Redescription of Dysdera sultani (Araneae: Dysderidae) with the first description of the female

Abstract. During field trips made to investigate the dysderid fauna of Turkey, specimens of Dysdera sultani Deeleman-Reinhold, 1988, previously known from males only, were collected. Detailed descriptions and photographs of the copulatory organs of both sexes are given. In addition, photographs of some closely related Anatolian species are included.

. Diagnosis. Dysdera sultani is closely related to the Turkish endemic species D. argaeica, according to the basic characteristics of the male copulatory organs, such as the cylindrical shape of the bulbus, the massive structure of the posterior apophysis, and the development of the internal and external sclerites on the bulb. The most obvious difference between the males of these two species is the angle and shape of the structures towards the distal part of the bulb. The vulvae of D. sultani and D. argaeica are similar, but the midline of the transverse bar is more flattened in D. argaeica as opposed to crescent shaped in D. sultani. Additionally, the posterior diverticulum is membranous and well-developed in D. argaeica. Prosoma reddish brown. The cephalic region is lighter than the thoracic region and is angular laterally. The eyes are closely grouped; anterior-median eyes are more distant from each other (Fig. 1). Chelicerae brown. Cheliceral groove with three small teeth. Distance between basal and medial teeth is half of the distance between distal and medial teeth (Fig. 2).
Labium, gnathocoxae and sternum reddish brown and margins blackish brown. Labium reddish brown from the adjacent edge of the sternum to approximately the tip of the sternum; the tip much lighter, orange and concave. The surface of the sternum bright with nearly uniform weak black hairs and brown margins. Setae longer in males.
Pedicel strongly developed, sclerotized and brown dorsally and ventrally. Legs yellowish to light brown, with the first three segments of the anterior legs darker than the other segments. Front legs spineless. Femora of all legs with dorsal spines in both sexes. Leg measurements and spination are given in Tab. 1 and Tab. 2.
Scopulae present on tarsi and metatarsi of all legs. However, the scopulae of the 3 rd and 4 th legs are well developed and more distinct than the other legs.
Opisthosoma greyish; cylindrical and more swollen in females. The surface covered with short blackish hairs on both the dorsal and ventral sides. Distinct colour difference between the spinnerets and opisthosoma in both sexes. Spinnerets darker brown than opisthosoma and almost the same colour as the legs. Epigastral scutum is present and weakly developed. Tracheal spiracles are sclerotized.
The female palp is the same colour as the legs; palpal tarsus with a single-claw, and almost the entire surface is densely covered with thick hairs.
The internal sclerite dark brown, broad, rectangular and extending along the distal division (Fig. 4). In SEM photographs, triangular, spiny protrusions arranged like fish-scales are present from the midline to the distal border of the in-ternal sclerite. The lateral sheet long and spine shaped. Crest membranous and comma shaped. Median apophysis short and spine-like (Figs 7-12).
Vulva strongly sclerotized. Spermathecae slightly concave posteriorly. The dorsal arch is the same width as the spermathecae. The midline is sclerotized and membranous on the margins. Transverse bar strongly convex and about twice as long as spermathecae. Except for the parts that are adjacent to the dorsal arch, the transverse bar is rectangular. Posterior diverticulum wide and membranous. A cartilaginous transition zone is present between the posterior diverticulum and transverse bar (Figs 13-14). Distribution. Dysdera sultani was described by Deeleman-Reinhold (in Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman 1988) from Turkey and Greece based on male specimens only. The species was previously known from the type locality in the Akşehir  District of Konya Province in Turkey and from the Samos Island in Greece. Here we have provided newly collected material from central Anatolian and Aegean regions of Turkey (Fig. 16).
Such broad range from the central Anatolian high mountainous region to the coastal Aegean region and a distribution pattern from warmer areas to more hot-dry areas in D. sultani may be related to drying that occurred in Anatolia at the end of the Pleistocene, 15000 years ago. As a result of this drying, many species moved to higher altitudes and humid places, whereas drought-tolerant species could remain or disperse to newly dry areas (see Çıplak 2008Çıplak , Korkmaz et al. 2014. Additionally, the presence of D. sultani on Samos Island is likely due to land bridges that appeared in the Pleistocene during the expansion of this species. Notes. According to the classification of Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman (1988), D. sultani belongs to the asiatica species group which is characterized by following features: 1. The anterior margins of the prosoma are parallel to each other and the thoracic part is slightly narrowed behind the eyes. 2. Chelicerae are shorter than half the length of the prosoma.

Variable leg spination.
Dysdera sultani has all characteristics of the asiatica species group mentioned above. The presence of a lateral sheet on the male palp (lateral sheet is well developed in D. sultani and D. argaeica while not well developed in D. enguriensis) indicates both relationships between the species and similar features of the asiatica species group (see Figs 5-6, 15).
Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman (1988) compared the holotype and paratype samples of D. sultani and emphasized that "the palps are uniform despite the geographical distance of 420 km between the samples". The authors, however, indicated that the cheliceral sizes and leg spination are slightly different between the samples. Cheliceral size could be related to the particular isopod species Dysdera preys upon (see Pollard 1986), but we found no significant differences in cheliceral size among specimens from different localities. Additionally, as Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman (1988) mentioned, the number of spines on the legs may show small variations even within the same population.