Anemesia birulai
Creators: name: Zonstein, Sergei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Cyrtaucheniidae
Anemesia
Anemesia birulai

description: Anemesia birulai (Spassky, 1937)
Figs 1, 15, 48, 63, 90, 104, 117, 173, 188–190, 224–227, 266–267, 306–309, 369
Brachythele birulai Spassky, 1937: 364, fig. 2 (Ƌ).
Brachythele birulai – Spassky & Minenkova 1940: 138. — Roewer 1942: 196 (Ƌ). — Charitonov 1948: 301. — Spassky 1952: 193, 194. — Bonnet 1955: 911 (Ƌ). — Ivanov 1965: 245. — Brignoli 1972: 412 (Ƌ). — Ovcharenko & Fet 1980: 443 (Ƌ). — Fet 1984: 40 (Ƌ). — Zonstein 1985: 158 (Ƌ); 1987: 1013. — Kuznetsov & Fet 1986: 50.
Sterrhochrotus ferghanensis – Vlasov & Sytshevskaja, 1937: 249 (♀). Misidentification, not Cteniza ferghanensis Kroneberg, 1875: 27, pl. 3, fig. 18 (♀).
Nemesia birulai – Mikhailov & Fet 1994: 502.
Anemesia birulai – Mikhailov 1996: 77; 1997: 20. — Zonstein 2001: 11. — Marusik et al. 2014: 3, fig. 11 (Ƌ).
Diagnosis
Anemesia birulai is closest in habitus to A. pococki sp. nov. and A. tubifex; however, it differs by darker colouration from the former, and by AMEs spaced closer from the latter. Males can be also distinguished from A. pococki sp. nov. by the spinose cymbium, and from A. tubifex by a shorter and more swollen palpal tibia and by a shorter embolus (Figs 173, 188–190, cf. Figs 175–176, 193–196). Females of A. birulai possess the multilobate spermathecae with the characteristic long and slender individual receptacles (Figs 224–227).
Material examined
Holotype
TURKMENISTAN: Ƌ, Badhyz Plateau, Akarcheshme well, 27 Apr. 1936, L. Freiberg leg. (ZISP).
Additional material (8 ƋƋ, 10 ♀♀, 2 ♀♀ subad.)
TURKMENISTAN: 2 ♀♀ subad., surroundings of Ashgabat, 13 Apr. 1931, V. Vlasov leg., (ZMMU); 1 ♀, western part of Badhyz Plateau, Akarcheshme well, 850 m, 35°47′ N, 61°28′ E, 15 Apr. 1985, S. Zonstein leg. (SMNH); 1 Ƌ, central part of Badhyz Plateau, Kepele well, 700 m, 35°48′ N, 61°33′ E, 15–30 Mar. 1980, R.E. Zlotin leg. (SMNH); 2 ♀♀, same locality, 13 Apr. 1985, S. Zonstein leg. (SMNH); 2 ♀♀, Morgunovka 5 km E Kushka, 700 m, 35°17′ N, 62°24′ E, 11 Apr. 1993, S. Zonstein leg. (SMNH); 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, Zulfagar Mts, surroundings of Nardenvaly spring, 800–1000 m, 35°47′ N, 61°21′ E, 13 Apr. 1993, S. Zonstein leg. (SMNH); 4 ♀♀, Eroylanduz depression S of Badhyz Plateau, 18 Mar. 1978, 450 m, V. Fet leg. (SMNH); 1 Ƌ, Kopetdag Mts, foothills, Meana-Chaacha, 400 m, 22 Apr. 1978, G. T. Kuznetzov leg. (SMNH); 1 Ƌ, Bikrava 9–10 km SW Ashgabat, 350 m, 28 Mar. 1977, G. T. Kuznetzov leg. (SMNH); 3 ƋƋ, Berzengi 5–6 km S Ashgabat, 400–500 m, Mar.–Apr. 1980, G. T. Kuznetzov leg. (SMNH); 1 Ƌ, Gyaurs 30 km ESE Ashgabat, 250–400 m, 11 Apr. 1980, O. Soyunov leg. (SMNH).
Description
Male (holotype)
HABITUS. See Fig. 1).
MEASUREMENTS. TBL 11.20, CL 4.93, CW 4.12, LL 0.65, LW 1.07, SL 2.62, CW 2.44.
COLOUR. Carapace and legs reddish brown, carapace with slightly darkened clypeus and eye tubercle brownish black; chelicerae dark reddish brown; sternum, labium and maxillae light reddish brown; cymbium brown; sternal sigillae brown; abdomen dorsally light brow with darker standard pattern
consisting of broad median spot and six pairs short chevron-like lateral spots inclined backward; dorsal abdominal surface and spinnerets yellowish brown.
PROSOMA. Clypeus and eye tubercle as shown in Fig 48. In holotype specimen right ALE and PLE fused. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.16(0.20), ALE 0.25, PLE 0.20, PME 0.14, AME– AME 0.15(0.11), ALE–AME 0.10(0.08), ALE–PLE 0.04, PLE–PME 0.03, PME–PME 0.43. Cheliceral rastellum with 13–15 spikes located in front of fang base. Each cheliceral furrow with 7 promarginal teeth and 3–4 smaller retromarginal teeth. Sternum, labium and maxillae as shown in Fig. 90. Maxillae with 21–23 cuspules each.
LEGS. Tibia and metatarsus I as shown in Fig. 117. Scopula: distal ¼ on metatarsi I–II, entire on tarsi I–II, elsewhere absent. Trichobothria: 2 rows of 8–9 each on tibiae, 7–10 on metatarsi, 11–13 on tarsi. PTC I–III: outer and inner margins with 5–6 teeth. PTC IV: 5–6 teeth on outer, 3-4 teeth on inner margin.
SPINATION. Palp: femur d3, pd2; patella pd1; tibia p2; tarsus d8–9. Leg I: femur d4, pd3, rd12–3; patella pd1; tibia p3, r1, v5+m; metatarsus p3, v5. Leg II: femur d4, pd3, rd3; patella pd1; tibia p3, v6–7; metatarsus p3, v5. Leg III: femur d4, pd3, rd3; patella p3; tibia d1, p2–3, r3, v7; metatarsus d1, pd2; p3, r3, v6; tarsus p1; Leg IV: femur d4, pd2–3, rd2–3; tibia p1, r3, v8; metatarsus pd2, p3, r3, v8; tarsus p1. Patella IV, and tarsi I and II aspinose.
PALP. Tibia, cymbium and palpal organ as shown in Figs 173, 188–190. Palpal tibia swollen (Fig. 173). Embolus tapering slightly curved (Figs 188–190).
SPINNERETS. See Fig. 266. PMS: length 0.36, diameter 0.17. PLS: maximal diameter 0.47; length of basal, medial and apical segments 0.80, 0.65, 0.42; total length 1.87; apical segment triangular.
LEG MEASUREMENTS. Ƌ(♀)
Female (from Kepele; described for the first time)
HABITUS. See Fig. 15.
MEASUREMENTS. TBL 23.90, CL 7.53, CW 6.35, LL 0.83, LW 1.33, SL 3.77, SW 3.30.
COLOUR. Differs in some details from that of male holotype: carapace and legs ferruginous-brown; anterior half of carapace darker, anterior edge and lateral margins of carapace as well as femora, patellae and tibiae of legs I and II are even darker, brown-coloured; eye tubercle with brownish-black spots around AMEs and lateral eyes; sternum, labium, maxillae, coxae ventrally, metatarsi and tarsi III and IV yellowish-brown; abdomen light greyish-yellow with mid-brown pattern consisting of moderately narrow median stripe and six paired chevrons; spinnerets even paler greyish-yellow.
PROSOMA. Clypeus and eye tubercle as in Fig. 63. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.18(0.23), ALE 0.29, PLE 0.23, PME 0.16, AME–AME 0.23(0.18), ALE–AME 0.20(0.18), ALE–PLE 0.18, PLE- PME 0.03, PME–PME 0.69. Cheliceral rastellum with 30–35 stout spikes in front of fang base. Each cheliceral furrow with 6–7 promarginal teeth and 3–6 smaller retromarginal teeth. Sternum, labium and maxillae as shown in Fig. 104. Maxillae with 16–15 cuspules each.
LEGS. Scopula: entire on metatarsi I and II, palpal tarsus and tarsi I and II, elsewhere absent. Trichobothria: 2 rows of 7–9 each on tibiae, 12–14 on metatarsi, 11–13 on leg tarsi, 6–7 on palpal tarsus. Palpal claw with 4 promarginal teeth. PTC I–II with 5–6 teeth on each margin. PTC III with 5–6 teeth on outer, 3–4 teeth on inner margins. PTC IV with 4–5 teeth on outer, 1 tooth on inner margins.
SPINATION. Palp: femur pd1; patella p3; tibia p2–3, v12–13; tarsus v1. Leg I: femur pd2; patella p2; tibia p3, v5–6; metatarsus v5. Leg II: pd3; patella p2; tibia p2, v5–7; metatarsus pd1, v6–7. Leg III: pd2–3, rd3; patella r3; tibia d1, p2, r2, v7; metatarsus d1, p2–3, r3, v5–6; tarsus p2, v2; Leg IV: rd2; tibia r2, v7; metatarsus p4, r2, v9; tarsus p2–3, v2. Palpal femur and femora I–IV with 3–7 thick dorsal bristles; patella IV, and tarsi I and II aspinose.
SPERMATHECAE. Two or three branched, as shown in Fig. 224.
SPINNERETS. See Fig. 267. PMS: length 0.86, diameter 0.40. PLS: maximal diameter 0.87; length of basal, medial and apical segments 1.92, 1.13, 0.80; total length 3.85; apical segment triangular.
Variation
The length of the carapace varies from 4.65 to 5.30 in males and in females from 6.00 to 7.85. The coloration weakly varies across specimens from Badhyz Plateau; however, spiders collected in the surroundings of Ashgabat at a lower altitude (200–400 m vs 600–1100 m) look somewhat paler. The number of the maxillary cuspules ranges from 15 to 23 in males and from 13 to 21 in females. The variability in structure of the male palpal organ and the spermathecae is shown in Figs 188–190 and 224–227, respectively.
Habitat
The species occurs in foothill and low mountain steppes, often with shrubs or open park forest composed mainly of Pistacia vera L. The vicinity of the Kepele well, with hillsides inhabited by these spiders, is shown in Figs 307–308.
Distribution
South Turkmenistan. See Fig. 369.
Notes
Vlasov & Sytshevskaya (1937) listed “ Sterrhochrotus ferghanensis Croneb. ” among spider species collected from the burrows in surroundings of Ashgabat. The re-examination of two females deposited in ZMMU, herewith identified and labelled, revealed they are Anemesia. Since both these females are immature, they are provisionally assigned here to A. birulai, the only congener known in the neighbourhood; their studied characters do not contradict such assignment.
Charitonov (1969) indicated this species as also distributed in Uzbekistan. A re-examination of the material used in his study (PSU), revealed that he dealt with representatives of an undescribed species (see description of A. sogdiana sp. nov.). The corresponding reference is thus excluded from the synonymy list of A. birulai.
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 11-13, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.485, http://zenodo.org/record/3829992