Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2019
| 11(1): 13184–13187
A
checklist of spider fauna of Rajasthan, India
Neisseril Anirudhan Kashmeera 1 &
Ambalaparambil Vasu Sudhikumar 2
1,2 Centre
for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Department of Zoology, Christ College,
Irinjalakuda, Kerala 680125, India.
1 kashmeera.n.a@gmail.com,
2 avsudhi@rediffmail.com (corresponding author)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3869.11.1.13184-13187 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D57EB1D7-603F-4EAE-A2A7-293A06F4E8E9
Editor:
Manju Siliwal, WILD, Coimbatore,
India. Date of publication: 26
January 2019 (online & print)
Manuscript
details: #3869 | Received 30 October 2017 |
Final received 14 December 2018 | Finally accepted 10 January 2019
Citation: Kashmeera, N.A. & A.V.
Sudhikumar (2019). A checklist of spider fauna of Rajasthan, India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 11(1): 13184–13187; https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3869.11.1.13184-13187
Copyright: Kashmeera & Sudhikumar 2019. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s)
and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no
competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to the principal, Christ
College, Irinjalakuda, for all the support and encouragement. We are also thankful to all our lab-mates for
their valuable suggestions.
Proper documentation
of biodiversity is essential for its sustainable management and conservation by
the timely monitoring of the rate of species loss. Checklists form a vital part of systematic
documentation. Species identified from
various parts of the world are added to global databases and catalogues, which
form a mainstay of taxonomy and indirectly contribute to the conservation of
biodiversity. Considering the escalating
level of anthropogenic threats to biodiversity, an inventory and proper
documentation of biodiversity, especially on neglected groups like arachnids,
is needed urgently. The World Spider
Catalog (2018) documented a total of 47,829 species belonging to 4,112 genera
and 118 families.
Despite being the
key invertebrate predators of almost all terrestrial ecosystems, spiders are a
comparatively neglected group of animals.
So far, very few attempts were made to study the spider fauna of
Rajasthan in India. Notable
works on spiders were initiated by Tikader (1961). Gajbe & Bhadra (1978), Bhanotar et al.
(1980), and Roonwal (1982) also contributed to the field of arachnology of
Rajasthan. Tikader (1961), Tikader &
Gajbe (1977), Tikader & Malhotra (1982), and Gajbe (1993) reported new
species from Rajasthan and named them after their places of discovery (Gnaphosa
kailana, Scotophaeus rajasthanus, Callilepis rajasthanica, G. jodhpurensis,
Megamyrmaekion jodhpurense, and Evippa banarensis). After a gap of a decade, further attempts to
study the spider fauna of the state was made by Sivaperuman & Rathore
(2004), who documented 13 families of 21 genera consisting of 28 species from
Desert National Park, which falls under Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of
Rajasthan. Later studies were reported
from Ranthambhore National Park, Sawai Madhopur (Sen et al. 2009; Saha et al.
2015), Shekhawati Aravalian region (Saini et al. 2012), and Deeg Town in
Bharatpur (Lawania et al. 2013).
Recently, two new species of jumping spiders Epocilla sirohi and Mogrus
rajasthanensis were recorded from Sirohi District of Rajasthan (Caleb et
al. 2017).
The present paper
lists 71 species of spiders belonging to 47 genera and 15 families reported so
far from various parts of the state of Rajasthan (Table 1). It is a checklist based on previous
publications. Classification follows
World Spider Catalog (2018). The most
species-rich family reported so far is Araneidae and Gnaphosidae (14 species
each), followed by Lycosidae (12 species).
Table 1. Spider fauna of Rajasthan State, India
|
|
Family/species |
Distribution (districts) |
References |
|
I |
Araneidae Clerck, 1757 |
|
|
|
1 |
Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757 |
Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1982 |
|
2 |
Argiope aemula (Walckenaer, 1841) |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013; Kaur et al. 2014 |
|
3 |
A. anasuja Thorell, 1887 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
4 |
A. lobata (Pallas, 1772) |
Bikaner |
Tikader 1961 |
|
5 |
Cyrtophora cicatrosa (Stoliczka, 1869) |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
6 |
C. citricola (Forsskål, 1775) |
Nagaur, Bharatpur |
Tikader 1961; Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
7 |
C. exanthematica (Doleschall, 1859) |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
8 |
Gibbaranea bituberculata (Walckenaer, 1802) |
Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Saini et al. 2012 |
|
9 |
Herennia multipuncta (Doleschall, 1859) |
Jaisalmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
10 |
Larinioides sclopetarius (Clerck, 1757) |
Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1982 |
|
11 |
Neoscona nautica (L. Koch, 1875) |
Jodhpur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1961 |
|
12 |
Nephila kuhlii (Doleschall, 1859) |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
13 |
N. pilipes (Fabricius, 1793) |
Pratapgarh, Udaipur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
14 |
Zilla diodia (Walckenaer, 1802) |
Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1982 |
|
II |
Cheiracanthiidae Wagner, 1887 |
|
|
|
15 |
Cheiracanthium melanostomum (Thorell, 1895) |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
III |
Eresidae C.L. Koch, 1845 |
|
|
|
16 |
Stegodyphus pacificus Pocock, 1900 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1961 |
|
17 |
S. sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 |
Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004; Saha et al. 2015 |
|
IV |
Gnaphosidae Pocock, 1898 |
|
|
|
18 |
Callilepis rajasthanica Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader & Gajbe 1977 |
|
19 |
Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) |
Barmer |
Tikader 1982 |
|
20 |
D. luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
21 |
D. parvidens Caporiacco, 1934 |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
22 |
Gnaphosa jodhpurensis Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader & Gajbe 1977 |
|
23 |
G. kailana Tikader, 1966 |
Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner |
Tikader 1961 |
|
24 |
G. poonaensis Tikader, 1973 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1982 |
|
25 |
Megamyrmaekion jodhpurense Gajbe, 1993 |
Jodhpur |
Gajbe 1992 |
|
26 |
Poecilochroa sedula (Simon, 1897) |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
27 |
Scotophaeus rajasthanus Tikader, 1966 |
Nagaur |
Tikader 1961 |
|
28 |
Trachyzelotes jaxartensis (Kroneberg, 1875) |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1982 |
|
29 |
Zelotes ashae Tikader & Gajbe, 1976 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1982 |
|
30 |
Z. desioi Caporiacco, 1934 |
Jaisalmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
31 |
Z. nasikensis Tikader & Gajbe, 1976 |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
V |
Hersiliidae Thorell, 1870 |
|
|
|
32 |
Hersilia savignyi Lucas, 1836 |
Bharatpur, Jaipur |
Saini et al. 2012; Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
VI |
Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 |
|
|
|
33 |
Evippa banarensis Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1982 |
|
34 |
E. rajasthanea Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1982 |
|
35 |
Hippasa madhuae Tikader & Malhotra, 1980 |
Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
36 |
H. pisaurina Pocock, 1900 |
Bikaner, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1961 |
|
37 |
Lycosa madani Pocock, 1901 |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
38 |
L. pictula Pocock, 1901 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
39 |
Pardosa birmanica Simon, 1884 |
Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bharatpur |
Tikader 1961; Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
40 |
P. heterophthalma (Simon, 1898) |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
41 |
P. pusiola (Thorell, 1891) |
Barmer, Jaisalmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
42 |
P. sumatrana (Thorell, 1890) |
Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Barmer, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004; Saini et al. 2012 |
|
43 |
Trochosa punctipes (Gravely, 1924) |
Nagaur |
Tikader 1961 |
|
44 |
T. urbana O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
VII |
Oecobiidae Blackwall, 1862 |
|
|
|
45 |
Uroctea indica Pocock, 1900 |
Jaisalmer, Barmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
VIII |
Oxyopidae Thorell, 1870 |
|
|
|
46 |
Oxyopes birmanicus Thorell, 1887 |
Bharatpur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
47 |
O. javanus Thorell, 1887 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
48 |
O. shweta Tikader, 1970 |
Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Saini et al. 2012; Saha et al. 2015 |
|
49 |
O. sitae Tikader, 1970 |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
IX |
Philodromidae Thorell, 1870 |
|
|
|
50 |
Thanatus lanceoletus Tikader, 1966 |
Bikaner |
Tikader 1961 |
|
X |
Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 |
|
|
|
51 |
Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837 |
Nagaur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Bharatpur |
Tikader 1961; Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
52 |
Crossopriza lyoni (Blackwall, 1867) |
Jodhpur |
Tikader 1961 |
|
53 |
Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775) |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
XI |
Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 |
|
|
|
54 |
Epocilla sirohi Caleb, Chatterjee, Tyagi, Kundu & Kumar,
2017 |
Sirohi |
Caleb et al. 2017 |
|
55 |
Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
56 |
Mogrus rajasthanensis Caleb, Chatterjee, Tyagi, Kundu & Kumar,
2017 |
Sirohi |
Caleb et al. 2017 |
|
57 |
Phintella vittata (C. L. Koch, 1846) |
Bharatpur |
Saini et al. 2012 |
|
58 |
Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) |
Bharatpur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Saini et al. 2012; Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
59 |
Portia assamensis Wanless, 1978 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
|
60 |
Rhene albigera (C. L. Koch, 1846) |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
61 |
Telamonia dimidiata (Simon, 1899) |
Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur |
Lawania et al. 2013; Saha et al. 2015 |
|
XII |
Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 |
|
|
|
62 |
Heteropoda fabrei Simon, 1885 |
Jaisalmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
63 |
Olios tener (Thorell, 1891) |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
XIII |
Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866 |
|
|
|
64 |
Tetragnatha mandibulata Walckenaer, 1841 |
Jodhpur, Jaipur |
Tikader 1961 |
|
XIV |
Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833 |
|
|
|
65 |
Argyrodes gazedes Tikader, 1970 |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
66 |
Theridion varians Hahn, 1833 |
Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Tikader 1982 |
|
XV |
Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 |
|
|
|
67 |
Indoxysticus minutus (Tikader, 1960) |
Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu |
Saini et al. 2012 |
|
68 |
Ozyptila chandosiensis Tikader, 1980 |
Barmer, Jaisalmer |
Sivaperuman & Rathore 2004 |
|
69 |
Thomisus andamanensis Tikader, 1980 |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
70 |
T. italongus Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 |
Sawai Madhopur |
Saha et al. 2015 |
|
71 |
T. projectus Tikader, 1960 |
Bharatpur |
Lawania et al. 2013 |
References
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(Walck.) preying upon termites Microtermes mycophagus (Desneux) in the Barmer
area (Rajasthan) [India]. The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine
115(1380/1383): 124.
Caleb, J.T., S. Chatterjee, K. Tyagi, S. Kundu & V. Kumar (2017). Two new jumping spiders of the genera Epocilla
Thorell, 1887 and Mogrus Simon, 1882 from India (Araneae:
Salticidae). Arthropoda Selecta 26(4): 329–334.
Gajbe, U.A. (1993). A new Megamyrmecion spider from
India (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Records of Zoological
Survey of India 91(2): 231–233.
Gajbe, U.A. & S. Bhadra (1978). Uroctea indica Pocock (Family: Urocteidae) as
a new record from Rajasthan, India. Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society 75: 933–934.
Lawania, K.K., K. Trigunayat, P.S. Kain & M.M.
Trigunayat (2013). On the spider diversity in and around Deeg Town,
Bharatpur (Rajasthan). Indian Journal of Arachnology 2(2): 47–52.
Roonwal, M.L. (1982). Fauna of the Great Indian Desert, pp1–86. In: Singh, A.N. (ed.). Desert Resources and
Technology. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, 248pp.
Saha, S., D.C. Dhali & D. Raychaudhuri (2015). Spider fauna (Araneae: Arachnida)
of Rajasthan with special reference to Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan,
India. Indian Journal of Arachnology 4(1):
30–40.
Saini, K.C., R. Chauhan, & N.P. Singh (2012). Analysis of spider density across
Shekhawati Aravalian region of Rajasthan, India. Indian
Journal of Arachnology 1(2): 30–39.
Sen, S., S. Saha & D. Raychaudhuri (2009). Spiders of Ranthambore National
Park, Rajasthan. Insect Environment 16(4):
172–173.
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