Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae)

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  Notes on Indian wolf spiders: IV. Transfer of species previously included in the genera Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 and Geolycosa Montgomery, 1904 (Araneae: Lycosidae) The enigmatic Crocodilosa Caporiacco, 1947 sensu lato currently consists of five nominal species distributed in Africa and Asia (World Spider Catalog 2026). It was established for C. kittenbergeri Caporiacco, 1947, with a superficial generic diagnosis relying only on somatic features such as length of eye rows, leg spination and relative leg lengths (Caporiacco 1947). Roewer (1955), following Caporiacco’s (1947) generic diagnosis, drastically increased the number of Crocodilosa species by transferring several species from other lycosid genera, but most of these subsequently added species were later reassigned to their appropriate genera (World Spider Catalog 2026), highlighting the need for a re-examination of the type species and remaining congeners to clarify the validity of Crocodilosa. At present, the genus ha...

Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901: redescriptions, new species and records, description of a missing sex, with taxonomic notes and changes in Megaphobema Pocock, 1901 (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901: redescriptions, new species and records, description of a missing sex, with taxonomic notes and changes in Megaphobema Pocock, 1901 (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

Abstract
The type material of Pamphobeteus ultramarinus Schmidt, 1995 and P. vespertinus (Simon, 1889) are redescribed. The male of P. lapola Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022 is described for the frst time. Six new species are described: P. amazonas Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov. from Brazil, and P. gangotenai Cisneros-Heredia, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, sp. nov., P. jamacoaque Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., P. lasjuntas Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., P. matildeae Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia., León-E., Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov., and P. skis León-E., Peñaherrera-R., Cisneros-Heredia, Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas sp. nov. from Ecuador. We report, for the frst time, the presence of Type III urticating setae in Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901. New interpretations of tibial apophysis morphology are presented, alongside a comparison of the palpal bulb morphology of all known male congeners. New distribution and/or museum records are made for P. antinous Pocock, 1903, P. crassifemur Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008, P. lapola, and P. urvinae Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022. Pamphobeteus petersi Schmidt, 2002 is illustrated and transferred to the genus Megaphobema Ausserer, 1875, based on palpal bulb morphology, and proposed as a junior synonym of Megaphobema velvetosoma Schmidt, 1995 syn. nov. Two Costa Rican species currently housed in Megaphobema are found to be misplaced, based on genital, femoral, and stridulation organ morphology, and are transferred to Abdomegaphobema gen. nov., Thus creating the new combinations Abdomegaphobema mesomelas (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1892) comb. nov. and Abdomegaphobema peterklaasi (Schmidt, 1994) comb. nov.

Sherwood, Danniella & Peñaherrera-R, Pedro. (2023). Pamphobeteus Pocock, 1901: redescriptions, new species and records, description of a missing sex, with taxonomic notes and changes in Megaphobema Pocock, 1901 (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Arachnology. 19. 894-930. 

Special thanks to Danni Sherwood for providing this publication. Danniella Sherwood, ResearchGate