A new gnaphosid genus, Sorkinius gen. nov., is described to house divergent species from East Africa, Réunion and the Seychelles. A neotype is designated for the type species, Sorkinius maillardii comb. nov. et stat. rev., formerly described as Dras sus maillardii Vinson, 1863 and previously considered a nomen dubium since 1955. Xerophaeus espoir Platnick, 1981 syn. nov. and Xerophaeus oceanicus Schmidt & Jocqué, 1983 syn. nov. are both proposed as junior synonyms of S. maillardii comb. nov. Sorkinius kibonotensis Tullgren, 1910 comb. nov. et stat. rev. is transferred to the new genus and elevated to species level from its previous parent species Xerophaeus coruscus L. Koch, 1875, with notes on its history. Sorkinius coruscus comb. nov. is itself treated as a valid and distinct species.
Sherwood, Danniella & Jocqué, Rudy & Cazanove, Grégory & Derepas, Brice. (2025). Studies on spider nomenclature V: the taxonomic status of Drassus maillardii Vinson, 1863, with two new synonymies, a neotype, new combinations and a new genus (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 47. 9-18.
