Zootaxa

New data on Indian nursery-web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae)

PRADEEP M. SANKARAN, ANITHA ABRAHAM, STEVEN H. WILLIAMS, A. ASIMA — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

Updated data on Indian nursery-web spiders of the genera Dendrolycosa Doleschall, 1859, Euprosthenops Pocock, 1897, Hygropoda Thorell, 1895a, Perenethis L. Koch, 1878, and Polyboea Thorell, 1895b are presented here. The following new synonymy is recognised: Dendrolycosa bobbiliensis (Reddy & Patel, 1993) syn. nov. is synonymised with D. robusta (Thorell, 1895). The validity of Dendrolycosa gitae (Tikader, 1970), D. sahyadriensis Sudhin, Sen & Jäger, 2023, and D. stauntoni Pocock, 1900 is discussed. The possible synonymy of Dendrolycosa sahyadriensis with D. gitae, as well as that of D. gitae with D. spadicaria (Simon, 1897a), and Polyboea zonaformis (Wang, 1993) with P. vulpina Thorell, 1895 are discussed. Euprosthenops ellioti (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) is redescribed and illustrated based on its type material, and the vulva of the genus is illustrated for the first time. A lectotype is designated for Hygropoda gracilis (Thorell, 1891), which is redescribed based on the type and freshly collected material. A new species, Hygropoda kannimara Sankaran sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on male and female specimens collected from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Redescriptions of Perenethis sindica (Simon, 1897) and P. vulpina based on freshly collected material are provided, and doubt is cast on the possible synonymy of the former species with P. venusta L. Koch, 1878. Finally, discusion about the type locality of Perenethis dentifasciata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885) is presented.

**Contribution to the genus Acromantis Saussure, 1870 (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae) from China, with description of a new species**

ZI HAO ZHU, XING MIN WANG — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

A new species Acromantis vaorum sp. nov., from the Yunnan province of China, is described and illustrated. The new species is characterized by black spots on the costal field and the radial vein of the forewings, a short vertical lobe of sternite five and six in males, and a large vertical process. Acromantis magna Yang, 1997, Acromantis hainana Wu & Liu, 2024 and Acromantis nujiangensis Wu & Liu, 2024 are illustrated and briefly discussed. An updated key to the known species of Acromantis from China is also provided.

Gammarus elifedae sp. nov., description of a new amphipod (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) species from Sarpunalınca Cave (Kastamonu, Türkiye), with an updated key for the Turkish freshwater Gammarus species

MURAT ÖZBEK — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

As a result of the increasing number of studies in recent years, strong evidence has emerged that the amphipod biodiversity in freshwater Türkiye is higher than previously thought. As a result of sampling in the Sarpunalınca Cave in Küre Mountains National Park in the north of Anatolia, Türkiye, a new amphipod species, Gammarus elifedae sp. nov., was described. The type locality, Sarpunalınca Cave, is a horizontal cave with 1683 m length. Although the newly described species was sampled from inside the cave, it has well-developed eyes, and its extremities are slightly elongated. Gammarus elifedae sp. nov., a typical Gammarus balcanicus-group species, has short setae on the posterior margins of its 3rd and 4th pereopods. Two male individuals were sampled, but no female individual was present. The holotype male has a body length of 18.5 mm and all extremities, including the mouthparts, are drawn and described in detail. Additionally, an identification key covering all species of the genus Gammarus identified from fresh waters of Türkiye (separately for pulex-, roeseli- and balcanicus- groups) is presented.

On the survey of theridiosomatid spiders (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve, China

CHANGHAO HU, JIE LIU, XIANG XU — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

Three species of the spider family Theridiosomatidae Simon, 1881 were identified from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China, and are presented here. They are Ogulnius barbandrewsi Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 (new provincial record), and two new species herein described based on males and females: Theridiosoma subdiwang sp. nov. and T. xiaoshuiense sp. nov. Photos of all three species, along with diagnoses and descriptions of the two new species are provided.

**A new deep-sea squat lobster (Decapoda: Anomura) from a seamount of the Arabian Sea, India, with re-description of Gonionida comorina (Alcock & Anderson, 1899)**

SHIVAM TIWARI, VINAY P. PADATE, SHERINE SONIA CUBELIO — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

A new species of the deep-sea squat lobster genus Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874, is described from a seamount in the southeastern Arabian Sea, India. Munidopsis hindmahasagarae sp. nov. differs from its close congeners, M. alcocki Ahyong, 2014 and M. treis Ahyong & Poore, 2004 by the presence of a tooth on the distomesial margin of the antennule, a relatively longer distolateral tooth of the second antennal article, and a relatively longer distomesial tooth of the third antennal article. Gonionida comorina (Alcock & Anderson, 1899) is redescribed and illustrated based on fresh material, as well as comparison with photographs and the description of the type specimen. Its re-description enables confirmation of its placement in the genus Gonionida Macpherson & Baba, 2022, owing to a triangular fourth thoracic sternite. Juveniles of Eumunida sp. are compared with congeners from the western Indian Ocean namely, E. funambulus Gordon, 1930, E. similior Baba, 1990, and E. spiridonovi Macpherson, Rodríguez-Flores & Machordom, 2017.

**Eggs of Thamnodontus Kluge, 2004 (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae: Ecdyonurinae): an additional diagnosis of the genus**

TATIANA M. TIUNOVA — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

Eggs of mayflies of the genus Thamnodontus Kluge, 2004 were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The structure of eggs of all three known species of the genus is described for the first time: T. aurarius (Kluge, 1983), T. dracon (Kluge, 1983), and T. tobiironis (Takahashi, 1929). Additional drawings and descriptions of male genitalia are also provided for these species. The egg chorionic structure of the genus Thamnodontus, together with other morphological characters, is useful for generic identification. A key to known eggs of the subfamily Ecdyonurinae is provided.

A new tiger beetle species (Coleoptera, Adephaga, Cicindelidae) from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of northern Myanmar

QIHAO XIA, EDMUND A. JARZEMBOWSKI, CHUANTAO XIAO, HAO CHENG, ZHENYU SONG — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +1300

Fossil tiger beetles are scarce. Here we describe a new tiger beetle species, Hujia gongi sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. The new specimen is attributable to the family Cicindelidae due to sickle-shaped mandibles, elongated prothorax, slender ambulatory legs and the ratios of BW: TL and IL: TL. It is the second species of the genus from the same location that can be distinguished from its congener by its larger size, slightly forward-tapering head and broadened tarsomeres of the prothoracic leg, demonstrating male characteristics and potentially greater predation ability. The new taxon represents the fourth definite Mesozoic record of Cicindelidae.