Sample collection and taxonomic identification

A total of 489 spider specimens were sampled from various locations across India, including eight states; Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, and West Bengal (Fig. ^S1). Specimens were collected during 2015–2018 by various collection methods like hand picking, sweep netting, vegetation beating, and pitfall traps. The study does not involve any endangered or protected spider species. Thus, no prior permission was required for the collection. Specimens were preserved in molecular grade, 90% ethanol and stored in −20 °C. All the studied voucher specimens have been deposited in the National Zoological Collections (NZC), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata (Fig. ^S2, Table ^S1). The enlarged photographs of the genitalia of possible cryptic species and species complexes were also provided in Fig. ^S3. The morphological examination of all the specimens was done by using a Leica EZ4 HD stereomicroscope. All images were processed with the aid of the LAS core software (LAS EZ 3.0). The specimens were identified through available morphological keys and literatures (Table ^S2). Further, the genital characters (male pedipalps and the female epigyne) were dissected with the help of sterilized surgical scalpel blades and acquired the photographs by using Leica M205A for further confirmation. Photographs of the voucher specimens, male genitalia (dorsal and ventral view), and female genitalia (external and internal epigyne) used here were taken by the authors (JTDC, PP, AP). The collection locality map was prepared using Natural Earth public domain base maps (http://www.naturalearthdata.com/), with sampling points (yellow-red dots) added manually in Adobe Photoshop CS 8.0. Photographs of the studied specimens are linked with their pruned phylogenetic position by sharing coloured boxes.