1♂ (MHNG, examined) 1♂ (ZMMU) 14.xi.1972, leg. C. Besuchet & I. Löbl.
Diagnosis:
Males: This species can be diagnosed by the lack of external prosomal modification and the palpal features as described below.
Description:
Male (holotype): Total length: 2.27. Prosoma: 1.10 long, 0.85 wide, unmodified (Fig. 7D). Eyes: AME- AME: 0.02, AME width: 0.05, AME-ALE: 0.03, ALE width: 0.10, ALE-PLE: 0, PLE width: 0.10, PLE-PME: 0.05, PME width: 0.08, PME-PME: 0.07. Clypeus: not hirsute, one sub-AME seta. Sternum: 0.66 long, 0.60 wide. Chelicerae: stridulatory striae rows compressed at proximal end (Fig. 67E). Legs: tibia chaetotaxy 2-2-1-1; Tm I: 0.55. All metatarsi with trichobothrium. Pedipalp: patella prolateral proximal vertical macrosetae absent; tibia with one prolateral, two retrolateral trichobothria; TPS short, prolaterally situated at base of TPA; TPA long, dorsally elevated; TRA apically oriented (Fig. 76A, B, C); PC mediansized, base not visible from dorsal view, distal setae close to distal clasp, distal setae bearing area wide, distal clasp without striae, clasp extended slightly apically (Fig. 76A); T without papillae; PT without papillae; TS short, without papillae; MSA present; DSA tip straight (Fig. 76F); EM flat, anterior margin with small papillae, not exceeding ARP; ARP tip blunt, with a round process ventrally; LER without striae, retrolaterally oriented; VRP with sclerotized apophysis distally; TP tip round; E retrolaterally spiral, anterior margin at base smoothly curved (Fig. 76D). Opisthosoma dorsal pattern see Fig. 68E. PMS with one nubbin (vestigial mAP), one AC; PLS with triad, one AC (Fig. 76G, H).
Male (paratype): Total length: 2.14. Prosoma: 1.02 long, 0.81 wide. Tm I: 0.54.
Female: Unknown.
Distribution: India.
Habitat: Forest litter.
Remarks: According to the results of our phylogenetic analysis, and the lack of characteristics of Oedothorax s.s., this species does not belong to Oedothorax, but is more closely related to Atypena and some ‘ Oedothorax ’ incertae sedis species which, as in this species, are distributed in the Oriental realm. Although this species was scored in the present study as possessing TPS (the defining feature of Mitrager), its minute size and the position at the base of TPA in this species differ significantly from the retrolaterally bent form in Mitrager. In addition, the LER in this species does not bend over the embolus like in Mitrager. Since it shares no clear synapomorphic features with other taxa, its taxonomic affinity should be scrutinized in future studies, including other oriental erigonine species like ‘Oe.’ myanmar Tanasevitch, 2017 and ‘Oe.’ khasi Tanasevitch, 2017.
description: Published as part of Lin, Shou-Wang, Lopardo, Lara & Uhl, Gabriele, 2022, Evolution of nuptial-gift-related male prosomal structures: taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the genus Oedothorax (Araneae: Linyphiidae: Erigoninae), pp. 417-584 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 195 on pages 546-548, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab033, http://zenodo.org/record/6967774