Drassodex tajikistanicus, Fomichev & Marusik, 2021

Fomichev, Alexander A. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2021, A survey of East Palaearctic Gnaphosidae (Araneae). 11. New data on Gnaphosidae (Araneae) from Tajikistan, Zootaxa 4966 (4), pp. 443-457 : 446

Drassodex tajikistanicus sp. n.

Figs 1–8 , 65–66 .

Type. TAJIKISTAN, Khatlon Region: holotype ♂ ( ZMMU), Vaksh Karatau Mt. Range, Khodzhamaston Mt. , 38°01.192’N, 68°57.144’E, 1040 m, 24.04.2015 (Y.M. Marusik) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the country of origin.

Diagnosis. The new species differs from all congeners by simple embolus (Em) lacking coils (vs. coiled) (cf. Figs 4 , 6–8 and figs 4, 8 in Hervé et al. 2009).

Description. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Total length 6.05. Carapace 2.8 long, 2.25 wide. Coloration (freshly molted specimen). Prosoma, all limbs and spinnerets light yellow. Abdomen dark yellow with small gray spots dorsally, yellow ventrally. Leg spination: I: Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-2; Ti p1-0-1, v2-2-2; Mt v2-2-0. II: Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1; Ti d0-1-0, p1-0-1, v2-2-2; Mt p0-1-0, v2-2-0. III: Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r0-1-1; Pt r1; Ti d1-1-0, p1-1-1, r0-1-1, v2-2-2; Mt d2-2-0, p0-1-0, r0-1-0, v2-0-2. IV: Fe d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r0-1-1; Pt r1; Ti d1-1-1, p1-1-1, r1-1-1, v2-2-2; Mt d2-2-0, p0-1-0, r0-1-0, v2-2-0. Leg measurements: I: 10.08 (2.73, 1.5, 2.5, 2.05, 1.3); II: 8.39 (2.35, 1.25, 1.93, 1.73, 1.13); III: 7.64 (2.13, 1.05, 1.53, 1.9, 1.03); IV: 10.63 (2.8, 1.33, 2.25, 2.95, 1.3).

Palp as in Figs 2–5 , 6–8 . Tibial apophysis bifurcate, with claw-like superior prong (Sp) and blunt inferior prong (Ip), forming a right angle; median apophysis (Ma) almost straight and pointed; embolus whip-like, without outgrowth; subtegulum (St) rounded.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Comments. The generic placement is provisional and is due to the bifurcated tibial apophysis. Drassodex tajikistanicus sp. n. lacks a highly coiled or twisted embolus which is typical for Drassodex , and is likely to be transferred to a new genus in future. Furthermore, most of Drassodex species mainly occur in Pyrenees and Alps, mountains of south-western Europe ( Hervé et al. 2009).

Genus Nomisia Dalmas, 1921

Type species: Pythonissa exornata C.L. Koch, 1839 from Germany .

Comments. To date, 38 species distributed from Canary Islands to China and south to South Africa are known in the genus (WSC 2021). Three species has been recorded from Central Asia ( Mikhailov 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Holotype male of Drassodex tajikistanicus sp. n. 1 habitus, dorsal; 2–5 palp, dorsal, prolateral, ventral and retrolateral. Scale bars: 1 = 2 mm, 2–5 = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Em—embolus, Ip—inferior prong, Ma—median apophysis, Sp—superior prong, St—subtegulum.

FIGURES 6–13. Bulb of Drassodex tajikistanicus sp. n. (6–8), dorsal habitus (9–10) and male palp (11–13) of Nomisia palaestina. 6–8 prolateral, ventral and retrolateral; 9 male; 10 female; 11–13 ventral, retrolateral and dorsal. Scale bars: 6–8 = 0.2 mm, 9–10 = 2 mm, 11–12 = 0.2 mm. Abbreviation: Em—embolus.

FIGURES 65–66. Distribution records of studied species in Tajikistan. Drassodex tajikistanicus sp. n.—diamond; Nomisia palaestina—triangle; Poecilochroa hamipalpis—circle; Z. khatlonicus sp. n.—star; Zelotes anatolyi sp. n.—square. One single symbol may refer to more than one closely located records. Frame on Fig. 66 refers to Fig. 65.