Anemesia castanea Zonstein 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zonstein, Sergei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Cyrtaucheniidae
Anemesia
Anemesia castanea

description: Anemesia castanea sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 94364192-0859-45D4-9DB9-5037FD7EE663
Figs 8, 21, 55, 70, 97, 110, 125, 180, 206–208, 245, 279, 318–321, 371
Diagnosis
Anemesia castanea sp. nov. resembles A. karatauvi in habitus, as well as in possessing the similar looking comma-shaped palpal organ provided with a long, thin and gradually curved embolus in males, and relatively long and slender tapering spermathecae in females. However, in comparison with the latter species, males of A. castanea sp. nov. have a more slender male palpal tibia, a domed ventral surface of the palpal bulb and a longer embolus (vs stouter tibia, flattened surface, and shorter embolus; Figs 180, 206–208, cf. Figs 181, 209–210). Females of A. castanea sp. nov. differ from those of A. karatauvi in having the closer spaced and more diverged spermathecae (Fig. 245, cf. Figs 246–249), as well as by a larger number of the maxillary cuspules (65–70 vs 40–55) and by a better developed cheliceral rastellum.
Etymology
The specific name is a derivative (using the feminine gender) of the Latin adjective ‘ castaneus ’ meaning ‘chestnut-brown’; the name is derived from the colouration of the specimens.
Material examined
Holotype
TAJIKISTAN: Ƌ, foothills of Aruktau Mt. R., 0.5 km SE of Ganjina Village, 750 m, 37°58′ N, 68°32′ E, 14 Apr. 1991, S. Zonstein leg. (SMNH).
Paratypes
TAJIKISTAN: 4 ƋƋ same collection data as for the holotype but S. Zonstein and S. Ovchinnikov leg. (SMNH).
Additional material
TAJIKISTAN: 1 ♀, Ganjina, under stone, 9 Apr. 1967, E. Andreeva leg. (MIZW), 1 ♀ (dried), Lower Vahsh Valley, Tigrovaya Balka (Tiger Gorge) Reserve, 12–18 Apr. 1967, E. Andreeva leg. (MIZW). See note below.
Description
Male (holotype)
HABITUS. See Fig. 8.
MEASUREMENTS. TBL 15.90, CL 6.15, CW 5.54, LL 0.56, LW 1.07, SL 2.96, SW 2.77.
COLOUR. Carapace almost uniformly light chestnut brown; chelicerae, leg I entirely and most part of palps and legs II–IV light-medium to dark brown; sternum, labium, maxillae and leg tarsi paler, brownish orange; eye tubercle black; abdomen dorsally yellowish grey with dark brown pattern consisting of dentate median stripe anteriorly and few paired transverse and slightly inclined chevrons posteriorly; ventral part of abdomen and spinnerets pale yellowish grey.
PROSOMA. Clypeus and eye tubercle as in Fig. 55. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.15(0.23), ALE 0.25, PLE 0.22, PME 0.18, AME–AME 0.21(0.13), ALE–AME 0.12(0.08), ALE–PLE 0.12, PLE– PME 0.02, PME–PME 0.47. Cheliceral rastellum consists of about 20–25 spikes in front of fang base and on very low mound. Each cheliceral furrow with 7 promarginal teeth and 5–7 smaller retromarginal teeth. Sternum, labium and maxillae as shown in Fig. 97. Sternal sigilla small oval, posterior pair considerably distant from sternum edge. Maxillae with ca 35 cuspules each.
LEGS. Tibia and metatarsus I as in Fig. 125. Scopula: distal and entire on metatarsi I and II, narrowly divided on tarsi I and II, widely divided on tarsi III, absent on tarsi IV. Trichobothria: two rows with 9–11 each on tibiae, 20–24 on metatarsi, 16–20 on tarsi, 13–14 on cymbium. PTC I–II with 11–13, PTC III–IV with 9–10 teeth on each margin, respectively.
SPINATION. Palp: femur d4, pd4, rd1; patella p1; tibia d1, p3–4, pv3, rv7; tarsus d6–7. Leg I: femur d4, pd3–4, rd3; tibia p3–4, r2, v9+m; metatarsus pd3, v5–7. Leg II: femur d4, pd3–4, rd3–4; tibia p3, v7–8; metatarsus p4, v5–6; tarsus p2. Leg III: femur d4, pd3, rd3; patella p3, r2; tibia d2–3, p3, r3, v7; metatarsus dp4, r3–4, v7–8; tarsus p2–4. Leg IV: femur d4, p3, r2–3; patella r1; tibia d1, p3, r3, v8–9; metatarsus d6–7, p5, r4–5, v9–10; tarsus p2, r2. Patellae I, II, and tarsus I aspinose.
PALP. Tibia, cymbium and palpal organ as shown in Figs 180, 207–208. Palpal tibia very long, slender and cylindrical, with spines and numerous stout bristles (Fig. 180). Palpal organ with embolus very long, tapering and slightly curved (Figs 207–208).
SPINNERETS (see Fig. 279). PMS: length 0.46, diameter 0.20. PLS: maximal diameter 0.57; length of basal, medial and apical segments 0.94, 0.68, 0.76; total length 2.38; apical segment shortly digitiform.
LEG MEASUREMENTS. Ƌ(♀)
Female (from Ganjina)
HABITUS. See Fig. 21.
MEASUREMENTS. TBL 25.20, CL 8.39, CW 7.44, LL 1.01, LW 1.60, SL 4.26, SW 4.16.
COLOUR. As in male.
PROSOMA. Clypeus and eye tubercle as shown in Fig. 70. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.15(0.25), ALE 0.32, PLE 0.24, PME 0.26, AME–AME 0.36(0.26), ALE–AME 0.28(0.23), ALE–PLE 0.27, PLE–PME 0.01, PME–PME 0.83. Cheliceral rastellum represented by approximately 40 spikes located in front of fang base and on low mound. Each cheliceral furrow with 9 promarginal teeth and 10–11 smaller retromarginal teeth. Sternum, labium and maxillae as shown in Fig. 110. Sternal sigilla small; posterior pair distant from sternum edge, narrowly oval. Maxillae with ca 70 cuspules each.
LEGS. Scopula dense, occupies 5/6 ventral surface of metatarsus I, distal on metatarsus II, entire on palpal tarsus and tarsus I, widely divided on tarsus II, elsewhere absent. Palpal claw with 5 promarginal teeth. Trichobothria: 2 rows of 10–13 each on tibiae, 14–17 on metatarsi, 13–15 on leg tarsi, 13 on palpal tarsus. PTC I–II with 6–7 teeth on each margin. PTC III with 5–6 teeth on outer, 4–5 teeth on inner margins; PTC IV with 4–5 and 0–4 teeth, respectively.
SPINATION. Palp: femur pd1; patella p2; tibia p2, v14–15; tarsus v2. Leg I: femur pd1; patella p1; tibia v5; metatarsus v5. Leg II: femur pd2; patella p2; tibia p2, v5; metatarsus p2, v5–6. Leg III: femur pd2, rd3; patella p2; tibia d1; p3, r2, v7; metatarsus pd2, p3, rd3, v8–9; tarsus p1, v2. Leg IV: femur rd2; tibia r1, v6; metatarsus pd1, p2, rd2, v7–11; tarsus v2. All femora with 1 basodorsal spine and dorsal row of few bristles. Patella IV, and tarsi I and II aspinose.
SPERMATHECAE. Entire with thin stalks inclined outwards and narrowed subapically (Fig. 245).
SPINNERETS. PMS: length 0.71, diameter 0.34. PLS: maximal diameter 0.80; length of basal, medial and apical segments 1.47, 0.73, 0.80; total length 3.00; apical segment shortly digitiform.
Variation
The length of the carapace varies from 5.80 to 6.25 in males and from 7.73 to 8.39 in females. The colouration varies through specimens very narrowly. The number of maxillary cuspules ranges from 32 to 40 in males and from 65 to 70 in females. The variation in the shape of the palpal organ and the length of the embolus seems to be almost imponderable (see Figs 206–207).
Habitat
The species occurs in the piedmont sandy desert (Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve) and in the woodless steppe foothills near Ganjina. Curiously, despite intensive collecting, A. castanea sp. nov. has never been found in the less harsh montane zone of the Aruktau Mts, occupied by A. incana and some other congeners.
Distribution
The species is known from far southwestern Tajikistan only (Fig. 371).
Notes
Andreeva (1968) included both conspecific females in the type series of Brachythele karatauvi. To avoid a situation of the same specimen being listed as a paratype in two different species, these females are not included in the types of Anemesia castanea sp. nov., despite definitely belonging to the latter congener.
description: Published as part of Zonstein, Sergei, 2018, A revision of the spider genus Anemesia (Araneae, Cyrtaucheniidae), pp. 1-100 in European Journal of Taxonomy 485 on pages 29-32, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.485, http://zenodo.org/record/3829992