DOI: 10.

2478/v10043-011-0019-x Acta Zoologica Lituanica, 2011, Volumen 21, Numerus 2

ISSN 1648-6919

Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus

Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891 (Araneae: Idiopidae) from
the Southern Western Ghats of India

Rajesh V. SANAP1, Zeeshan A. MIRZA2*

1D–5/2,Marol Police Camp, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400059, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: rajeshvsanap@gmail.com
2Zoology Department, Bhavan’s College, Andheri (West), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: snakeszeeshan@gmail.com
*Corresponding author: Zeeshan A. Mirza: E-mail: snakeszeeshan@gmail.com

Abstract. The trapdoor spider genus Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891 is represented in India by a single species,
S. montanus Pocock, 1900 from Shevaroy hills in Tamil Nadu. The specimens collected during a recent
survey conducted in the southern Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu enable us to describe two new species of
the genus Scalidognathus. Natural history notes and burrow structure of both species are provided.
Key words: mygalomorph spider, Tamil Nadu, new species, trapdoor spider, Western Ghats, India

Introduction
The trapdoor spider family Idiopidae is represented by
22 genera and 303 species in the world (Platnick 2011)
and by 3 genera and 11 species in India (Siliwal &
Molur 2007). Of the three genera reported from India
(Heligmomerus Simon 1892, Idiops Perty 1833, and
Scalidognathus Karsch 1891), the genus Scalidog-
nathus is represented by a single species, S. montanus
(Pocock  1900). Scalidognathus montanus was origi-
nally described under the genus Nemesiellus by Pocock
(1900). Later, Raven (1985) synonymized the genus
Nemesiellus with Scalidognathus, and subsequently
the genus Saclidognathus is represented by 4 species
globally (2 species from Sri Lanka, one from India
and one from Seychelles). However, Gravely (1915,
1921) mentioned two undescribed specimens of the
genus Nemesiellus (= Scalidognathus) in the collec-
tion of the Madras Museum; one specimen was from
Barkuda Island, Lake Chilka in Orissa, and the other
from southern India.
The Western Ghats are known for their rich and endemic
fauna being a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000).
However, the present knowledge of the invertebrate fau-
na of the Western Gahts is meagre, and the region most
likely supports a wealth of invertebrate fauna which is
still unknown (Daniels 2007; Mirza & Sanap  2010).
Trapdoor spiders in particular are poorly documented
as they are not easy to find until a dedicated effort is
made or their discovery is accidental (Javed et al. 2010;
S. M. M. Javed, pers. comm.). Apart from the lack of
our knowledge of trapdoor spider which is evident
from the fact that four new species were described in
the last two years (Siliwal et al. 2009a, b), taxonomy is
in a state of flux due to misidentification (Mirza et al.
(in press); Siliwal et al. 2010). In order to get a better
understanding of the mygalomorph spider of the West-
ern Ghats on a broad scale, a survey was conducted in
Tamil Nadu, a state of India. During a field trip, trapdoor
spider specimens collected from two different localities
were identified to belong to the genus Scalidognathus.
These specimens represented two distinct populations,
and comparison with available literature on S. montanus
was made. The comparison confirms that the collected
material belongs to two undescribed species, which are
described herein as new species.
Material and methods
All specimens were deposited in the collection of the
Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Measurements of body
parts, except for eyes, were taken with a MitutoyoTM
Dial Caliper. Eye measurements were made with a cali-
brated ocular micrometer. All measurements are in mm.
Spermathecae were dissected and cleared in clove oil.
Total length excludes chelicerae. All illustrations were
prepared by R. Sanap. Specimens were observed using
a LabomedTM CSM2 stereo-binocular microscope. De-
scriptive style follows Siliwal et al. (2009a, b). Informa-
tion on S. montanus was taken from Pocock (1900).
Abbreviations: ALE = anterior lateral eye, AME =
anterior median eye, MOQ = median ocular quadrate,
PLE = posterior lateral eye, PME = posterior median
eye, PLS = posterior lateral spinnerets, PMS = posterior
 97
Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India

median spinnerets, RS = Rajesh Sanap, WILD = Wild-
life Information Liaison Development Society, ZM =
Zeeshan Mirza. Abbreviations used for hair and spines
count are: d = dorsal, fe = femur, mt = metatarsus, p =
prolateral, pa = patella, r = retrolateral, ta = tarsus, ti =
tibia, v = ventral.
Taxonomy
Family: Idiopidae Simon
Sub-family: Genysinae Simon
Scalidognathus Karsch 1891
Scalidognathus Karsch 1891:269; Simon 1892:116;
Pocock 1900:166; Gravely1915:263; Raven 1985:138–
140.
Nemesiellus Pocock 1900: 167; Gravely 1915: 263;
Raven 1985:140. Synonymized by Raven (1985).
Type species: Scalidognathus radualis Karsch, 1891
Diagnosis: carapace with large recurved fovea; ocular
area twice as wide as long. Chelicerae armed bellow
with a single row of teeth along with a large tooth on
the basal region of the oral fringe; rastellum consisting
of simple stout spines. Labium unarmed; only posterior
sternal sigilla well developed, small, remote from the
margin. Legs short, spiny; tarsi and metatarsi I and II
scantily scopulate; tarsi of all legs armed with spines;
claws armed with a single long tooth (Pocock 1900).
Etymology: the species name is composed of two Latin
words ‘nigri’ which means black, and ‘aranaeus’ which
means ‘spider’, combined to refer to the dark blackish
coloration of the spider in life.
Description of female holotype (WILD-07-ARA-
1104): total length 10.22. Carapace 3.74 long, 2.98 wide.
Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I:
2.32, 1.20, 1.14, 0.92, 0.60, 6.18. II: 1.82, 0.92, 1.04,
0.82, 0.64, 5.24. III: 1.62, 1.08, 0.68, 0.80, 0.72, 4.9.
IV: 2.38, 1.62, 2.0, 1.42, 1.04, 8.46. Palp: 2.04, 1.02,
1.06, –, 1.04, 5.16. Midwidths: femora I = 0.48, II =
0.60, III = 1.02, IV = 0.76, palp = 0.30; tibia I = 0.61,
II = 0.58, III = 0.68, IV = 0.68, palp = 0.48. Abdomen
6.48 long, 4.48 wide. Spinnerets: PLS, total length 1.16
(0.62 basal, 0.32 middle, 0.22 apical; midwidths 0.46,
0.36, 0.24 respectively), 0.84 apart PMS, 0.48 long, 0.22
wide and 0.30 apart.

Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov.

(Figs 1–6)
Type specimens: Tamil Nadu, India: holotype female, Figure 1. Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov. holotype
near Dodabetta Peak, Ooty, Nilgiri district, 2570 m female in life.
elev., 11°24'27.55''N, 76°43'52.84''E, 23 January 2011,
Rajesh Sanap (WILD-07-ARA-1104); paratype female
(WILD-07-ARA-1105), same data as above.
Diagnosis (female): differs from S. montanus and S. ti-
gerinus sp. nov. in having the carapace a little longer
than tibia + patella of leg IV, carapace a little shorter
than patella + femur of leg IV (whereas in S. montanus,
carapace is as long as patella + tibia + metatarsus of leg
I; carapace a little longer than femur + patella of leg IV,
carapace equal to twice the length of tibia + patella of leg
II in S. tigerinus sp. nov.). Abdomen in S. nigiriaraneus
sp. nov. is dark blackish brown lacking stripes (abdomen
is dorso-laterally striped in S. tigerinus sp. nov.). Further
differs from S. tigerinus sp. nov. in having two spermath-
ecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of a mushroom-like
structure of similar size, the stalks being inclined at an
angle of 40° in S. nigriaraneus sp.  nov. (whereas in S. ti-
gerinus sp. nov., there are two spermathecal stalks, each Figure 2–6. Scalidognathus nigriaraneus sp. nov. holotype
stalk with a pair of globular structure of similar size, the female. (2) Dorsal, (3) Ventral, (4) eyes, (5) Chelicerae pro-
stalks of which are inclined at an angle of 60°). lateral view, (6) Spermathecae. Scale bar 1 mm.
98
Coloration in life (Fig. 1): carapace, abdomen (dorso-
laterally) and chelicerae dark black. The ventral side is
uniformly light yellowish grey. The specimen in alcohol
is paler than a live specimen. Carapace dark brownish,
glabrous, possessing hair in the posterior region only.
Bristles are about 12–13 on the clypeus edge; one long
bristle is between anterior eyes; twenty long and 10–12
short ones are on the caput in mid-dorsal line. Fovea
deep, strongly recurved. Glabrous bands radiating from
fovea, very prominent along sides of caput (Fig. 2).
Eyes (Fig. 4): ocular group front width 0.86, length 0.46.
Anterior row strongly procurved, posterior row straight.
MOQ front width 0.24, back width 0.32, length 0.28.
Diameter of AME 0.12, ALE 0.14, PME 0.10, PLE 0.12.
Eye interspaces: AME–AME 0.12, AME–ALE 0.20,
ALE–ALE 0.70, PME–PME 0.30, ALE–PLE 0.18.
Chelicerae (Fig. 5): 2.60 long. Prolateral face glabrous,
yellowish orange with a few small hairs; seven small
promarginal teeth and a single large tooth near the fang
grove; rastellum consists of 7–8 short thick curved
spines, of these 2 long + one broken are on the anterior
edge and the rest short stout spines are behind these.
Labium (Fig. 3): 0.38 wide, 0.44 long. Labiosternal
groove shallow, broad. Cuspules absent.
Maxillae (Fig. 3): 0.90 long in front, 1.20 long in back,
0.98 wide; 45 cuspules present randomly. Posterior heel
slightly produced, anterior lobe short.
Sternum (Fig. 3): 2.28 long, 1.54 wide, covered with
bristles. Sigilla, only the posterior sigilla distinct on
either side 0.80 apart, diameter 0.04 and 0.14 from the
margin, anterior and middle sigillas are marginal.
Legs: uniformly reddish brown, moderately covered
with bristles and spines; femora I thinnest, femora III
thicker than the rest; coxae IV widest; two glabrous
bands longitudinal on femora, patellae and tibiae (very
prominent on patella); leg formula 4123.
Spines: leg I & II: ta, v 3; mt, v 6; ti, v 3; leg III: ta,
p 2, v 5, mt, p 10–11, r 7-8, v 5–6; ti, p 7–8, r 2, v 2
(one broken), d 9–10; pa, p 26–27, fe, p 3–4; leg IV:
ta, p 5–6, v 8–9; mt, p 2, v 11; palp, ta, v 5, ti, v 6; pa,
p 2, fe, p 1. Elsewhere absent.
Scopula: entire, present only on tarsi and metatarsi leg
I, II and palp tarsi. Scopula not divided.
Trichobothria: tarsi I, five clavate, 8–9 long and short
filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi II, 3 clavate, 8–9
long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi
III, 2–3 clavate, 9–10 long and short filiform in distal
half in two rows; tarsi IV, calvate absent, 9–10 long
filiform in distal half in two rows. Clavate trichoboth-
ria confined to basal ¼ of tarsi. Only long and short
filiform thricobothria present on tibia and metatarsus
of all legs.
Claws: claw tufts absent on all legs and palp. All claws
Sanap R. V., Mirza Z. A.
edentate, claws of legs I and II almost equal and claw
of legs III smallest. Claw on leg IV largest.
Abdomen: dorsally dark blackish brown with faint
cream spots only on the anterior lateral portion, absent
on the dorsum and posterior lateral region; uniformly
covered with short blackish hairs intermixed with a
few black bristles; ventral side, uniformly dull cream,
covered with short brown hair.
Spermathecae (Fig. 6): two stalks, each stalk with a
pair of a mushroom-like structure of similar size. Stalks
inclined at an angle of 40°.
Spinnerets: PLS, apical segment dome-shape. Covered
with golden brown hair.
Natural History: burrows of these spiders were found
on a moss covered mud slope along a trail parallel to
a stream about 2 meter away (Fig. 7) on the way to
Dodabetta Peak in Ooty, Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu
(Fig. 16). The habitat was burnt and was dominated by
Vandeleuria nilagirica. About 10 burrows were found
at the base of one of these trees (Fig. 8). The burrow
of the holotype female led to a short tube with a single
entrance trapdoor. The burrow ended in a bulb like struc-
ture/chamber and was covered with thick webbing. The
burrows were about 80 mm in depth and the entrance
measured from 8–10 mm. The burrows were in an open
area lacking any vegetation.
Morphometry of female paratype (WILD-07-ARA-
1105): Total length 9.54. Carapace 3.44 long, 2.78
wide, chelicerae 1.96 long. Sternum 2.20 long, 1.24
wide. Labium 0.42 long, 0.36 wide. Maxillae 0.94 back
length, 0.90 front length, 0.86 wide, 35–40 cuspules in
anterior corner. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus,
tarsus, total): I: 2.26, 1.44, 1.24, 1.10, 0.78, 6.82. II:
1.96, 1.20, 1.04, 0.88, 0.68, 5.76. III: 1.62, 0.94, 0.78,
0.84, 0.76, 4.94. IV: 2.42, 1.70, 1.88, 1.54, 0.94, 8.44.
Palp: 2.04, 1.10, 1.08, –, 1.18, 5.4. Midwidths: femora
I  = 0.34, II = 0.32, III = 1.10, IV = 0.80, palp = 0.40;
tibia I = 0.60, II = 0.40, III = 0.70, IV = 0.68, palp =
0.60. Abdomen 6.10 long, 4.04 wide. Spinnerets: PMS,
0.48 long, 0.22 wide and 0.32 apart; PLS, 0.76 basal,
0.30 middle, 0.20 distal, 2.02 total length, midwidths
0.44, 0.32, 0.22, respectively, apart 0.68.
Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov.
(Figs 9–14)
Type specimens: Tamil Nadu, India: holotype fe-
male, Maruthamalai, Coimbatore district, 476 m elev.,
11°1'6.24''N, 76°52'29.1''E, 30 January 2011, Rajesh
Sanap & Zeeshan Mirza (WILD-07-ARA-1106);
paratype female (WILD-07-ARA-1107) same data as
above.
Diagnosis (female): differs from S. montanus and S.  nil-
giriensis sp. nov. in having the carapace a little longer

Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India
Figure 7. Habitat at the type locality of Scalidognathus ni-
griaraneus sp. nov.
Figure 8. Trapdoor burrow opening of Scalidognathus nigri-
araneus sp. nov.
than femur + patella of leg IV, carapace equal to twice
the length of tibia + patella of leg II (carapace as long
as patella + tibia + metatarsus of leg I in S. montanus;
carapace a little longer than tibia + patella of leg IV
in S.  nigriaraneus sp. nov.); abdomen dorso-laterally
striped (abdomen is dark blackish brown in S. montanus
and S. nigiriaraneus sp. nov., lacking stripes). Further
differs from S. nigriaraneus sp. nov. in having two
99
spermathecal stalks, each stalk with a pair of a globular
structure of similar size, the stalks of which are inclined
at an angle of 60° (two spermathecal stalks, each stalk
with a pair of a mushroom-like structure of similar size,
the stalks being inclined at an angle of 40° in S. nigri-
araneus sp. nov.).
Etymology: the species name ‘tigerinus’ is attributed to
this species due to similarity of the species abdominal
pattern to the prominent lateral stripes in Tigers (Pan-
thera tigris).
Description of female holotype (WILD-07-ARA-
1106): total length 10.30. Carapace 3.84 long, 2.30
wide. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus,
total): I: 1.86, 1.16, 1.04, 0.92, 0.72, 5.7. II: 1.56, 0.92,
1.00, 0.70, 0.52, 4.7. III: 1.42, 0.86, 0.54, 0.76, 0.68,
4.28. IV: 2.04, 1.44, 1.86, 1.12, 0.76, 7.22. Palp: 1.48,
0.74, 0.80, –, 1.06, 4.06. Midwidths: femora I = 0.40, II
= 0.30, III = 0.82, IV = 0.54, palp = 0.22; tibia I = 0.58,
II = 0.42, III = 0.62, IV = 0.58, palp = 0.54. Abdomen
6.46 long, 3.48 wide. Spinnerets: PLS, total length 1.36
(0.64 basal, 0.40 middle, 0.32 apical; midwidths 0.40,
0.34, 0.24 respectively), 0.38 apart; PMS, long 0.34,
0.20 wide and 0.24 apart.
Coloration in life (Fig. 9): carapace yellowish brown.
Abdomen faint brown with the anterior region ma-
roonish and gets transformed into bands which give it
a striped appearance on the dorsal and lateral portion.
The ventral side is uniformly light yellowish brown.
Colour in alcohol is paler than in a live specimen and
abdominal marking is much more distinctly visible on
the dorsal and lateral side of abdomen. Carapace covered
with short black hair on the posterior region along with
black short and long bristles on caput.
Bristles are about seven on the clypeus edge; one long
between the anterior eyes; twenty long and 10–12
short ones on the caput in mid-dorsal line. Fovea deep,
strongly recurved. Glabrous bands radiating from fovea,
very prominent along sides of caput (Fig. 10).
Eyes (Fig. 12): ocular group front width 0.54, midwidth
0.50, back width 0.70, length 0.70. Anterior row strongly
procurved, posterior row straight, posterior medians
opaque, the rest transparent. MOQ front width 0.28,
back width 0.32, length 0.22. Diameter of AME 0.20,
ALE 0.12, PME 0.08, PLE 0.10. Eye interspaces: AME–
AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.12, ALE–ALE 0.30, PME–
PLE adjacent, PME–PME 0.34, ALE–PLE 0.22.
Chelicerae (Fig. 13) 1.62 long. Prolateral face glabrous,
yellowish orange with a few small hairs; seven small
promarginal teeth and a single large tooth near the fang
grove; rastellum consists of 7-8 short thick curved
spines, of these 3 long are on the anterior edge and the
rest short stout spines are behind these.
Labium (Fig. 11): 0.18 wide, 0.24 long. Labiosternal
100
Sanap R. V., Mirza Z. A.

Spines: leg I: ta, v 2; mt, v 7; ti, v 2; leg II: ta, v 4; mt,

Figure 9. Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov. holotype female
in life.
v 6; ti, v 4 (one broken); leg III: ta, v 5, p 2; mt, p 4–5,
r 9, v 6; ti, p 7, r 2, v 4, d 10–11; pa, p 30–35, r 9–10;
leg IV: ta, v 8–9; mt, v 10–11; ti, v 5-6, pa, p 6–7; palp,
ta, v 2, ti, v 3–4. Elsewhere absent.
Scopula: entire, present only on tarsi and metatarsi leg I,
II and palp tarsi. Scopula not divided.
Trichobothria: tarsi I, 3–4 clavate, 7–8 long and short
filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi II, 2 clavate, 6–7
long and short filiform in two rows in distal half; tarsi
III, 2 clavate, 7–8 long filiform in distal half in two rows;
tarsi IV, clavate absent, 10–11 long filiform in distal half
in two rows; palp tarsi, 2 calvate, 5–6 long and short
filiform. Clavate trichobothria confined to basal ¼ of
tarsi. Only long and short filiform thricobothria present
on tibia and metatarsus of all legs.

Figure 15. Habitat at the type locality of Scalidognathus

tigerinus sp. nov.

Figure 10–14. Scalidognathus tigerinus sp. nov. holotype

female (10) Dorsal, (11) Ventral, (12) eyes, (13) Chelicerae
prolateral view, (14) spermathecae. Scale bar 1 mm (Figs 10,
11, 13, 14) and 0.50 mm (Fig. 12).

groove shallow, broad with two indistinct sigilla on

either side. Cuspules absent.
Maxillae (Fig. 11): 0.90 long in front, 1.20 long in back,
0.72 wide; cuspules 30–35 present randomly. Posterior
heel slightly produced, anterior lobe short.
Sternum (Fig. 11): 2.16 long, 1.30 wide, covered with
bristles. Sigilla, only the posterior sigilla distinct on
either side 0.78 apart, diameter 0.04 and 0.12 from
margin, anterior and middle sigilla marginal.
Legs: uniformly yellowish brown, moderately covered
with bristles and spines; femora III thicker than the rest;
coxae IV widest; two glabrous bands longitudinal on Figure 16. Satellite image of Tamil Nadu showing relative
femora, patellae and tibiae (very prominent on patella); position of the type locality in India. Image courtesy Google
leg formula 4123. Earth.

Two new trapdoor spider species of the genus Scalidognathus from India
Claws: claw tufts absent on all legs and palp. All claws
edentate, claws of legs I and II clearly smaller than on
legs III and IV.
Abdomen: greyish overall with anterior region dorsally
maroonish and transforms into bands linked in the mid-
dle with a median stripe. The bands extend on the lateral
portion giving a distinct striped pattern on the dorsum
and lateral aspect. Overall covered with short brown
hairs intermixed with a few black bristles; ventral side,
uniformly dull cream, covered with short brown hair.
Spermathecae (Fig. 14): two stalks, each stalk with
a pair of a globular structure of similar size. Stalks
inclined at an angle of 60°.
Spinnerets: PLS, apical segment dome-shape. Covered
with golden brown hair.
Natural History: S. tigerinus sp. nov. was found along
a dry rivulet on the sloping bunds bordering the water
course (Fig. 15) near Marudhamalai hills, Coimbatore
district in Tamil Nadu (Fig. 16). The distribution of
these spiders was patchy and they were mostly observed
under a tree or in a tree root system. The diameter of
the burrow entrance of the holotype female was 10 mm
and the burrow was ca. 150 mm deep. The burrow has
a single entrance like most burrows of the genus Idiops
and ends in a bulb like structure. The soil was sandy,
soft in many places and hard in several other places.
The silk lining of the burrow was thick as observed in
other trapdoor family idiopids. The new species was
found in sympatry of Diplothele sp. and some species
of Idiops. The type locality is heavily disturbed and is
under severe threat from sand mining.
Morphometry of female paratype (WILD-07-
ARA-1107): total length 8.08. Carapace 3.10 long, 2.24
wide, chelicerae 1.42 long. Sternum 1.80 long, 1.18
wide. Labium 0.38 long, 0.28 wide. Maxillae 0.84 back
length, 0.68. front length, 0.54 wide, 35–40 cuspules in
anterior corner. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus,
tarsus, total): I: 2.26, 1.44, 1.24, 1.10, 0.78, 6.82. II:
1.96, 1.20, 1.04, 0.88, 0.68, 5.76. III: 1.62, 0.94, 0.78,
0.84, 0.76, 4.94. IV: 2.42, 1.70, 1.88, 1.54, 0.94, 8.44.
Palp: 2.04, 1.10, 1.08, –, 1.18, 5.4. Midwidths: femora
I= 0.34, II = 0.32, III = 1.10, IV = 0.80, palp = 0.40;
tibia I = 0.60, II = 0.40, III= 0.70, IV = 0.68, palp = 0.60.
Abdomen 4.98 long, 3.02 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.38
long, 0.20 wide and 0.38 apart; PLS, 0.46 basal, 0.38
middle, 0.24 distal, 1.08 total length, midwidths 0.40,
0.32, 0.14, respectively, apart 0.48.
Acknowledgments
Manju Siliwal is thanked for all the help and the
source of encouragement to study mygalomorph spi-
101
der and for her constant guidance. Special thanks to
N.  S. Achuythan, Gavin Desouza, Sushil Chikane,
Dev Joshi, Mayur Deshpande, Harshal Bhosale, Sameer
Hiremath and Naresh Chandak for their help in the field.
ZM acknowledges support and encouragement from
Bhavan’s College, Mumbai. ZM & RS wish to thank
N. V. Srikanthan for taking all the trouble and making
our stay in Tamil Nadu comfortable and to Lakshmi
Srikanthan for the lovely food and all her care. Vishal
Shah, Shardul Bajikar, Amit Panariya and Pintz Gajjar
are thanked for continued support and much needed
help. ZM & RS thank Agarwal Jan Seva Charitable
Trust for help to procure equipment for the study. Spe-
cial thanks to Manju Siliwal and anonymous reviewer
for their valuable comments which helped in improving
the manuscript.
References
Daniels, R. J. R. 2007. Biodiversity of the Western Ghats –
An Overview. Wildlife Institute of India. http://oldwww.
wii.gov.in/envis/rain_forest/chapter2.htm. (Accessed
on 15.04.2011).
Dippenaar-Schoeman, A. S. 2002. Baboon and Trapdoor
Spiders of Southern Africa: An Identification Manual
13: 128. Pretoria: Plant Protection Research Institute
Handbook, Agricultural Research Council.
Gravely, F. H. 1915. Notes on Indian mygalomorph spiders.
Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta 11: 257–287.
Gravely, F. H. 1921. The spiders and scorpions of Barkuda
Island. Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta 22:
399–421.
Javed, S. M. M., Raven, R. J., Tampal, F. and Rao, K. T.
2010. Occurrence and redescription of Sipalolasma ar-
thrapophysis (Gravely, 1915) (Araneae: Barychelidae:
Barychelinae) from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa
2 (5): 867–875.
Mirza, Z. A. and Sanap, R. 2010. Description of a new spe-
cies of scorpion of the genus Lychas C. L. Koch,  1845
(Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Maharashtra, India. Jour-
nal of Threatened Taxa 2 (4): 789–796.
Mirza, Z. A., Sanap, R. V. and Siliwal, M. Strong Trapdoor
Tarantula Haploclastus validus Pocock, 1899: notes
on taxonomy, distribution and natural history. Journal
of Threatened Taxa (in press).
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., Da Fon-
seca, G. A. B. and Kent, J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspot
for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853–858.
Platnick, N. I. 2011. The World Spider Catalog, Version
11.5. American Museum of Natural History, New York.
Online at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/
catalog/index.html. (Accessed on 02.04.2011).
102
Pocock, R. I. 1900. The Fauna of British India, Including
Ceylon and Burma. Arachnida. London: Taylor and
Francis.
Raven, R. J. 1985. The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae
(Araneae): cladistics and systematics. Bulletin of the
American Museum of Natural History 182: 1–180.
Siliwal, M. and Molur, S. 2007. Checklist of spiders
(Arachnida: Araneae) of South Asia including the 2006
update of Indian spider checklist. Zoos’ Print Journal
22: 2551–2597.
Siliwal, M., Molur, S. and Raven, R. 2009a. Two new spe-
cies of the genus Diplothele (Araneae, Barychelidae)
from Orissa, India with notes on D. walshi. Journal of
Arachnology 37: 178–187.
Siliwal, M., Nair, M. V., Molur, S. and Raven, R. 2009b. First
record of the trapdoor spider genus Conothele (Araneae,
Ctenizidae) from India, with a description of two new
species. Journal of Arachnology 37: 1–9.
Siliwal, M., Molur, S. and Raven, R. 2010. Transfer of
two Indian Idiops spp. to the genus Heligmomerus Si-
mon, 1892 (Araneae: Idiopidae) with redescription of
H.  barkudensis (Gravely, 1921). Journal of Threatened
Taxa 2 (6): 940–947.
Sanap R. V., Mirza Z. A.
Simon, E. 1892. Histoire Naturelle Des Araigne´Es. Librai-
rie Encyclope ´dique de Roret. 2nd Edition: 1: 1–256.
Paris.
Dvi naujos Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891
(Araneae: Idiopidae) genties rūsiavorių rūšys
iš pietinės Vakarų Gatų dalies, Indija
R. V. Sanap, Z. A. Mirza
Santrauka
Indijoje rūsiavorių genčiai Scalidognathus Karsch, 1891
atstovauja viena rūšis – S. montanus Pocock, 1900 iš
Shevaroy kalvų, Tamil Nadu. Pavyzdžiai, surinkti vyk-
dant apskaitą pietinėje Vakarų Gatų kalnų dalyje, Tamil
Nadu, leidžia aprašyti dvi naujas genties Scalidognathus
rūšis. Straipsnyje pateikiamos abiejų vorų rūšių radim-
vietės ir jų urvų struktūra.
Received: 19 April 2011
Accepted: 27 June 2011
Copyright of Acta Zoologica Lituanica is the property of Nature Research Centre and its content may not be
copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written
permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.