Synaphosus turanicus Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994

Marusik, Yuri M. & Fomichev, Alexander A., 2016, A survey of East Palaearctic Gnaphosidae (Araneae). 5. On Synaphosus from Central Asia, Zootaxa 4178 (3), pp. 428-442 : 438-442

Synaphosus turanicus Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994

Figs 31‒33 , 43‒50 , 51

Synaphosus turanicus Ovtsharenko et al., 1994: 18 , f. 6, 58–66 (♂ ♀).

Material examined: KAZAKHSTAN: East Kazakhstan Area: 1♂ ( ISEA) western spurs of Narymskyi Mt. Range, 20 km N from Kurchum Village , steppe, 5.05.1999 (RD) . TURKMENISTAN: 1♂ ( ISEA), Kopetdagh Reserve, Kalininskii Zakaznik, 18.05.1997 (V.V. Dubatolov) . UZBEKISTAN: Navoiy Province: 1♂ ( ZMMU) ca. 1 km SE of Zaravshan Town , 22– 28.04.1997 (AG) . TAJIKISTAN: Khatlon Province: 1♂ ( ZMMU) Pyandzh Karatau, Astana Mt. base, 800 m, 26.04.1991 (S.V. Ovtchinnikov) ; 5♂ 1♀ (ISEA), Garauty, Aktau, ca. 37°34'N, 68°27'E, under stones, 28.03.1973 (A. Kononenko).

Description. Described by Ovtsharenko et al. (1994).

Comments. The species belongs to the gracillimus -group and well differs from other species occurring in Central Asia by having patellar apophysis of the male palp, anterior pocket of epigyne without hoods, weakly sclerotized anterior loops of copulatory ducts. It also differs from other Central Asian species by dark coloration ( Figs 49‒50 ). While photographing specimens we noticed significant variations in size of male body ( Figs 49‒50 ). At the same time size of palps in studied specimens are the same. The two illustrated males (large and small) have also differences in leg colour: the small one has dark distal part of femur I, patella and tibia ( Fig. 49 ), while large male has all legs with dark femur, and also dark patella-tibiae of legs I‒II ( Fig. 50 ). Any differences were found in male palp.

It is worth noting about two structures in the vulva overlooked in previous studies. Anterior half of vulva has pair of club-like glands (Cg). These glands are properly illustrated for S. gracillimus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872) (fig. 57: Ovtsharenko et al. 1994). Another thing is "sea mine"-like structure (Sm) in the anterior pair of receptacles (Ar).

Distribution. This species is known from Central Asia only, namely from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan ( Mikhailov 2013). The new record from East Kazakhstan Area represents the north-easternmost locality of the species range.

Synaphosus ovtsharenkoi sp. n.

We thank R.V. Yakovlev, A.I. Shmakov, A.N. Cherepanov (all from Barnaul, Russia), R. Bakhanov, E. Ivanov (both from Gorno-Altaysk, Russia), and U. Beket (Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia) for organizing an expedition to Mongolia, in which the material treated in this paper was collected. Murod Saidov and Rustam Muratov (both Dushanbe, Tajikistan) helped in organizing of YM's expedition to Tajikistan in 2015 in which some material treated here was collected. We are grateful to Seppo Koponen (Zoological Museum, University of Turku) and R.Yu.

Dudko ( ISEA) for providing museum facilities. Special thanks to V.I. Ovtsharenko (New York, USA) for allowing us the study of the type material of Synaphosus palearcticus that are temporary deposited in New York. We are indebted to M.M. Kovblyuk ( Simferopol , Ukraine) and an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments on the manuscript. English of an earlier draft was kindly checked by V. Fet (Marshall University, West Virginia, USA) .

Figures

FIGURE 51. Collecting localities of specimens examined in this study of seven Synaphosus species.

FIGURES 31 ‒ 35. Epigynes of Synaphosus turanicus (31 ‒ 33), S. makhambetensis (34) and S. mongolicus sp. n. (35). 31, 34 intact, ventral; 32 ‒ 33, 35 b after maceration, dorsal; 35 a after maceration, ventral. Scale = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Ar anterior pair of receptacles, Cg club-like glands, Sm " sea mine " - like structure

FIGURES 43 ‒ 50. Male palp and habitus of Synaphosus turanicus. 43, 46 whole palp, retrolateral; 44 ‒ 45 palp, ventral and prolateral; 47 ‒ 48 patella and tibia dorsal and retrolateral; 49 ‒ 50 male habitus, dorsal. 43 – 45, 47 – 49 from East Kazakhstan; 46, 50 from Tajikistan. Scale = 0.2 mm if not otherwise indicated.