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The article examines the approaches of government departments regarding the development of private shipping on the Amu Darya, emphasizing the importance of the Amu Darya waterway in the context of the development of the Central Asian regional transit potential at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The work also analyzes the financial indicators of this infrastructure project, its impact on strengthening the position of the Russian Empire on the territory of the southern Central Asian frontier. The author noted key role of the Military Department in the discussion and implementation of the Amudarya flotilla project, the contradictory approaches of government structures regarding private shipping projects, which ultimately led to the lack of a decision on this issue. The author concluded that, during the discussion of this water transport project, due to the uncertainty of many of its aspects and the unsettled financial issues the model of attracting private investors to its implementation was not accepted by the state. At the same time, due to geostrategic and economic reasons, the Amudarya flotilla remained important for the Military Department even in a situation of increasing budgetary unprofitability of this project. The main provisions and conclusions of the work may be of interest to historians specializing in economic history and orientalists studying the region of Central Asia and the Middle East.

This research accumulated a representative source base on the history of military education institutions in Asian Russia in the XIX – early XX centuries. It featured the complex and contradictory processes that accompanied the first years of the Neplyuev military school in the first quarter of the XIX century. The paper introduces a wide source base that includes some previously unstudied documents from the Russian State Military Historical Archive and the Russian State Historical Archive. The author used a systematic approach that combined standard scientific techniques with special chronological, genetic, comparative, and functional historical methods. The paper describes the early years of the military school, i.e., prerequisites, opening, military governors’ contribution, the first teaching staff, financial issues, etc. The military school was unique in its international composition as it accepted sons of the Central Asian nobility. According to the curriculum, foreign languages were one of the main competences to acquire. The school trained not only officers for irregular Cossack troops, but also translators for the Orenburg Border Commission that provided international relations between Russia and the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. The school educated the indigenous population and developed its national intelligentsia while consolidating Russian influence in Central Asia. The school was an important step towards the development of the Russian Empire as a Eurasian power. The Orenburg Military School became the most important institution of military education in Asian Russia as it laid foundations for the formation of the local military and teaching personnel.

Lithobius (Monotarsobius) fomichevi sp.n. is described based on eight specimens from the Pamir Mts, Tajikistan. The new species is close to L. (M.) muminabadicus (Zalesskaja, 1978) but differs well by the size of both the body and Tömösváry’s organ and by features of female gonopods.

The genus Sternodes Fischer von Waldheim, 1837 currently consists of one species with two subspecies from Karakum, Sundukli deserts and several surrounding areas. Sternodes pallasi Semenov-Tian-Shanskij et Bogatchev, 1940 is resurrected from a junior synonym of Sternodes caspicus (Pallas, 1781). The following new synonymy is established: Sternodes caspicus caspicus (Pallas, 1781) = Sternodes caspicus eous Semenov-Tian-Shanskij et Bogatchev, 1940, syn. n. The lectotype is designated for S. caspicus eous. As a result, two valid species (without subspecies) are known in the genus. They differ in the structure of head, prosternal process and elytra. Both species are sympatric in Repetek (Karakum Desert, eastern Turkmenistan), but S. caspicus has spring-summer activity, while S. pallasi was collected in late autumn.

Genus Stenotaenia C.L. Koch, 1847 is new to the fauna of the Middle Asia. The following taxa are new to the fauna of Turkmenistan: family Mecistocephalidae, genus Krateraspis Lignau, 1929, K. meinerti (Sseliwanoff, 1881), and genus Stenotaenia C.L. Koch, 1847. Genus Geophilus Leach, 1814 and G. lindbergi (Loksa, 1971) are new to Uzbekistan. All new records are illustrated. An updated list of the chilopod species dwelling in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan is provided.

In this paper, we present the first syntaxonomic classification of alpine grasslands in the western Tian Shan Mountains (Kyrgyzstan) with some remarks on its environmental gradients. A total of 251 relevés were sampled in 2015-2022 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of the Braun-Blanquet approach. These were classified using the agglomerative hierarchical Ward’s method employing the Euclidean distance measure. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. NMDS was used to explore the relationships between the distinguished groups. Our classification revealed 13 ecologically meaningful clusters corresponding to 12 associations and one rankless unit of alpine grasslands in Middle Asia. The new communities have been included in three new alliances: Aconito rotundifolii-Potentillion pamiroalaicae – subalpine and alpine mesic forb meadows and pastures in the western Tian Shan and shrubby subalpine chionophilous heaths of Middle Asia, Stipo regelianae-Ptilagrostion malyschevii – Kobresia mats and Artemision dracunculi – subalpine forb steppe vegetation. The main climatic factors differentiating the species composition of the researched vegetation are temperature seasonality, mean diurnal temperature range and a sum of annual precipitation. Among the soil factors the most important are pH, cation exchange capacity and nitrogen availability. Our study has expanded the knowledge of the alpine grasslands on the borderland between vegetation influenced by Irano-Turanian climate in Pamir-Alai and grassland vegetation of the alpine belt in Tian Shan. Their final classification certainly still requires further studies and comparisons, especially with the Alpine grasslands in the Altai region and some of the vegetation units closely related to Karakorum-Himalayan ranges.

Aims : To analyse the syntaxonomy of open, deciduous woodlands at the southern margin of the steppe zone in the colline and montane belts of the Pamir-Alai, western Tian Shan and Iranian Mountains (Irano-Turanian region). Study area : Tajikistan (Middle Asia) and Iran (Southwestern Asia). Methods : We prepared two datasets: the first dataset contained 110 relevés from Tajikistan and Iran representing pistachio groves, the second one was a comparative dataset of 1,276 relevés of pistachio groves and floristically related woody and grassland phytocoenoses from the Irano-Turanian and Mediterranean regions. These two datasets were classified separately with the modified TWINSPAN algorithm with pseudospecies cut levels 0%, 2%, 10% and 25%, and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. A NMDS ordination was used to explore the relationships between the distinguished groups. Results : We found that Pistacia open woodlands are very distinctive in terms of species composition, including numerous endemics. Our observations in Pamir-Alai, Kopet-Dagh, Zagros, Alborz and other Central and southern mountains of Iran proved that pistachio open woodlands form distinct zonal vegetation of the colline-montane belt. We thus propose a new class Pistacietea verae, with the order Pistacietalia verae and appropriate type alliance Pistacion verae, including two associations: Pistacietum verae and Pistacietum khinjuk. Conclusions : Our research has shown that the Pistacia open woodlands are a distinct vegetation typical of the Irano-Turanian region and due to its specific ecology, phytogeography and unique species composition, should be regarded as a vegetation class Pistacietea verae. It needs further examination and comparison with similar vegetation in the western Irano-Turanian and Hindu Kush regions. Recognizing the unique pistachio open woodlands as a distinct vegetation class in the Irano-Turanian region is crucial for establishing effective conservation strategies in these understudied yet ecologically significant ecosystems, spanning potentially from the Zagros, Alborz and other Central and southern Mountains of Iran to Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan. Taxonomic reference : Plants of the World Online (POWO 2023), with World Flora Online (WFO 2023) for some problematic cases and Nobis et al. (2020) for Stipa spp. Syntaxonomic references : Mucina et al. (2016) for SE European syntaxa, Nowak et al. (2022a, 2022b) for all other syntaxa. Abbreviations : NMDS = Non-metric multidimensional scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To complete the syntaxonomic conspectus of the vegetation of Tajikistan, hot semi-deserts and ruderal vegetation, mainly of the lowlands and montane belt, were surveyed with some remarks on their environmental predictors. Location: Tajikistan. Methods: A total of 143 relevés were sampled in 2022 using the seven degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet. All these samples were classified by unsupervised k-means analysis with cut-offs of 0%, 5%, 25% and Hellinger transformation. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a measure of fidelity. Non-metric multidimentional scaling analysis was used to show the relationship between groups in the dataset with passively plotted environmental variables, to identify the influence of key environmental factors. Results: Four new associations - Artemisio annuae-Dittrichietum graveolens, Eminio albertii-Haloxyletum persici, Leptalaeo filifolii-Calligonetum grisei and Clematidi songaricae-Ephedretum intermediae were coined. In addition, two vegetation types already known from Eastern Europe were found: Sagino procumbentis-Bryetum argentei and Amarantho blitoidis-Tribuletum terrestris. Three plant communities were additionally identified: Alhagi kirghizorum-Chrozophora tinctoria, Halimocnemis hispida-Microcephala lamellata and Salsola montana-Halogeton glomeratus. A new alliance (Carici physodes-Haloxylion persici) was proposed for the hot semi-desert shrublands of the Irano-Turanian region, and for the vegetation of large rocky outcrops, screes and badlands in the subhumid zone of Pamir-Alai, the alliance of Ephedro intermediae-Spiraeion baldschuanicae was proposed. The main factors responsible for the species composition of the studied vegetation are altitude, mean annual temperature and annual precipitation. Conclusions: The dryland and ruderal vegetation of Tajikistan as in the whole arid Middle Asia is species rich and diverse, and deserves further detailed studies. Our research provides a first insight into this anthropogenic and natural vegetation of lowland, warm and often deserted areas, which are undergoing strong changes due to climate warming, grazing and urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, the habitat-related distribution of the owlet moths in the central part of the northern slope of the Kyrgyz Mountain Range was studied with the help of low-power UV-sources. In total, 174 species in seven types of habitats were identified: 78 species in the sagebrush-fescue steppe, 111 species, in the forb-feather grass steppe, 94, in the xerophytic meadow, 49, in the subalpine meadow and in the thickets of shrubs each, 40, in the mixed forest, and 13 species in the coniferous forest. The fauna of Noctuoidea at most stations in the study area are not similar, but the stations that are similar by conditions (both types of steppes and a xerophytic meadow, thickets of shrubs and mixed forest) are combined into clusters. The number of eurybiont species among those noted for the studied locality is 85%. The share of Central Asian endemics among stenobiont species exceeds 57%.

Taxonomy and species diversity of the mustard family (Cruciferae or Brassicaceae) in Kazakhstan is updated. Draba bajtenovii described and hitherto known from Kungei Alatau is synonymized with D. fladnizensis for which it is a southern limit of distribution in the Eurasia, while Trans-Ili Alatau endemic D. microcarpella is found conspecific with a montane Asian D. lanceolata. Noccaea thlaspidioides (N. cochleariformis) is confirmed to occur in the country based on collections from Altai. Finally, Isatis trachycarpa and Smelowskia annua are shown to be absent in the flora of Kazakhstan due to the lack of gatherings confirming their occurrence in the country.

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A new species of ichneumonids, Leptacoenitestarbagataicussp. n., is described from Eastern Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Its similarity with the closely related genus Cumatocinetus Sheng, 2002 from China is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article describes several topics of joint Russian-Tajik research conducted since 2013 in the Khatlon velayat of the Republic of Tajikistan within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the N. N. Miklukho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of Russian Academy of Sciences and the A. Donish Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Th e text includes several interconnected blocks: archaeological excavations, ethnoecological study of the subsistence systems of the modern and medieval populations, and collection and analysis of human remains. Th e article gives brief information about the archaeological excavations of the Shakhidon burial ground of the 7th–8th centuries (Baljuvan jamoat), anthropological characteristics of the population buried in it and information about the economy of the population of the dekh Shaidon, where the site is located, as well as materials on other regions of the Republic.

The kukri snakes of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 reach the westernmost limits of their distribution in Middle and Southwest Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan), and the Palearctic portions of Pakistan. In this article, we review the systematics and distribution of the two species native to this region, Oligodon arnensis (Shaw, 1802) and Oligodon taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853) based on an integrative approach combining morphological, molecular, and species distribution modeling (SDM) data. Phylogenetic analyses recover O. taeniolatus populations from Iran and Turkmenistan in a clade with the O. arnensis species complex, rendering the former species paraphyletic relative to O. taeniolatus sensu stricto on the Indian subcontinent. To correct this, we resurrect the name Contia transcaspica Nikolsky, 1902 from the synonymy of O. taeniolatus and assign it to populations in Middle-Southwest Asia. So far, Oligodon transcaspicus comb. et stat. nov. is known only from the Köpet-Dag Mountain Range of northeast Iran and southern Turkmenistan, but SDM mapping suggests it may have a wider range. Genetic samples of O. "arnensis" from northern Pakistan are nested in a clade sister to the recently described Oligodon churahensis Mirza, Bhardwaj & Patel, 2021, and are phylogenetically separate from O. arnensis sensu stricto in south India and Sri Lanka. Based on morphological similarity, the Afghanistan and Pakistan populations are assigned to Oligodon russelius (Daudin, 1803) and we synonymize O. churahensis with this species. Our investigation leads us to remove O. taeniolatus from the snake fauna of Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, with the consequence that only Oligodon transcaspicus comb. et stat. nov. and O. russelius are present in these countries. Additional studies are needed to resolve the taxonomy of the O. taeniolatus and O. arnensis species complexes on the Indian subcontinent, and an updated key for both groups is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turcology Research is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The kukri snakes of the genus Oligodon Fitzinger, 1826 reach the westernmost limits of their distribution in Middle and Southwest Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan), and the Palearctic portions of Pakistan. In this article, we review the systematics and distribution of the two species native to this region, Oligodon arnensis (Shaw, 1802) and Oligodon taeniolatus (Jerdon, 1853) based on an integrative approach combining morphological, molecular, and species distribution modeling (SDM) data. Phylogenetic analyses recover O. taeniolatus populations from Iran and Turkmenistan in a clade with the O. arnensis species complex, rendering the former species paraphyletic relative to O. taeniolatus sensu stricto on the Indian subcontinent. To correct this, we resurrect the name Contia transcaspica Nikolsky, 1902 from the synonymy of O. taeniolatus and assign it to populations in Middle–Southwest Asia. So far, Oligodon transcaspicus comb. et stat. nov. is known only from the Köpet–Dag Mountain Range of northeast Iran and southern Turkmenistan, but SDM mapping suggests it may have a wider range. Genetic samples of O. “arnensis” from northern Pakistan are nested in a clade sister to the recently described Oligodon churahensis Mirza, Bhardwaj & Patel, 2021, and are phylogenetically separate from O. arnensis sensu stricto in south India and Sri Lanka. Based on morphological similarity, the Afghanistan and Pakistan populations are assigned to Oligodon russelius (Daudin, 1803) and we synonymize O. churahensis with this species. Our investigation leads us to remove O. taeniolatus from the snake fauna of Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, with the consequence that only Oligodon transcaspicus comb. et stat. nov. and O. russelius are present in these countries. Additional studies are needed to resolve the taxonomy of the O. taeniolatus and O. arnensis species complexes on the Indian subcontinent, and an updated key for both groups is provided.

A new species, Allium sunhangii sp. nov., of the Middle Asiatic section Brevidentia F.O.Khass. & Iengal., (subgenus Allium, tribe Allioideae, Amaryllidaceae) is described. The species is a small plant from the Babatag Ridge in the Surkhandarya province of Uzbekistan. It is morphologically close to Allium brevidens Vved. in having initially dark violet filaments and three-cuspidate inner filaments, but differs by its small size and visibly unequal tepals as well as in the phylogenetic analysis based on ITS data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridisation can lead to the formation of new evolutionary lineages and some described insect species may in fact be first‐generation hybrids of their parental species. Anoplistes forticornis and A. galusoi are two closely related cerambycid taxa endemic to Central Asia that exhibit a peculiar geographical distribution. Although the common diagnostic elytral pattern makes these beetles superficially easily distinguishable, there are marked resemblances in their morphology. By applying an integrative taxonomy approach, we verify the taxonomic status of A. forticornis and A. galusoi and test the possibility of hybridisation. The results of our comprehensive morphological examination and molecular analyses targeting mitochondrial (COI, 16S rRNA) and nuclear (arginine kinase, CAD, 28S rRNA) genes support the specific status of these taxa. In mtDNA, the putative hybrid specimen is more closely related to A. forticornis, which indicates that a female of this species bred with a male of A. galusoi. The supposed ecotypic variability (manifested in elytral pattern) is apparently not related to the topography or spatial structure of habitat. The phylogenetic hypothesis supports a peripatric scenario in which populations of the common ancestor had been separated for a significant period of time, first by the mountain ranges of Dzungarian Alatau (~11–10 Ma) and ultimately by the Ili River. The diverged taxa came into recent secondary contact following these isolation events. The methodology presented herein can be widely applied to identify first‐generation hybridisation in Coleoptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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New nomenclature and taxonomic changes are proposed for some taxa of the subgenus Callisthenes Fischer von Waldheim, 1820, genus Calosoma Weber, 1801. New synonymy is established: Calosoma panderi (Fischer von Waldheim, 1820) = C. karelini (Fischer von Waldheim, 1830), syn. n., = C. cyaneosterum Mandl, 1954, syn. n.;C. elegans rostislavi Semenov, 1906, stat. n. = C. elegans subtilestriatum Mandl, 1954, syn. n. The name C. breuningi Mandl, 1954 is proposed to replace the preoccupied name C. karelini (Fischer von Waldheim, 1846) (non Fischer von Waldheim, 1830). Calosoma elegans amethystinum (Obydov, 1997), stat. rest. is restored from a synonym of C. elegans semenovii (Motschulsky, 1860), the correct authorship and publishing date of this name are defined which had been initially proposed for infrasubspecific entity. Two new subspecies are described: C. breuningi iliensesubsp. n. from the plains and piedmonts on the right bank of the Ili River (Southeastern Kazakhstan) and C. elegans kashensesubsp. n. from the piedmonts on the left bank of the Kash River (Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region of China). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new zodariid genus Spinozodium gen. nov. is described, comprising two species from Tajikistan: the type species S. denisi (Spassky, 1938) comb. nov. (ex. Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826) and the new species S. khatlonicum sp. nov.; the female of the type species, displaying highly reduced receptacles, is described for the first time. Both species are illustrated and their distributions are mapped, and keys to the Middle Asian zodariid subfamilies and genera are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Urbanisation has accelerated the spread of alien and apophytic species around the world including the drylands of continental inland Asia. However, few studies have examined the patterns and drivers of urban plant diversity in this region. We ask how habitat type, city size and macroclimate affect species richness and composition of alien, apophytic and non‐apophytic indigenous plants in cities of the steppe and forest‐steppe zones of Kazakhstan. Location: Ten cities in central and northeastern Kazakhstan, Middle Asia. Methods: Using a standardized sampling protocol, we recorded spontaneously occurring vascular plant species in 1‐ha plots in seven habitat types (central square, boulevard, residential area, park, early‐successional vacant site, mid‐successional vacant site and railway station) in five large (>100,000 inhabitants) and five small (<100,000 inhabitants) cities. We used linear mixed‐effect models to quantify the effects of habitat type, city size and macroclimate on species richness and the proportion of alien, apophytic and non‐apophytic indigenous plants. Results: Plant species richness differed significantly among habitat types, with the lowest richness in central squares, and the highest in railway stations and residential areas. Apophytic species were most numerous in railway stations and alien species in residential areas. The richness of alien, apophytic and non‐apophytic indigenous species varied more among habitats than among cities. The proportion of apophytes increased linearly with annual precipitation. The largest differences in species composition were between disturbed sites in city centres (squares, boulevards and parks) and early‐successional, mid‐successional and railway station sites. Large and small cities also differed in species composition. Conclusions: Plant diversity in cities of northern Kazakhstan depends mainly on habitat type and less on macroclimate. Overall, cities in inland continental Asia follow patterns of urban species diversity observed in other Asian and European cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aims: In this paper we propose the first syntaxonomic classification for the mesophilous scrub vegetation in Tajikistan with some remarks on their environmental variability. Methods: Altogether 120 relevés were sampled using the standard, seven-degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet, in 2015-2021. They were classified by the modified TWINSPAN method using the four step interval scale with cutoff levels of 0%, 2%, 5% and 10% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was used to determine the relationship between the sampled plots, vegetation units and major gradients in species composition. Results: Plant communities known so far as šhiblyak and including xeric and mesophilic shrublands seral or marginal to broad-leaved forests in the nemoral zone of the Irano-Turanian region are described herein. Numerical analyses of vegetation data allowed distinguishing five associations representing the Ranunculo tenuilobi-Cotoneasterion hissarici alliance. The new associations include: Eremuro comosi-Rhuidetum coriariae, Calophacetum grandiflorae, Fraxinetum raibocarpae, Pruno sogdianae-Crataegetum turkestanicae, Aflatunio ulmifoliae-Caraganetum turkestanicae. For the latter association, two habitat variants (with Ferula clematidifolia and Malus sieversii) are proposed. The main factors determining the species composition of the studied vegetation include: elevation, mean annual temperature and sum of annual precipitation. Conclusions: The research results herein presented fill the gap in knowledge about the shrubland vegetation of Tajikistan. Studies in neighbouring countries and a focus on subalpine scrubs in dry habitats are needed to complete the classification of shrubland vegetation of Middle Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Dzergalanella Genkina (Equisetopsida) was originally established from Kyrgyzstan. It is widely distributed in Northern Siberia and established in Europe. This genus is characterized by whorled leaves with numerous veins. Currently, in most cases, the surface of high leaf sheaths is interpreted as a stalk and these plants are erroneously referred to Neocalamites and other genera. The author includes the species described earlier as Arthropitys (?) prynadae, A. (?) tunguskanus, and Dzergalanellataimyrica in the genus Dzergalanella and supplements the diagnosis with information about the anatomical structure of the stem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]