Platypalpus sp. 5

Material examined. 2♂, 1♀: Samarkand, along river Zeravshan, 39°38'N, 67°04'E, 22.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♂, Samarkand, 2 km E, pasture, 39°39'N, 67°01'E, 22.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♀, Zeravshan res., deciduous wood, 39°38'N, 67°08'E, 24.v.1989, M. Barták (CULSP).

Remarks. This is a species from the P. minutus complex. It is very much like P. nigricolor Merz & Chvála, 1998, known from Switzerland and the Czech Republic (Merz & Chvála 1998), except for the following features (as stated in the key): base of femora not contrastingly yellow (legs variable in colour ranging from brown with brownish-yellow patterns to nearly entirely brownish yellow); postpedicel longer than in other representatives of this complex of species (2.5–2.9X longer than broad, stylus 1.1–1.4X longer than postpedicel); pleura entirely microtrichose except lustrous spot on katepisternum; left epandrial lamella without long setose outgrowth; left cercus narrowed apically (and not broadened in lateral view as in P. nigricolor). We hesitate to describe this species because of the great variability of leg colour, short series of material on hand and external similarity of Platypalpus species 5, 6 and 7. More material is necessary to elucidate this difficult complex of species.