Abstract
A new genus, Karakumosa gen. nov., is established to accommodate nine central Asian species of burrowing wolf spiders, of which seven are diagnosed and described as new: K. badkhyzica sp. nov. (♂♀, southern Turkmenistan), K. gromovi sp. nov. (♂♀, southern Uzbekistan), K. repetek sp. nov. (♂♀, eastern Turkmenistan), K. shmatkoi sp. nov. (♂♀, northern Ciscaspian region and Azerbaijan), K. tashkumyr sp. nov. (♂, Kyrgyzstan), K. turanica sp. nov. (♂♀, Turkmenistan), K. zyuzini sp. nov. (♂♀, Uzbekistan). Two generic transfers are proposed: Karakumosa alticeps (Kroneberg, 1875), comb. nov. and K. medica (Pocock, 1889), comb. nov. (both ex HognaSimon, 1885). Lectotypes are designated for Tarentula alticepsKroneberg, 1875 (♂) and T. medicaPocock, 1889 (♂). The localities of all Karakumosa species are mapped, and an identification key is provided as well. A short overview of the fauna and diversity of the fossorial Lycosidae of Central Asia is given.
Highlights
Fossorial wolf spiders of the family Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 of Central Asia have been studied inadequately and remain poorly understood taxonomically
Central Asia is here defined as the territory of traditional Middle Asia and Kazakhstan plus the northern Ciscaspian region (Dagestan, Kalmykia, etc.), eastern Azerbaijan, and the neighbouring territories of western China, including Tibet, northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran
The same holds true for Hogna medica (Pocock, 1889), which was described from north-western Afghanistan (Pocock, 1889: sub Tarentula medica) and reported once from Uzbekistan (Schmidt, 1895: sub Lycosa medica)
Summary
Fossorial wolf spiders of the family Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833 of Central Asia have been studied inadequately and remain poorly understood taxonomically (for an overview see Logunov, 2010). The species Hogna alticeps (Kroneberg, 1875), as it is listed in the World Spider Catalog (2020), has been recorded from Central Asia many times (Andreeva, 1975, 1976; Kroneberg, 1875; Mikhailov & Fet, 1994; Ovtsharenko & Fet, 1980; Schmidt, 1895; Simon, 1899; Vlassov & Sytshevskaja, 1937; Zyuzin et al, 1994), but the distribution and even the taxonomy of this species remain largely unresolved As it is evident from our study, the species is clearly neither a member of Hogna Simon, 1885, nor of Lycosa Latreille, 1804, and only few of the earlier records of H. alticeps correspond to this species. A short overview of the fauna of fossorial Lycosidae of Central Asia is given
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