Cyrtophora moluccensis Doleschall, 1857 (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae): First Report in Chhattisgarh State of India
Avinash R. Nichat
Department of Zoology, M. V. V. Govt. P. G. College Bhakhara, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh 493890, India.
K. K. Harris
Department of Zoology, Govt. Dudhadhari Bajrang Girls Post Graduate College Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492001, India.
Jashavant Nayak *
Department of Zoology, Govt. Dudhadhari Bajrang Girls Post Graduate College Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492001, India.
Lalita Kashyap
Department of Zoology, Govt. Pt. Shyam Shankar Mishra College Deobhog, Gariaband, Chhattisgarh 493889, India.
Virendra Pawar
Department of Zoology, Govt. Pt. Shyam Shankar Mishra College Deobhog, Gariaband, Chhattisgarh 493889, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study has shown the new distribution of an orb weaver spider Cyrtophora moluccensis Doleschall, 1857 in Chhattisgarh state. Recently, Chaudhary and his associates have claimed to have recorded it in Surguja, but they have identified it wrongly. The species they have recorded is named Cyrtarachne inaequalis Thorell, 1895, and it comes under the Araneidae family. In this research article, Cyrtophora moluccensis Doleschall, 1857 has been described along with its valid live pictures. This spider species has been recorded from Mainpur block of Gariaband state in Chhattisgarh. This is the first time that this spider has been recorded in Chhattisgarh.
Keywords: Araneidae, Chhattisgarh, Cyrtarachne inaequalis, Cyrtophora moluccensis, Gariaband, Mainpur, Spider