Eusparassus oculatus (Kroneberg, 1875)

(Figures 15, 16)

Sparassus oculatus Kroneberg, 1875: 29, pl. 5, fig. 45 (description of male and female; syntypes, one male and two females, examined). – Levy, 1989: 137, figs 28–29.

Eusparassus oculatus – Denis, 1958: 102, fig. 30 (transfer, one female from Afghanistan, examined); Reimoser, 1919: 200; Schenkel, 1936: 9, 283; Song et al., 1999: 467, fig. 268; Jäger and Yin, 2001: 132.

Type material

Syntypes: 1 male, 1 juvenile, UZBEKISTAN: Samarqand province (=Turkestan), Samarkand, 1870, Narkevich leg. (ZMMU 4261) ; Syntypes: 2 females, 1 juvenile, UZBEKISTAN: Samarqand province (=Turkestan), Samarkand, 1870, Narkevich leg. (ZMMU 1358) .

Other material examined

UZBEKISTAN: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Navoiy Province, Zarafshan, 20 April 1998, A. V. Gromov leg. (SZMN) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 1 juvenile, Babatagh, Mt Range near Ak-Mechet, summer 1999, O. V. Lyakhov leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♂, 2 juveniles, Navoiy Province, Zarafshan, 20 July 1998, A. V. Gromov leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♀, Turkestan (SMF 13366) ; TAJIKISTAN: 2 ♀♀, Aktau Range, near Gasavuti, 16 April 1973, A. P. Kohonean leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♂, Gazavuti, Vakhsh riverside, 18 April 1974, A. P. Kononenko leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♂, Hyssaz, Mt Range near Shuzkhak, 23 May 1974, Naszetdinov leg. (SZMN) ; TURKEMINISTAN: 1 ♀, 30 km northeast of Gazhgy, Kushka, Badkhyz Reserve, 09 April 1993, D. Logunov leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♀, 12 km north of Chemenedit, 18 April 1994, A. A. Zyuzin leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♀, Badkhyz Reserve, Kzyl-Dzhar Canyon, A. Gulikov leg. (SZMN) ; 1 ♂, Ashgabad, Croweb leg. (ZMB 31200) ; AFGHANISTAN: 1 ♀, Herat (st. 76), 14 June 1948, Central Asiatische Expedition. (ZMUC) .

Diagnosis

This is the only Eusparassus species in Eurasia with AME strikingly larger than the other eyes (1.5 times larger than ALE) (Figure 15A). E. oculatus can also be recognizable by ET short and pointed proximo-ventrad (Figure 15E) (larger and stouter than in E. kronebergi stat. nov.); vRTA broad and not well developed (Figure 15C,D) (in contrast, that of E. potanini enlarged and prominent); in contrast to other species female, EFB absent and AMLL not developed around MS laterally (Figure 16A,B).

Redescription

Male (n = 8). Total length: 10.1–15.1, prosoma length 5.1–6.3, prosoma width 4.5–5.6, anterior width of prosoma 2.5–3.1, opisthosoma length 5.0–8.8, opisthosoma width 2.6–4.5. Eyes diameters: AME 0.51, ALE 0.33, PME 0.34, PLE 0.33; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.17, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.43, PME–PLE 0.42, AME–PME 0.33, ALE–PLE 0.26, clypeus height at AME 0.27, clypeus height at ALE 0.33.

Chelicerae with two anterior and three to five posterior teeth, cheliceral furrow without denticles (Figure 15B). Leg formula: 2 4 1 3. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 9.7 [3.2, 1.3, 1.6, 3.6], I 35.0 [9.5, 3.5, 9.2, 9.8, 3.0], II 38.6 [10.4, 3.7, 10.5, 10.8, 3.2], III 31.8 [9.2, 3.1, 8.5, 8.3, 2.7], IV 36.6 [10.5, 3.0, 9.5, 10.6, 3.0].

Spination. Palp 131, 000 / 001, 1111; Legs: Femur I–III 323, IV 322; Patella I–IV 000 / 101; Tibia I–IV 2024 / 2124; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3034.

Palp. As in diagnosis with embolus tip short, vRTA not well developed, dRTA slender and directed ventro-distad (Figure 15C,D).

Female (n = 11). Total length: 15.7–23.5, prosoma length 6.2–7.0, prosoma width 5.0–5.6, anterior width of prosoma 3.0–3.5, opisthosoma length 9.5–16.5, opisthosoma width 6.5–10.3. Eyes (largest female, MM96): AME 0.49, ALE 0.35, PME 0.31, PLE 0.34; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.23, AME–ALE 0.07, PME–PME 0.48, PME–PLE 0.45, AME–PME 0.38, ALE–PLE 0.27, clypeus height at AME 0.31, clypeus height at ALE 0.40. Eyes other than AME are in similar size range, AME largest.

Chelicerae with two anterior and three to five posterior teeth. Cheliceral furrow without denticles. Leg formula: 2413. Measurements of palp and legs (largest female, MM96): Palp 8.7 [2.5, 1.3, 1.8, 3.1], I 27.2 [7.6, 3.5, 7.0, 6.9, 2.1], II 29.8 [8.7, 3.5, 8.2, 7.2, 2.2], III 24.3 [7.3, 3.0, 6.3, 5.7, 2.0], IV 28.4 [8.5, 3.0, 7.2, 7.6, 2.1].

Spination. Palp 131, 000 / 001, 1111, 1013; Legs: Femur I–III 323, IV 322; Patella I–IV 000 / 101; Tibia I–IV 2024 / 2124; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3034.

Epigyne / vulva. As in diagnosis with AMLL in parallel with epigastric furrow, AMLL not extended anteriorly, EFB absent (Figure 16A,B); in vulva glandular pores located at the tip of a projection, TL slightly variable in shape among different specimens (Figure 16 CE).

Colouration [in ethanol]. Pale cream, dorsal opisthosoma with a patch and a series of small chevron-like patterns and additional dots, ventral opisthosoma pale.

Known geographical distribution

Central Asia including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and China: Xinjiang Uyghur.

Remarks

The type material was collected during the “Scientific Expedition to Turkestan” conducted by Alexis Fedtschenko to central Asia, Samarkand. After its original description by Kroneberg (1875) from Uzbekistan, it was recorded again by Denis (1958) from Afghanistan. Here we present further new records from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan based on material deposited in SZMN.