Wednesday, May 31, 2023

[Arachnida • 2023] Notes on the Trapdoor Spider Genus Tigidia Simon 1892 (Araneae: Barychelidae: Barychelinae) with the Description of Three New Species from India


Tigidia jalgaonensis, T. tangerina T. fasciata  
Mirza, 2023


ABSTRACT
Three new species of brush-footed spiders of the genus Tigidia are described: T. jalgaonensis sp. nov. (♀, northern Maharashtra), T. tangerina sp. nov. (♀, eastern Karnataka), and T. fasciata sp. nov. (♀, southern Kerala). The present descriptions constitute the first record of the genus outside the Western Ghats, indicating its wider distribution in peninsular India. The discovery of the new species raises doubts about the validity of the genus Tigidia as the newly discovered species fills a large gap in the allopatric distribution of the genus Tigidia and Diplothele and further shows that most of the diagnostic characters overlap.

KEYWORDS: biodiversity, India, mygalomorphae, taxonomy



Zeeshan A. Mirza. 2023. Notes on the Trapdoor Spider Genus Tigidia Simon 1892 (Araneae: Barychelidae: Barychelinae) with the Description of Three New Species from India. Journal of Natural History. 57(1-4); 159-174. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2023.2172470