World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

UPDATED CHECKLIST OF PHILODROMIDAE (ARANEAE: ARACHNIDA) FROM INDIA

*Rajendra Singh and Garima Singh

ABSTRACT

The present article deals with the faunal diversity of one of the spider family Philodromidae (Araneae: Arachnida), commonly known as philodromid crab spiders or running crab spiders or house crab spiders in different Indian states and union territories and provides an update checklist based on the literature published up to January 15, 2021. It includes 53 species of spiders described under 10 genera in 18 states and 4 union territories, out of which 39 species are endemic. In India, Philodromus Thorell, 1870 is the largest genus consisting of 24 species followed by Thanatus Thorell, 1870 (13 species) and Tibellus Thorell, 1870 (8 species). The records demonstrated that only 2 species of these spiders are distributed widely: Tibellus elongatus Tikader, 1960 (in 9 states) and Philodromus assamensis Tikader, 1962 (in 8 states). Maximum 29 species of these spiders were recorded in Maharashtra followed by 19 species in Madhya Pradesh and 12 species each in Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Strangely, no philodromid spider is recorded in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Telangana, and Tripura and need extensive research work in these states. Despite their role as insect predators and being crucial to the health of terrestrial ecosystems, none of the species recorded in India is listed in IUCN Red List.

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