New Locality and Distributional Records of Three Spider Species (Arachnida: Araneae) in Chhattisgarh Region, India

Abstract

Spiders contribute to terrestrial biodiversity, but locality-level information on their distribution in Chhattisgarh remains incomplete. This study documents three spider species from the forest region of Gariaband district that were not reported from the state in the distributional sources consulted: Chorizopes bengalensis (Tikader, 1975), Hamadruas sikkimensis (Tikader, 1966) and Thanatus elongatus (Tikader, 1960). Three adult female specimens were collected by hand on 20 April 2026 from leaves of Shorea robusta beside the Raipur–Deobhog National Highway (NH 130). Live specimens were photographed at the collection site, and the specimens were subsequently preserved in 70% ethanol. Identification was based on external morphology, body colouration, eye arrangement and female genital characters, examined using a stereozoom microscope and compared with published descriptions. The specimen assigned to C. bengalensis exhibited a brown abdomen with lateral black patches and posterior tubercles. The specimen assigned to H. sikkimensis displayed a patterned cephalothorax and conspicuous markings on the abdomen and legs. The specimen assigned to T. elongatus exhibited an elongated, whitish abdomen with a median dark line and laterally extending branches. The three voucher specimens, DBZ596, DBZ598 and DBZ597, were deposited in the Zoology laboratory of Government D. B. Girls’ P.G. College, Raipur. These observations add locality-level information to the documented spider fauna of Chhattisgarh and provide morphological details for future comparisons.