title: Preliminary review of Indian Eumenophorinae (Araneae: Theraphosidae) with description of a new genus and five new species from the Western Ghats.
abstract: The theraphosid spider genera Heterophrictus Pocock, 1900 and Neoheterophrictus Siliwal & Raven, 2012 are rediagnosed in this paper and a new genus, Sahydroaraneus gen. nov. is described from Southern Western Ghats. Four new species (two each of Heterophrictus and Neoheterophrictus) and one of Sahydroaraneus gen. nov. are described from the Western Ghats. Plesiophrictus mahabaleshwari Tikader, 1977 is removed from the synonymy of Heterophrictus milleti Pocock, 1900 and is treated as a junior synonym of Heterophrictus blatteri (Gravely, 1935). Plesiophrictus bhori Gravely, 1915 is transferred to the genus Neoheterophrictus, Neoheterophrictus bhori (Gravely, 1915) new combination. The genus, Sahydroaraneus gen. nov., resembles tarantula belonging to the genus, Neoheterophrictus but differs with respect to structure of tibial apophysis and spermathecae. Detailed ultra-structure of setae type of the Indian Eumenophorinae is presented for the first time along with notes on their biogeography. Common elements among Africa, Madagascar and India like the Eumenophorinae and several other mygalomorph spiders advocate mygalomorphae as an important group for evolutionary investigation due to their inability for long distance dispersal rendering the members restrictive in distribution.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Wildlife Biology & Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Zeeshan A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Ecology and Environment, Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rajesh V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Sanap
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Science, Fergusson College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Harshal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bhosale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D013045:Species Specificity; D013112:Spiders / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure