Taxonomy and Zoo-Geography of a Trochanteried Crab-Spider Plator indicus Simon, 1880 from Darjeeling Hills, a New Distribution of Spider from West Bengal

Spider fauna of Darjeeling has not yet been studied in a comprehensive manner. Although there are several published papers on the spiders on Darjeeling (Pocock, 1900 & 1901; Simon 1897; 1906; Gravely 1931; Sinha 1951; Tikader 1970; Tikader 1980 & 1982; Biswas & Biswas 1992), but so far as the spider fauna of Darjeeling is concerned, the published information indeed lacking compilation and comparative descriptions altogether to visualize the abundance and diversity of this fauna in the diverse mountain habitats of Darjeeling hills or even from the adjacent mountain state Sikkim (Tikader, B.K. 1966). In their account there is no mention of the Flat crab spider Plator indicus Simon 1897 from West Bengal. In recent years the author had covered these hill areas in different seasons in search of the spider habitats and their behaviors along with the faunal diversity as an approach to prepare a spider inventory from this precious environment towards the goal of conservation. During that period the author came across some 10-16 mm Flat crab spider Plator indicus Simon 1897 belonging to the family Trochanteriidae Kirsch, 1879.