Figs 1, 121–154, 206, 213
Artema transcaspica Spassky, 1934: 369–372, figs 8–10 ( ♂ ♀, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan).
Artema transcaspica – Denis 1958: 112 ( Afghanistan). — Roewer 1955: 752 ( Iran). — Ghahari & Marusik 2009: 4 ( Iran). See redescription of A. doriae above.
Males are easily distinguished from most other known congeners (except A. doriae and Artema sp. c) by their bulbal processes ( Figs 125–127): process c triangular, curved and pointing towards prolateral, and distinct ventral process d. Males are possibly distinguishable from A. doriae and from Artema sp. c by their cheliceral proximal incline without ridge or process above modified hairs in lateral view ( Figs 128, 131–133) which is present in A. doriae ( Figs 100–102) and in Artema sp. c ( Figs 186–191). Females differ from other congeners by their rectangular to square-shaped epigynal plate (i.e., lateral margins parallel; Figs 134–145, 150) (rather slightly trapezoidal in A. doriae, rectangular and wider in Artema sp. c); by dark median sclerite fused at posterior epigynal margin with lateral sclerotized plates (not fused in A. doriae and Artema sp. c) and by less distinct pale median area posteriorly (in A. doriae the pale median area is usually distinct posteriorly, very prominent in Artema sp. c).
Syntypes
The ZIN collection has three vials, two of which (with a total of 10 ♂♂, 18 ♀♀, ~15 juvs) contain both syntypes (as suggested by the label data) and non-types; the third (with 2 ♂♂, 1 juv.) may contain syntypes only, but the label does not specify any collection data. A further vial in MNHN may contain syntypes only ( 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀), but the collection data are also unclear. For these reasons, we list here all the material from these four vials, sorted by country. Specimen numbers are taken from the original description, but since specimens from different localities and collection dates were combined, individual specimens can no longer be attributed to different localities. This is why specimen numbers are unspecified in two cases below.
TAJIKISTAN: syntype ♀, “Stalinabad” [= Dushanbe, 38.53° N, 68.78° E], summer 1933, A. Alparov leg. ( ZIN).
TURKMENISTAN: unspecified number of syntypes and non-types, “Ashkhabad” [= Ashgabat, 37.93° N, 58.36° E], spring 1933, E. Mel‘nikova leg. ( syntypes) and 16 Apr. 1934, M.K. Laptev leg. (non-types) ( ZIN); unspecified number of non-types, same locality, in room, 5 Sep. 1936, collector not given ( ZIN); 1 ♂, syntype, “Krasnovodsk” [= Türkmenbasy, 40.01° N, 52.96° E], summer 1900, Ahnger leg. ( ZIN); 1 juv., syntype, Repetek, “Transcaspian Province” [ 38.56° N, 63.18° E], 1907, Dolgopolov leg. ( ZIN); 1 ♂, syntype, Akhal-Teke [~ 38.1° N, 58.0° E], 1896, Ahnger leg. ( ZIN); 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, syntypes (?), “Regio Transcaspica”, date and collector not given (these are possibly part of the specimens from Ashkhabad collected in 1933 by Mel’nikova) ( MNHN Ar 10178).
UZBEKISTAN: 1 ♀ (non-type), “Andizhan” [= Andijan, 40.80° N, 72.30° E], in house, winter 1938, Karpovich leg. ( ZIN).
Other material
TURKMENISTAN: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Badkhyz, Kushka [ 35.68° N, 62.00° E], 12 Apr. 1985, S. Zonstein leg. ( NHMW 13.677); 1 ♀, Kopetdag, Parkhai [~ 38.25° N, 57.8° E], in house, 19 Dec. 1992, V.I. Perepechaenko leg. ( ZFMK Ar 15245).
UZBEKISTAN: 1 ♂, Navoi Area, Uchkuduk District, Kyzylkum Desert, ca 36.5 km SSW of Uchkuduk, ca 6 km SWS of Tasbulak Well, 120 m a.s.l., sands ( 41.85° N, 63.30° E), 2 Jun. 2003, A.V. Gromov leg. ( ZMMU); 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Kafirnighan River Valley, Ak-Mechet [ 38.01° N, 68.29° E], in house, 7 May 1994, S. Ovchinnikov leg. ( ZMMU); 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 1–2 km SE “Zeravshan Town” [= Zarafshon, 41.57° N, 64.24° E], 20 Apr.–19 Jul. 1998, A.V. Gromov leg. ( ZMMU); 1 ♀, Bukhara Area [ 39.51° N, 64.84° E], 33 km SE of Bukhara, 19–20 May 1994, A.A. Zyuzin leg. ( ZMMU).
TAJIKISTAN: 1 ♂, Vaksh River Valley, “Tigrovaya Balka” State Res. [ 38.35° N, 69.18° E], Korolevskaya Dacha, 3 Aug. 2006, S.V. Ovchinnikov leg. ( ZMMU); 1 ♀, in pure ethanol, Khatton Area, Shaartuz Distr., Khushody ( 37.152° N, 68.070° E), 378 m a.s.l., edge of sandy desert, shrub litter, 20 Apr. 2015, Y.M. Marusik leg. ( ZFMK Mar 60); 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Kafirnigan River, 10–15 km NNE of Tartki ( 37.69° N, 68.15° E), inside solitary abandoned farmer house near riverbank, 12 Jun. 1989, S. Zonstein leg. ( SMNH).
Material assigned tentatively (see Notes below)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 1 ♀, N of Ajman ( 25.43º N, 55.48º E), in water traps, 21 Sep.–25 Oct. 2007, A. van Harten leg. ( ZFMK Ar 15246).
Male (unspecified origin; ZIN type vial)
MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 5.7, carapace width 3.1. Leg 1: 39.1 (10.1 + 1.3 + 11.5 + 14.0 + 2.2), tibia 2: 9.0, tibia 3: 7.0, tibia 4: 9.3; tibia 1 L/d: 38. Distance PME–PME 150 μm, diameter PME 190 μm, distance PME–ALE 90 μm, distance AME–AME 60 μm, diameter AME 180 μm.
COLOR. Carapace light ochre with large brown radial marks, with brown median band that splits at posterior margin of ocular area; ocular area ochre to brown, clypeus with dark brown rim and light brown band below AME enlarged at base of clypeus to triangular shape (as in Fig. 121); legs ochre yellow without dark rings on femora, patellae, and tibiae; sternum ochre to light brown with narrow brown margins; abdomen without distinct pattern.
BODY. Ocular area slightly elevated; carapace with distinct posterior furrow and distinct median pit close to posterior margin of ocular area; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (2.1/1.7); chelicerae as in Figs 128–130, with frontal row of ~25 modified (cone-shaped) hairs on each side, situated on elevated process (as in Figs. 146–148); cheliceral proximal incline in lateral view without ridge or small process above modified hairs but followed smoothly by first modified hair (as in Fig. 131); without stridulatory ridges (unlike some other specimens; see variation below); abdomen globose and high; gonopore with five epiandrous spigots.
PALPS. As in Figs 122–124; coxa unmodified, trochanter with short ventral projection, femur with distinct retrolateral process proximally, ventral membranous area proximally bordered on both sides by heavily sclerotized ridges, and small dorsal projection proximally; femur-patella hinges close together dorsally; patella very short; procursus with proximal dorsal process, with weakly developed ventral pocket, and distal dorsal notch on prolateral sclerotized margin; bulb with membranous embolus rising from base of process a; process a with subdistal hump; process b narrow, elongated, and pointed; process c triangular; process d is a distinct small ventral projection (as in Figs 125, 127, 149).
LEGS.Without spines;with long curved hairs, especially on tibiae and metatarsi; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 10%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegmentation not visible.
Male (variation)
Tibia 1 in 13 other males: 10.6–18.1 (mean 13.1); color pattern on abdomen varies from pale without any marks to light brown with lateral stripes; leg color varies from light brown to ochre; ocular area usually light brown; carapace pattern varies from wide brown lateral marks to pale carapace with median band only; two brown bands at base of ocular area sometimes absent; clypeus dark rim and dark band sometimes absent; procursus distal dorsal notch on prolateral margin sometimes slightly elevated and not a distinct indentation ( Fig. 126); process c sometimes curved and pointing towards prolateral; lateral stridulatory ridges sometimes absent (as in specimen described above) or very indistinct but sometimes present ( Figs 128, 131, 153); cheliceral proximal incline usually without ridge or small process above modified hairs in lateral view ( Figs 131, 133); sometimes present but indistinct ( Fig. 132). Epiandrous spigots were counted in five additional males and varied from 4 to 7.
Female
In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 24 females: 7.0–12.8 (mean 10.8); stridulatory files laterally on chelicerae always present ( Fig. 154); epigynal plate square-shaped ( Figs 134–145, 150), consisting of two sclerotized lateral rectangular areas that are gently swollen posteriorly and depressed medially anteriorly, pale median area with long dark median sclerite, usually fused at posterior epigynal margin with lateral sclerotized plates, small median indentation in posterior rim; anterior epigynal projections oval, not prominent in lateral view.
The species is distributed from the Kopet Dag Mountain Range in the south of Turkmenistan to Tajikistan in the East ( Fig. 1). The species is also found north of this range and in Uzbekistan. It is likely that A. transcaspica occurs also in Kyrgystan and Kazakhstan. The single record from the United Arab Emirates is dubious (see below) and not shown in the map.
Artema transcaspica is very similar to A. doriae and to Artema sp. c from Pakistan, India, and Sudan (see below). While males of A. doriae and A. transcaspica are barely distinguishable, females differ slightly in their epigynum structure. For this reason, we decided to be conservative and not to synonymize A. doriae and A. transcaspica.
The single female from the United Arab Emirates is assigned tentatively because it does not seem to fit the distribution of this species.