Fauna and Zoogeography of Spiders (Aranei) of Turkmenistan

Abstract

In Turkmenistan, 335 species of spiders (Aranei) belonging to 162 genera and 38 families are found. Data on their distribution are given for Turkmenistan and worldwide. The most diverse spider families are Salticidae (62 species), Gnaphosidae (52 spp.), Linyphiidae (33 spp.), Thomisidae (28 spp.), Lycosidae (26 spp.), and Araneidae (24 spp.). Two new combinations are proposed: Orthobula charitonovi (Mikhailov, 1986), comb. nov. (= Trachelas charitonovi Mikhailov, 1986) (Liocranidae), and Psammitis turanicus (Charitonov, 1969), comb. nov. (= Xysticus turanicus Charitonov, 1969) (Thomisidae). Distribution of spider species within the republic is influenced primarily by the diverse landscape structure. A specific and impoverished xerophilic fauna of lowland deserts, including the great sand desert of Karakum, is almost emtirely different from the rich mesophile spider fauna found in the Kopetdagh Mountains. Zoogeographic analysis reveals details of origin and possible directions of dispersal of spider fauna. The unique historical role of the Kopetdagh region is discussed; this area could have served as an important island/peninsular corridor before the Tethys Sea recession (Oligocene). With mountain uplift and aridization in the Pliocene, Kopetdagh became a sublatitudinal dispersal pathway for mesophilic spiders. About half of araneofauna is represented by widely distributed species; of the other half, such zoogeographic groups as Iranian, Iranian-Turkestanian, European, European-Caucasian, and European-Mediterranean comprise the majority of the mountain araneofauna. Turanian desert species are predominant in the lowland deserts. A number of spider species are currently known only from Turkmenistan, but the degree of local endemism cannot be estimated since the araneofaunas of the adjacent Middle Asian republics, Iran, and Afghanistan are poorly known.