Corresponding author: Mikhail M. Omelko (
Academic editor: Y. Marusik
A poorly known spiders species,
Specimens were photographed using an Olympus Camedia E-520 camera attached to an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope at the Zoological Museum, University of Turku. Photographs were taken in dishes with paraffin on the bottom. Images were montaged using “CombineZP” image stacking software. Different sized holes were made in the paraffin to keep the specimens in the correct position. All measurements are in mm. The label is spelled like in the original, although some names and administrative units names have changed. Specimens are deposited in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University (ZMMU) and in the Siberian Zoological Museum (SZM) in Novosibirsk.
TURKMENISTAN: 2♂ 16♀ (ZMMU), Mary Area, Kushka (now = Serhetabad) Distr., ca 18 km S of Kyzyldzhar kordon (=field station), ca 1 km ESE of Eroilanduz Salt Lake, 375 m,
According to the original description the types were deposited in the Zoological Institute in Sankt Petersburg (ZISP) and in the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University (ZMMU). Paratypes in ZMMU were not found (Mikhailov, personal communication) and were not searched for in ZISP. I am sure about the current identification because the material studied was collected from within the same area that the type series originated.
This species can be easily recognized from all other congeners and even all species of
Total length (♂/♀) 3.25–3.5/3.5–4.6. Carapace: 1.45/1.68 long, 1.13/1.23 wide. Males (
Palp as in
Epigyne as in
The specimens examined are slightly smaller than the specimen measured by
This species has exceptionally long insemination ducts compared to other species in this family. They appear to correspond to the very long embolus in the male. Insemination ducts in
So far this species is known from southern and southwestern Turkmenistan and southwest Kazakhstan. Its occurrence in western Uzbekistan and northeastern Iran is highly likely.
Male of
Epigyne of
Length of leg segments in male and female (♂/♀)
Femur | Patella | Tibia | Metatarsus | Tarsus | Total | |
I | 1.35/1.33 | 0.52/0.60 | 1.17/0.95 | 1.05/0.90 | 0.58/0.55 | 4.67/4.33 |
II | 1.13/1.13 | 0.43/0.50 | 0.83/0.75 | 0.85/0.75 | 0.50/0.50 | 3.74/3.63 |
III | 0.97/1.05 | 0.38/0.45 | 0.70/0.65 | 0.73/0.76 | 0.48/0.40 | 3.26/3.31 |
IV | 1.17/1.25 | 0.43/0.53 | 0.97/1.0 | 0.88/0.87 | 0.45/0.43 | 3.90/4.08 |
I wish to thank Yuri M. Marusik (Magadan, Russia) who allowed me to study and redescribe specimens of this species, Seppo Koponen (Turku, Finland) for access to digital equipment in the Zoological Museum, University of Turku and Kirill G. Mikhailov (Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University) who searched for paratypes in the museum collections. The English of an early draft was kindly checked by David Penney (Manchester). This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant № 11–0401716).