Oecobius melanocephalus, Zamani & Marusik, 2023

Zamani, Alireza & Marusik, Yuri M., 2023, New species and records of Oecobius Lucas, 1846 (Araneae: Oecobiidae) from Iran and Azerbaijan, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 57 (37 - 40), pp. 1693-1709 : 1697-1698

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2023.2272356

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10469532

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/297DCB74-EE3E-C11C-F4CD-135DB9E485B6

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Oecobius melanocephalus
status

sp. nov.

Oecobius melanocephalus sp. n.

( Figures 1G, H View Figure 1 , 3A‒D View Figure 3 )

Oecobius ferdowsii View in CoL : Zamani et al. 2017: 333, fig. 3A‒D (♀). – Zamani and Bosselaers 2020: 42 View Cited Treatment , fig. 3A (♀).

Type material

Holotype ♀ ( ZMFUM), IRAN: Razavi Khorasan Province: Mashhad , 36.383333°N, 59.383333° E, 20 June 2015 (M. Hatami) [mismatched paratype of O. ferdowsii ]. GoogleMaps

Additional material examined

IRAN: Tehran Province: 1♀ ( AZMI), Varamin-Pakdasht Rd ., wheat field, Water Pump station , 16 April 2001 (A. Bahramishad); GoogleMaps Lorestan Province: 1♀ ( MHNG), Ma̍mulan , 33.377778°N, 47.960417°°, 6 August 1973 (A. Senglet); GoogleMaps 1♀ ( MHNG), Tang-e-Malavi , 33.263361°N, 47.76225°E, 24 June 1974 (A. Senglet); GoogleMaps Semnan Province: 1♀ ( ZUCT), road to Shahrud , 36.306417°N, 54.794722°E, 17 May 2016 (A. Zamani) GoogleMaps .

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the characteristic black colouration of the carapace in this species.

Diagnosis

The new species differs from all its congeners occurring in the region, except for O. rhodiensis Kritscher, 1966 , by having a uniformly dark carapace. The new species differs from O. rhodiensis by dark sternum and venter of abdomen (vs light). The epigyne of the new species is somewhat similar to that of O. fahimii Zamani and Marusik, 2018 in the similar position of the sclerotised capsules, but differs by a relatively longer posterior part of ‘scape̍(Sc), ‘hoods̍ (H) longer than scape is wide, and round sclerotised capsules (Cs) (vs ‘scape̍ wider than ‘hoods̍, sclerotised capsules oval; see Figure 3A–D View Figure 3 ).

Description

Female (measurements from Zamani et al. 2017, p. 335). Habitus as in Figure 1G, H View Figure 1 . Total length 2.58. Carapace 0.88 long, 1.00 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.08, ALE: 0.09, PLE: 0.04, PME: 0.13. Carapace and sternum uniformly black. Chelicerae, labium, and maxillae dark brown. Legs pale yellowish brown, with distinct annulations. Abdomen black, dorsally mottled with guanine patches and bearing black median band and submedian patches, ventrally slightly lighter, with three light brown longitudinal stripes. Spinnerets slightly lighter than abdomen, uniformly coloured. Measurements of leg I: 2.77 (0.78, 0.28, 0.56, 0.62, 0.53).

Epigyne as in Figure 3A, B View Figure 3 ; epigynal plate oval, ca 1.3 times wider than long; with distinct, as long as wide ‘scape̍ (Sc), and pair of ‘hoods̍ (H), twice wider than ‘scape̍; sclerotised capsules (Cs) round, separated by ca 3 diameters; receptacles (Re, poorly distinct in Figure 3B View Figure 3 ) oval, transversal, each shorter than half of epigynal plate width.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution

Known from Lorestan, Tehran, Semnan and Razavi Khorasan provinces, south-western to north-eastern Iran ( Figure 9 View Figure 9 ).

Comments

This species was initially described as the female of O. ferdowsii Mirshamsi, Zamani and Marusik, 2017 . This is herein considered a mismatch: not only are there striking differences in the colouration pattern between the two species (compare Zamani et al. 2017, fig. 2A, B and 3A, B), but the results of ongoing research on Central Asian Oecobiinae also indicate that O. ferdowsii should be classified within a separate genus. The females of this currently undescribed genus exhibit a completely different conformation of epigyne and vulva compared to those of O. melanocephalus sp. n.

AZMI

AZMI

MHNG

Switzerland, Geneva, Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

ZUCT

ZUCT

MHNG

Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Oecobiidae

Genus

Oecobius

Loc

Oecobius melanocephalus

Zamani, Alireza & Marusik, Yuri M. 2023
2023
Loc

Oecobius ferdowsii

Zamani A & Bosselaers J 2020: 42
2020
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