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J. Insect Biodivers. Syst. 09 (4), 703–709
https://jibs.modares.ac.ir
Tarbiat Modares University Press
Resaerch Article
https://doi.org/10.52547/jibs.9.4.703
ISSN: 2423-8112
Entomological Society of Iran
Taxonomy
https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:9060EF44-346E-4BBA-9AE0-87B87B7A6FF4
Corresponding author: Zamani, A.,
zamani.alireza5@gmail.com
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Redescriptions of two poorly known species of Zodariellum
Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from
Uzbekistan
Sergei L. Esyunin
Perm State University, Bukireva Street 15, Perm 614068, Russia.
sergei.esyunin@psu.ru https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3813-1316
Alireza Zamani
Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, FI-20014 University of Turku, Turku 20500, Finland.
zamani.alireza5@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8084-9666
Yuri M. Marusik
Institute for Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan 685000, Russia [1]. Altai State
University, Lenina Pr., 61, Barnaul, RF-656049, Russia [2].
yurmar@mail.ru https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4499-5148
Received:
27 July 2023
Accepted:
09 August 2023
Published:
16 August 2023
Subject Editor:
John T.D. Caleb
ABSTRACT
. Two poorly known species of the zodariid spider genus Zodariellum
Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 – Z. spasskyi (Charitonov, 1946) and Z. zebra (Charitonov,
1946) – are redescribed based on type specimens from eastern Uzbekistan. Additionally,
a lectotype is designated for the former species.
Key words: Aranei, Central Asia, lectotype, Zodariinae, Z. spasskyi, Z. zebra
Citation: Esyunin, S.L., Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2023) Redescriptions of two poorly known species of Zodariellum
Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from Uzbekistan. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 9 (4), 703–709.
INTRODUCTION
Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 is a genus of the spider family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881,
currently comprising 21 species distributed from the Volga River’s delta to eastern China (WSC, 2023).
The genus has recently undergone significant taxonomic revisions by Zamani & Marusik (2021, 2022).
The highest diversity of Zodariellum occurs in Central Asia, from where 15 species are currently known
(WSC, 2023). Five species have been documented in Uzbekistan, two of which, Z. spasskyi (Charitonov,
1946) and Z. zebra (Charitonov, 1946), are poorly illustrated. Both species are known from female
specimens collected in the same locality in Aman-Kutap in eastern Uzbekistan (Charitonov, 1946, 1969),
with Z. spasskyi also known by a doubtful record from Kazakhstan (Logunov & Gromov, 2012).
Recently, we had the opportunity to examine the type material of these two species, which are
redescribed and illustrated in this paper.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Photographs of specimens and their epigynes were obtained using an Olympus OMD EM-10 digital
camera, with a Panasonic Lumix H-H025 25 mm f/1.7 lens mounted on a Zeiss microscope. Digital
images of different focal planes were stacked with Adobe Photoshop CS6. Leg segments were
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Redescriptions of the poorly Zodariellum species from Uzbekistan
Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 2023 9 (4)
measured on the dorsal side. Measurements of legs are listed as: total length (femur, patella, tibia,
metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are given in millimetres. Abbreviations: ALE ‒ anterior lateral
eye, AME ‒ anterior median eye, Fe ‒ femur, LT ‒ lectotype, PLE ‒ posterior lateral eye, PLT ‒
paralectotype, PME ‒ posterior median eye. Depository: PSU – Perm State University, Perm, Russia
(S.L. Esyunin).
RESULTS
Taxonomic hierarchy
Class Arachnida Lamarck, 1801
Order Araneae Clerck, 1757
Family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881
Genus Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968
Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968:688.
Zodariellum: Marusik & Koponen, 2001:40 (removed from the synonymy of Zodarion). — Zamani & Marusik,
2021:184. — Zamani & Marusik, 2022:162.
Type species. Zodariellum surprisum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 from Tajikistan, by original
designation.
Diagnosis, description and composition. See Zamani & Marusik (2022).
Zodariellum spasskyi (Charitonov, 1946) (Figs 1–2, 4–5)
Zodarion spasskyi Charitonov, 1946:22, fig. 11 (♀).
Zodarion spasskyi: Charitonov, 1969:72.
Zodariellum spasskyi: Zamani & Marusik, 2022:175.
Type material. Lectotype ♀ (PSU, designated here), UZBEKISTAN: Samarqand Region: Urgut District,
near 39°18'N 66°55'E, 1200‒1900 m; labelled as “Zodarion spasskyi n.sp. D. Charitonov det., Aman-Kutap
[mountain area], 40 km SE from Samarqand, 23.V.1942, D.M. Fedotov”. Paralectotype: 1♀ (PSU;
epigyne mounted on a slide), collected with the lectotype.
Diagnosis. Zodariellum spasskyi differs from all its congeners by its unique abdominal pattern: light-
coloured with a wide dark median band spanning from the anterior to the posterior part (vs. a
longitudinal dark band absent in other species). The shape of its epigyne is very similar to that of Z.
nenilini (Eskov, 1995) and is almost indistinguishable. Nevertheless, there are slight differences in the
anterior hood (cf. Figs 4, 8).
Description. Female. Habitus as in Figs 1–2. Total length 4.85 (LT), 5.01 (PLT). Carapace length 2.25 (LT),
2.38 (PLT), width 1.05 (LT), 1.70 (PLT). Eye sizes (LT): ALE: 0.10, AME: 0.14, PLE: 0.10, PME: 0.08.
Colouration (sensu Charitonov, 1946, 1969): body light yellow; ocular region black; sternum with
narrow reddish brown margin; abdomen dorsally with a longitudinal dark brown band. Measurements
of legs (LT): I: 7.08 (1.90, 0.68, 1.50, 1.93, 1.08), II: 7.18 (1.90, 0.75, 1.38, 2.05, 1.10), III: 7.23 (2.00, 0.75, 1.38,
2.13, 0.98), IV: 9.65 (2.63, 0.83, 2.25, 2.75, 1.20). Epigyne as in Figs 4–5; plate twice wider than long, with
triangular anterior hood, its anterior margin forming an angle of 120º; receptacles oval, spaced by ca. 4
times their width; copulatory ducts long, twisted 5 times around their axes, converging and forming an
angle of ca. 105º.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. Confidently known only from the type locality in eastern Uzbekistan. Although Logunov
& Gromov (2012) included this species in their list of spiders of Kazakhstan, the original record for Z.
spasskyi in this country could not be located. According to Zamani & Marusik (2022), it is likely that this
record belongs to a different species. Considering that the epigyne of Z. spasskyi is almost
indistinguishable from that of Z. nenilini, it is possible that their record in fact refers to the latter species.
Esyunin et al.
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Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 2023 9 (4)
Figures 1–3. Habitus of Zodariellum species. 1. Z. spasskyi, lectotype; 2. Z. spasskyi, paralectotype, dorsal
and lateral views; 3. Z. zebra, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.
Zodariellum zebra (Charitonov, 1946) (Figs 3, 6–7)
Zodarion zebra Charitonov, 1946:21, fig. 10 (♀).
Zodarion zebra: Charitonov, 1969:71.
Zodariellum zebra: Zamani & Marusik, 2022:176.
Type material. Holotype ♀ (PSU; epigyne mounted on a slide), UZBEKISTAN: Samarqand Region: Urgut
District, near 39°18'N 66°55'E, 1200‒1900 m; labelled as “Zodarion zebra n.sp., D. Charitonov det., Aman-
Kutap [mountain area], 40 km SE from Samarqand, 21.V.1942, D.M. Fedotov”.
Diagnosis. The epigyne of Z. zebra is very similar to that of Z. proszynskii (Nenilin & Fet, 1895).
However, it can be distinguished by its large and well-delimited bell-shaped atrium and wider coils of
copulatory ducts. Additionally, the anterior part of the copulatory ducts are contiguous (cf. Figs 6, 9).
Regarding abdominal patterning, Z. zebra is similar to Z. testaceofasciatum (Spassky, 1941). Nevertheless,
it can be distinguished from the latter by its smaller size (carapace length of 1.05, vs. 1.7).
Description. Female. Habitus as in Fig. 3. Total length 2.45. Carapace length 1.05, width 0.43. Eye sizes:
ALE: 0.07, AME: 0.08, PLE: 0.07, PME: 0.07. Colouration (sensu Charitonov, 1946, 1969): carapace
yellow, with a brown transverse spot on border of cephalic and thoracic parts; eye field black; abdomen
light yellow, with 3 transverse brown bands in anterior half and a herringbone-shaped spot in posterior
half. Measurements of legs (unlisted segments missing): I: 2.55 (0.67, 0.27, 0.53, 0.60, 0.48), II: 2.56 (0.70,
0.31, 0.49, 0.63, 0.43), Fe III: 0.77, IV: 3.57 (1.01, 0.35, 0.74, 0.92, 0.55). Epigyne as in Figs 6–7; plate ca. 1.9
times wider than long; with large, bell-shaped fovea having well delimited margins, ca. as long as
wide; receptacles round, spaced by ca. 4 diameters; copulatory ducts converging, touching anteriorly,
and forming an angle of 100º; each copulatory duct forming 4 complete coils.
Male. Unknown.
Comments. According to Zamani & Marusik (2022), there is a possibility that Z. zebra is a junior
synonym of Z. testaceofasciatum. The latter species is known solely by a female and a juvenile specimen
from western Tajikistan, with no accompanying illustrations of the epigyne (Spassky, 1941). These two
species exhibit a similar abdominal pattern, and their respective type localities are approximately 200
km apart. Zodariellum turanicum Zamani & Marusik, 2022 is another species with a similar abdominal
pattern, known only by the male holotype. Its type locality is situated in Lebap, Turkmenistan, about
155 km away from the type locality of Z. zebra and approximately 300 km from the type locality of
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Redescriptions of the poorly Zodariellum species from Uzbekistan
Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 2023 9 (4)
Z. testaceofasciatum. Until the discovery of the currently unknown sexes of these species and a
redescription of the female of Z. testaceofasciatum is provided, the three species can tentatively be
differentiated from one another by their size and colouration (Table 1).
Table 1. Comparison of some of the somatic characters for three species of Zodariellum.
Z. zebra (♀)
Z. testaceofasciatum (♀)
Z. turanicum (♂)
Length of carapace
1.05
1.7
1.6
Colouration – carapace
yellow
black-brown
yellow
Colouration - abdomen; dorsal, ventral
yellow, yellow
chestnut brown, fawn brown
dark marrow, light beige
Transverse stripes
wide
wide
narrow
Figures 4–9. Epigynes of Zodariellum species. 4–5. Z. spasskyi (paralectotype); 6–7. Z. zebra; 8. Z. nenilini;
9. Z. proszynskii, ventral (4, 6, 8, 9) and dorsal (5, 7) views. Fig. 8 reproduced from Zamani & Marusik
(2022) with permission from the copyright holder; Fig. 9 reproduced from Zamani & Marusik (2021).
Scale bars = 0.1 mm.
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Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 2023 9 (4)
DISCUSSION
Two species of Zodariellum were redescribed in this paper based on type specimens from eastern
Uzbekistan. Among the 15 species of Zodariellum known from Central Asia, four species – Z. spasskyi, Z.
tadzhikum (Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968), Z. testaceofasciatum, and Z. zebra – are known only by
females, while three species – Z. surprisum, Z. turanicum, and Z. turkmenicum Zamani & Marusik, 2022 –
are known only by males. The illustrations provided in this work and previous studies (e.g., Zamani &
Marusik, 2022) reveal that the shape of the epigyne is quite homogenous among different species of this
genus, despite potentially distinct differences in colouration and male palp. Amongst the Central Asian
species, the epigynes of most species are inadequately illustrated. As a result, it is likely that the
discovery of previously unknown sexes and the redescriptions of poorly known species will lead to the
synonymization of some of these species.
AUTHOR′S CONTRIBUTION
The authors confirm their contribution in the paper as follows: SE & AZ: Conceptualization; SE: Microscopic
photography; SE, AZ & YM: Writing – original draft; AZ: Writing – review and editing. The authors read and
approved the final version of the manuscript.
FUNDING
The research of YM was funded by a state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the
Russian Federation (project FZMW-2023-0006 “Endemic, local and invasive arthropods (Arthropoda) of the
mountains of South Siberia and Central Asia: a unique gene pool of a biodiversity hotspot").
AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIAL
The specimens listed in this study are deposited in the Arachnological Collection of the Perm State University,
Russia and are available from the curator, upon request.
ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE
Not applicable.
CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION
Not applicable.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SE is grateful to Gulli Sh. Farzalieva (Perm State University, Perm) for her assistance in preparing the photographs.
Also, we thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions from which the manuscript benefited.
REFERENCES
Andreeva, E.M. & Tystshenko, V.P. (1968) Materials on the fauna of spiders (Aranei) of Tadjikistan. II. Zodariidae.
Zoologicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 47, 684–689. [in Russian]
Charitonov, D.E. (1946) New forms of spiders of the USSR. Izvestiya Yestestvenno-Nauchnogo Instituta pri Molotovskom
Gosudarstvennom Universitete imeni M. Gor'kogo, 12, 19–32. [in Russian]
Charitonov, D.E. (1969) Material’y k faune paukov SSR. Uchenye Zapiski Permskogo ordena Trudovogo Krasnogo
Znameni Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta Imeni A. M. Gor’kogo, 179, 59–133. [in Russian]
Logunov, D.V. & Gromov, A.V. (2012) Spiders of Kazakhstan. Siri Scientific Press, Manchester. 232 p.
Marusik, Y.M. & Koponen, S. (2001) Spiders of the family Zodariidae from Mongolia (Arachnida: Araneae).
Reichenbachia, 34, 39–48.
Spassky, S. (1941) Araneae palaearcticae novae VI. Folia Zoologica et Hydrobiologica, Rigā, 11, 12–26.
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WSC (2023) World Spider Catalog. Version 24.0. Natural History Museum Bern, Bern. Available from:
https://wsc.nmbe.ch [Accessed 20 July 2023]
Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2021) Revision of the spider family Zodariidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Iran and
Turkmenistan, with seventeen new species. ZooKeys, 1035, 145–193. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1035.65767
Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2022) New taxonomic considerations in Zodariellum Andreeva & Tyshchenko, 1968
(Araneae: Zodariidae), with notes on the presence of cymbial diverticulum in different zodariid genera.
Zootaxa, 5178 (2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5178.2.3
Esyunin et al.
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ﺻﻮﺗﯿﻒ ﻢﮐ ﻪﻧﻮﮔ ود دﺪﺠﻣﻪﺘﺧﺎﻨﺷ هﺪﺷ ﺲﻨﺟ زا Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968
)
Araneae, Zodariidae (نﺎﺘﺴﮑﺑزا زا
ﮔﺮﺳﯽ ﺳا .لاﯿﻧﻮﯿﻦ
1
،ﻠﻋﯿﺎﺿﺮ ﻧﺎﻣزﯽ
2*
وﯾرﻮي ﺳورﺎﻣ .ماﯿﮏ
3 ،4
1 ا هﺎﮕﺸﻧادﯾﺘﻟﺎﯽ ،مﺮﭘ ،مﺮﭘﺳورﯿﻪ.
2 ﺳﺎﻨﺷرﻮﻧﺎﺟ هزﻮﻣﯽ، ز عﻮﻨﺗ ﺪﺣاوﯾﺘﺴﯽ، ﻮﮐرﻮﺗ هﺎﮕﺸﻧاد.ﺪﻧﻼﻨﻓ ،
3 ﺘﺴﻧاﯿﻮﺘ ز ﻞﺋﺎﺴﻣﯾﺘﺴﯽ ﻣدﺎﮐآ رود روﺎﺧ ﻪﺧﺎﺷ ،نﺎﮕﻟﺎﻤﺷﯽ ﺳور مﻮﻠﻋﯿﻪ، ﻪﯿﺳور.
4 ا هﺎﮕﺸﻧادﯾﺘﻟﺎﯽ ﺎﺘﻟآي، ،لﻮﺋﺎﻧرﺎﺑ ﺳورﯿﻪ.
ﺖﺴﭘ * ﮏﯿﻧوﺮﺘﮑﻟا هﺪﻨﺴﯾﻮﻧ ﻪﺒﺗﺎـﮑﻣ لﻮﺌﺴﻣ: zamani.alireza5@gmail.com
ǀ د ﺦﯾرﺎﺗ:ﺖﻓﺎـﯾر 05 دادﺮﻣ 1402 ǀ :شﺮﯾﺬﭘ ﺦﯾرﺎﺗ 18 دادﺮﻣ 1402 ǀ :رﺎﺸﺘﻧا ﺦﯾرﺎﺗ 25 دادﺮﻣ 1402 ǀ
:هﺪـﯿﮑﭼ تﻮﺒﮑﻨﻋ زا هﺪﺷ ﻪﺘﺧﺎﻨﺷ ﻢﮐ ﻪﻧﻮﮔ ودﺎﻫي ةداﻮﻧﺎﺧ
Zodariidae
ﻪﺑ ﻖﻠﻌﺘﻣ ﺲﻨﺟ
Zodariellum
Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968
ﻞﻣﺎﺷ Z. spasskyi (Charitonov, 1946) وZ. zebra (Charitonov, 1946)
ﻪﻧﻮﻤﻧ سﺎﺳا ﺮﺑيﺎﻫ ﺎﺗﯾﭗ ًادﺪﺠﻣ نﺎﺘﺴﮑﺑزا قﺮﺷ زا ﺻﻮﺗﯿﻒ ﻨﭽﻤﻫ .ﺪﻧﺪﺷﯿ،ﻦ اﺮﺑي ﺎﺗﻮﺘﮑﻟ ﻪﻧﻮﻤﻧ ﺖﺴﺨﻧ ﻪﻧﻮﮔﯾﭗ ﻌﺗﯿﯿﻦ
ﺪﺷ.
يﺪﯿﻠﮐ نﺎـﮔژاو :Aranei ،ﭗﯾﺎﺗﻮﺘﮑﻟ ،يﺰﮐﺮﻣ يﺎﯿﺳآ ،Zodariinae ،Z. spasskyi
،
Z. zebra