Content uploaded by Dulur Brahma
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Dulur Brahma on Dec 21, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
Introduction
The jumping spider genus Chinattus was erected by
Logunov (1999) with the type species Habrocestoides
szechwanensis Prószyński 1992. It comprises of 17 accept-
ed species (World Spider Catalog 2020), and is currently
placed within the tribe Hasariini of the subfamily Salticinae
(Maddison 2015). The present paper reports the genus for
the first time from India with discovery of a new species,
C. prabodhi sp. nov. from Jharbari Forest Range of Chirang
Reserve Forest, Assam.
Materials and Methods
Field photographs were taken with a Sony DSC HX90V
camera. The specimens were preserved in 80% ethanol and
microphotographs were made under a Leica M205A ste-
reomicroscope equipped with a Leica DFC500 HD camera
enabled with a Leica Application Suite (LAS) version 3.8.
Measurements are given in millimeters (mm). The types
are deposited in the National Zoological Collections, North
Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong, Zoological Survey of
India (NERC – ZSI). Abbreviations used in the text: ALE =
anterior lateral eye; AME = anterior median eye; CD = cop-
ulatory duct; FD = fertilization duct; PLE = posterior lateral
eye; PME = posterior median eye.
Taxonomic account:
Chinattus Logunov 1999
Type species: Habrocestoides szechwanensis Prószyński 1992
Diagnosis: For detailed diagnosis see Logunov (1999).
Chinattus prabodhi sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–11)
Type series. Holotype: ♀ (IV/ARA/ERS‒39): Jharbari
Forest Range, Bhumkah, Kokrajhar (26.1873 N, 90.1758 E),
74 m a.s.l., 8 August 2019, leg. P. Basumatary. Paratype: 1♀
(IV/ARA/ERS‒40), collected along with the holotype.
Etymology. The species is named for Prabodh Kumar
Brahma, a forest ocer and keen nature lover, in recognition
of his support in hosting and encouraging our eld research
work on spiders.
Diagnosis. The female of C. prabodhi sp. nov. resembles
C. szechwanensis (Prószyński 1992) and C. undulatus (Song
& Chai 1992) in genital morphology, but is distinguishable
by having oblong spermathecae, long and arching CDs
pointing posteriorly along the copulatory openings (Figs.
8–11), whereas spermathecae is elongated, CDs short with-
out arching and directed laterally in C. szechwanensis (see
figs. 27‒28 in Peng & Xie 1995) and C. undulatus with
globular spermathecae, narrow CDs folded medially (see
gs. 5B‒C in Song & Chai 1992).
Description. Female holotype (IV/ARA/ERS‒39). Total
length: 5.77 long; carapace: 2.46 long, 1.94 wide; abdomen:
3.31 long, 2.31 wide. Carapace dark brown, covered with
greyish hairs (Fig. 3). Anterior and posterior eyes surround-
ed by reddish-brown orbital setae. Clypeal region dark
brown with a row of white hairs below the anterior eyes and
margin of the carapace (Fig. 5). Eye measurements: AME
0.26, ALE 0.14, PME 0.09, PLE 0.17, ALE‒ALE 0.52,
PME‒PME 1.01, PLE‒PLE 0.91, PME‒PLE 0.15. Clypeus
height: 0.35. Sternum oval, reddish brown. Chelicerae red-
First record of the genus Chinattus Logunov 1999 with the description of a new
species from India (Araneae: Salticidae: Hasariini)
Paris Basumatary1, Sangeeta Das2, John T. D. Caleb3 & Dulur Brahma1*
1Department of Zoology, Bodoland University, Assam, 783370, India
2Department of Zoology, Assam Don Bosco University, Assam, 781014, India
3 Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhavan, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
E-mail: brahmadulur@gmail.com, *Corresponding author
Abstract ― A new jumping spider species, Chinattus prabodhi sp. nov. is described based on female speci-
mens collected from Assam State of India. Females of the new species can be distinguished from other known
congeners by the epigyne lacking a distinctive circular median pocket, the long, narrow and arching copulato-
ry ducts, aligned posteriorly at the copulatory openings, and the oblong spermathecae. With the discovery of
the new species, the genus Chinattus Logunov 1999 is reported for the rst time from India.
Key words ― Assam, Bhumka, Jharbari, taxonomy.
Acta Arachnologica, 69 (2): 127–129, December 20, 2020
P. Basumatary, S. Das, J. T. D. Caleb & D. Brahma
dish brown with two promarignal and one retromarginal
teeth; labium and maxillae reddish brown (Figs. 6–7). Legs
yellowish-brown covered with greyish hairs (Fig. 4). Leg
measurements: I 3.53 (1.03, 0.68, 0.72, 0.67, 0.43), II 2.79
(0.99, 0.34, 0.47, 0.57, 0.42), III 3.82 (1.13, 0.68, 0.83, 0.72,
0.46), IV 4.27 (1.29, 0.70, 0.86, 0.88, 0.54). Abdomen yel-
lowish-brown, covered with pale brownish hairs; dorsum
with three white patches (two along the median region and
one at the posterior end of abdomen); anterior region and
lateral sides lined with a fringe white hair; venter brownish
with pale brownish hairs; spinnerets brownish (Figs. 1–3).
Epigyne sclerotized with a pair of copulatory openings
placed laterally; spermathecae oblong; CDs long, slightly
arching and with a pair of glandular ducts aligned posterior-
ly; FDs arise anteriorly from the spermathecae (Figs. 8–11).
Male. Unknown.
Natural history. The species was found along moist and
damp bank of the perennial Bhumka stream. The bank is
mostly covered with leaf litter, under thick canopy cover
and the forest type is moist deciduous. They were observed
feeding on water striders (Figs. 1–2)
Distribution. India (Assam).
Remarks. Though the species lacks the epigynal round-
ed pocket present in most congeners, it however, shares
other diagnostic characters of the genus having unidentate
chelicerae, leg formula 4312, widely separated copulatory
openings, transversely arranged copulatory ducts and the
presence of glandular ducts. The species, therefore has been
placed in Chinattus.
Acknowledgements
Our sincere thanks go to Aninidya Swargawari (Additional Prin-
cipal Chief Conservator of Forest & Central Head of Department,
Forest, Kokrajhar, Assam) for granting permission to conduct study
at Chirang Reserve Forest. We are grateful to Dr. Vishwanath D.
Hegde, Officer-in-Charge, ZSI, Shillong for allowing the use of the
stereozoom microscope facility and Assam State Biodiversity Board
for granting collection permit. Many thanks to Dr. Ilona J Kharkongor,
Dr. Uttam Saikia, Bhaskar Saikia and Jharbari Forest Range sta for
their support. We are indebted to Pabidash Narzary for aiding in eld
work. We are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable comments in
improving the manuscript.
References
Logunov, D. V. 1999. Redefinition of the genus Habrocestoi-
des Prószyński, 1992, with establishment of a new genus, Chi-
nattus gen n. (Araneae: Salticidae). Bull. Br. Arachnol. Soc., 11:
39–149.
Maddison, W.P. 2015. A phylogenetic classication of jumping spiders
(Araneae: Salticidae). J. Arachnol., 43: 231–292.
Prószyński, J. 1992. Salticidae (Araneae) of the Old World and Pa-
cic Islands in several US collections. Ann. Zool., Warszawa, 44:
87–163.
Peng, X. J. & Xie, L. P. 1995. Spiders of the genus Habrocestoi-
des from China (Araneae: Salticidae). Bull. Br. Arachnol. Soc., 10:
57–64.
Song, D. X. & Chai, J. Y. 1992. On new species of jumping spiders
(Araneae: Salticidae) from Wuling Mountains area, southwestern
China. J. Xinjiang Univ., 9: 76–86.
World Spider Catalog 2020. World Spider Catalog. Version 21.5.
Natural History Museum Bern. Available from http://wsc.nmbe.ch
(accessed 27 August, 2020)
Received July 21, 2020/ Accepted September 17, 2020
Figs. 1–2. General morphology of Chinattus prabodhi sp. nov.: 1, female feeding on a water strider, live habitus,
dorsal; 2, ditto, lateral view.
128
Acta Arachnologica, 69 (2), December 2020 ⒸArachnological Society of Japan
New Chinattus species from India
Figs. 3–11. General morphology and genitalia of Chinattus prabodhi sp. nov.: 3, habitus, dorsal; 4, ditto, lateral; 5,
head, frontal; 6, sternum, ventral; 7, chelicerae, ventral; 8, epigyne, ventral view; 9, vulva, dorsal; 10, epigyne, ven-
tral; 11, vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: 3–4, 2 mm; 5–11, 0.5 mm.
129
Acta Arachnologica, 69 (2), December 2020 ⒸArachnological Society of Japan