v14i1.350

eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v14i1.350

Submitted date: 27 January 2025
Accepted date: 25 April 2025
Published date: 26 May 2025
Pp. 39–47.

A NEW SPECIES OF TRAPDOOR SPIDER (ARANEAE: IDIOPIDAE: Heligmomerus) FROM THE SOUTHERN TIP OF INDIA

Akshay Khandekar*, Tejas Thackeray, Swapnil Pawar, Vivek Waghe & Satpal Gangalmale
*Corresponding author. E-mail: akshaykhandekar555@gmail.com

Abstract
A new species of the genus Heligmomerus is described based on 10 female specimens collected from the foothills of Pothaimalai, on the outskirts of the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India. The new species is distinguished from all other Indian and Sri Lankan congeners in combination with several non-overlapping morphological characters. Detailed natural history of the new species, intraspecific variation in spermathecal morphology, and meristic and mensural data from the type series are given. Additionally, comments on the transfer of Idiops garoensis (Tikader, 1977) to the genus Heligmomerus by Sen et al. (2012) are provided.

Key words : Idiops garoensis, Morphology, Mygalomorphae, Peninsular India, Tamil Nadu, taxonomy

Section Editor: Danniella Sherwood
LSID:urn:lsid:zoobank.org