Syrioiulus taliscius (Attems, 1927)

Figs 1E, 8C, D, 11, 12, 15E, 16

Amblyiulus taliscius Attems, 1927: 243, 244, figs 336-338 (D).

Amblyiulus taliscius - Lohmander 1932b: 182 (M); 1936: 170 (M); Rakhmanov 1972: 116 (R); Lokšina and Golovatch 1979: 385 (M); Bababekova 1996: 90 (M).

Syrioiulus taliscius - Mauriès 1982: 441 (M); 1984: 43 (M); Vagalinski 2020: 92 (M).

Material examined.

Azerbaijan: 4 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀, 1 juv. (ZMUM), Talysh, Joni, 1500 m a.s.l., 28-29.V.1976, leg. V.G. Dolin ; 2 ♂♂ (ZMUM), Lenkoran, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, Telman, 28.IV.1984 ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (ZMUM), same locality, Gaftoni, 9.V.1984, all leg. H. Aliev ; 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Hyrcan forest, Khan Bulan River near Alexeevka, 22.IV.1985, leg. E.B. Kupriyanova ; 3 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀ (ZMUM), same locality, Avrora, Moscow-Forest, 50 m a.s.l., 1.VI.1996 ; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, 1 juv. (ZMUM), same locality, Apo below Bilasar, 350 m a.s.l., 8-9.VI.1996, all leg. S. Golovatch ; 1 ♂ (SMNG), Lǝnkǝran rayon, Siyablı, Parrotia, Zelkova, Quercus coppice, steep slope, 110 m a.s.l., 38.7170°N, 48.7253°E ; 1 ♂ (IZB), Lerik rayon, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, road Lǝnkǝran-Lerik at km 32, small side valley, forest of Parrotia with some Quercus, thick leaf litter, 400 m a.s.l., 38.7638°N, 48.5819°E ; 7 ♀♀ (IZB), 7 ♀♀ (SMNG), Astara rayon, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, SW of Zünqüləş, end of small valley, steep slope, Parrotia, Quercus, Acer trees, under leaves and rotten tree trunks, 130 m a.s.l., 38.4480°N, 48.7597°E ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 1 juv. (IZB); 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 1 juv. (SMNG), Lǝnkǝran rayon, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, Daştatük 1.3 km Xanbulan Reservoir, Parrotia forest, divers bushes, under leaves, 110 m a.s.l., 38.6747°N, 48.7622°E ; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 1 juv. (IZB); 5 ♂♂ (1 SEM), 3 ♀♀ (1 SEM), 1 juv. (SMNG) Lǝnkǝran rayon, Hyrcan Nature Reserve, SW of Aşağı Apu, Quercus forest, within leaves and rotten wood, 180 m a.s.l., 38.6726°N, 48.7362°E, all leg. F. Walther, H. Reip, D. Antić; 1 ♂ without gonopods (ZMUM), Shemakha Distr., farm Guseinzade, foothills, Vitis, summer 1982, leg. A. Ismailov ; 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Zakataly Distr., Geyam, cornfield, 17.IV.1986, leg .?; 7 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (ZMUM), Baku, City parks, 18-21.V.1981 ; 1 ♂ (ZMUM), Belokani near Zakatali, 600 m a.s.l., village garden, 24.V.1981 ; 1 ♀ (ZMUM), above Akhsu 120 km W Baku, 900 m a.s.l., Quercus shrub, 22.V.1981, all leg. S. Golovatch and J. Martens ; 1 ♀ (ZMUM), ca. 14 km W of Ismailly, Galyhjakh, under bark, 1.V.1987 ; 1 ♀ (ZMUM), Altyagach, 1050-1100 m a.s.l., Quercus, Fagus, Carpinus, etc. forest, litter, 20 and 26.IV.1987, all leg. S.Golovatch and K. Eskov ; 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 1 juv. (IZB); 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (SMNG), İsmayıllı rayon, Topçu 7.8 km towards Vəndam, flat area with old Fagus forest, under leaves and dead wood, 630 m a.s.l., 40.9193°N, 48.0027°E ; 1 ♂ (SMNG), İsmayıllı rayon, Xanəgah 2 rkm towards İsmayıllı, flat area with old Fagus forest, with channels, under leaves, 650 m a.s.l., 40.8233°N, 48.1518°E ; 1 ♀ (SMNG), İsmayıllı rayon, S of Zərgəran, slope with Corylus, Clematis and some Prunus trees, stone heaps overgrown by moss, mainly in thick leaf litter and under stones, 880 m a.s.l., 40.7310°N, 48.3680°E, all leg. F. Walther, H. Reip, D. Antić .

Diagnosis.

Differs from all congeners by the following combination of somatic and gonopodal characters. Head without frontal setae. Collum and metazonae of following body rings without setae. Eyes absent. Solenomere in apical part with a group of small spines. Anterior process of opisthomere subtriangular apically.

Redescription.

Length of adults 26-33 mm (♂♂) or 26-34 mm (♀♀), width 1.2-1.3 mm (♂♂) or 1.2-1.4 mm (♀♀). Number of body rings in adults, 50-65+1-2+T (♂♂) or 49-70+1-2+T (♀♀). Body subcylindrical (typical of Julidae), live specimens with brownish grey pro- and metazonae (Fig. 8C, D), after storage in alcohol prozonae grey, metazonae yellow (Fig. 1E). Head, collum, a few postcollum rings, last body rings, telson and anal valves yellow (Figs 1E, 8C, D). Antennae, mouthparts, and legs light yellow (Fig. 11A-G). Eyes absent. Striations of metazonae deep, not reaching the caudal margin, 23-25 striae per quarter of metazonital surface, i.e., that between dorsal axial line and ozopore (Fig. 11D). Ozopores small, lying behind suture without touching it (Fig. 11H).

Antennae relatively long, in situ reaching segment 3. Head without frontal setae, 9+9-12+12 labral and 2+2 supralabral setae (Fig. 11A-C). Collum and metazonae without setae (Fig. 11A-G). Gnathochilarium with 3-4 long setae on each lamella lingualis, stipites with a medial curved row of 4-5 thick setae and three long setae at anterolateral margin (Fig. 11I). Epiproct undeveloped (Fig. 11E, F). Hypoproct rounded, with several setae (Fig. 11G). Telson covered with long setae, anal valves densely setose.

Male. Mandibular stipites unmodified (Fig. 11A). Leg pair 1 small, unciform, telopodites directed anteromesad (as in most Julidae), with long setae on each coxa and in basal part of telopodite (Fig. 11J). Leg pair 2 with pads on postfemur and tibia (Fig. 11K). Penes short, bifurcate. Ventral edge of male pleurotergum 7 with wide curved lamellae bordering the gonopodal aperture (Fig. 11L).

Gonopods (Fig. 12) with anterior and posterior parts both equal in height. Promere spoon-shaped, constricted in basal third; mesal ridge relatively narrow along 2/3 extent; with denticles in apical part: mesal denticle small and broadly rounded, lateral one well-expressed and long (Fig. 12B, H). Mesomeral process simple, slightly curved, with a wide subquadrate lamella apically (Fig. 12A, C, G, I). Opisthomere bipartite. Solenomere elongated, with a caudomesal, notched, membranous lobe, in apical part with a fovea and a group of small spines (Fig. 12A, C-F). Fovea may be equipped with a filiform process (Fig. 12E). Anterior process subtriangular apically.

Female. First two leg pairs unmodified. Operculum of vulva without setae on caudal surface, apical margin poorly divided (Fig. 15E). Bursa mostly symmetric, lateral valve slightly larger than mesal one. Each valve with two rows of long setae. Median field of bursa narrow; emargination of median field suboval.

Remarks.

This species was described from the Talysh Mts, Lenkoran, Azerbaijan (Attems 1927). In the Caucasus, this is probably one of the most common and widespread congeners. Like S. continentalis, it inhabits various deciduous forests, but it can only be considered as subendemic to the Hyrcanian biogeographic province (Fig. 16).