Genus Zodariellum Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968

Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968: 688 .

Zodariellum: Marusik & Koponen 2001: 40 (removed from the synonymy of Zodarion).— Zamani & Marusik 2021: 184.

Type species. Zodariellum surprisum Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968 from Tajikistan, by original designation .

Emended diagnosis. Males of Zodariellum differ from that of Zodarion nitidum (Audouin, 1826) (Fig. 11A– C), the generotype of Zodarion, by having: 1) RTA (Ra) longer than wide, with solid base and either bifurcated or solid tip, with branch or branches (Rb) bent retrolaterally at more than right angle (Figs 4A–D, 5A–D) (vs. wider than long and divided into 3 parts basally; Fig. 11B), 2) lacking ventral tibial apophysis (vs. present, Va in Fig. 11A–B), 3) cymbium with short tip (i.e. as long as wide, shorter than RTA) and prominent tutaculum (Tu) (vs. tip longer than wide and longer than RTA, tutaculum absent), 4) large tegular apophysis (Tg) longer that bulb, with prolateral spur (Sp) located basally and directed postero-ectally, and long retrolateral arm (Tr) with tip resting on tutaculum (vs. tegular apophysis shorter than bulb), 5) very long conductor (Cn), longer than bulb, with prolateral arm (Cp) terminating at a 6 o’clock position or earlier (vs. conductor lacking prolateral arm and shorter than bulb), and 6) longer filamentous embolus originating at a 6 o’clock position or earlier (vs. 6:30). Females of Zodariellum differ from those of Zodarion sensu lato by the long, twisted (i.e. similar to a screw), converging copulatory ducts (Fig. 10A–D) (vs. not twisted or diverging if twisted).

Furthermore, males of Zodariellum differ from those of all other zodariid genera by having a very deep (=long) diverticulum of cymbium (Di, Fig. 2F) (about 0.4 time of cymbium length and 0.75 of cymbium width). The species of Acanthinozodium also have a cymbial diverticulum, although in the form of a short conical (i.e. depth about one radius) round pit (Jocqué & Henrard 2015: fig. 9A, B; Zamani & Marusik, 2021: figs 13C, 14G‒H, 15C, F, 21F, 22H‒I, 23C, 24C). Furthermore, the male palps of Zodariellum species have serrated processes of RTA and serrated spur of the tegular apophysis (Sp), which have not been recorded in other Zodariinae genera.

Composition. 21 species (including those described here and the new combinations):

Z. asiaticum (Tyshchenko, 1970) (♂ ♀), Z. bactrianum (Kroneberg, 1875) (♂ ♀), Z. bekuzini (Nenilin, 1985) (♂ ♀), Z. chaoyangense (Zhu & Zhu, 1983) (♂ ♀), Z. continentale (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968) (♂ ♀), Z. furcum (Zhu, 1988) (♂ ♀), Z. hunanense (Yin, 2012) comb. n. (♀), Z. mongolicum Marusik & Koponen, 2001 (♂ ♀), Z. nenilini (Eskov, 1995) (♂ ♀), Z. planum (Zhang & Zhang, 2019) comb. n. (♂), Z. proszynskii (Nenilin & Fet, 1985) (♂ ♀), Z. schmidti Marusik & Koponen, 2001 (♂ ♀), Z. spasskyi (Charitonov, 1946) comb. n. (♀), Z. surprisum (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968) (♂), Z. sytchevskajae (Nenilin & Fet, 1985) (♂ ♀), Z. tadzhikum (Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968) comb. n. (♀), Z. testaceofasciatum (Spassky, 1941) comb. n. (♀), Z. turanicum sp. n. (♂), Z. turkmenicum sp. n. (♂), Z. volgouralense Ponomarev, 2007 (♂ ♀) and Z. zebra (Charitonov, 1946) comb. n. (♀).

According to the shape of the RTA, the genus can be split into three species-groups:

1) furcum species-group, comprising Z. furcum and Z. planum; in both species, RTA has a process arising from its mid part, and a pointed tip (Zhang & Zhang 2019: figs 4E, 12C).

2) bactrianum species-group, comprising Z. bactrianum and Z. turanicum sp. n.; in both species, RTA has two processes originating posteriorly, and an abrupt tip (Figs 2B, D).

3) surprisum species-group, comprising the rest of the species with known males; in all species of this group, RTA has one or two processes, and a roundly or almost roundly bent tip (Figs 2A, C, E).

Distribution. From Volga River’s delta to northeastern China, south to northeastern Iran and south China (ca 25ºN) (Fig. 12).