Mesiotelus sistanus Zamani, Fomichev & Marusik, 2024

Zamani, Alireza, Fomichev, Alexander A., Naumova, Maria, Kaya, Rahşen S. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2024, New taxonomic and faunistic data on Liocranidae (Arachnida: Araneae) of West Palaearctic), with nine new species of Mesiotelus Simon, 1897, Zootaxa 5519 (2), pp. 190-214 : 206

Mesiotelus sistanus Zamani, Fomichev & Marusik , sp. nov.

Figs 12 , 61–63

Mesiotelus scopensis : Zamani et al. 2020: 584 (in part).

Type material. Holotype ♀ ( MHNG), IRAN: Sistan & Baluchistan Prov.: Khash, env. of Taftan volcano , ~ 28°36'N, 61°07'E, V.2018 (leg. A. Zamani).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to Mesiotelus iranicus Zamani & Marusik, 2023 in the shape of the fovea, which has subparallel lateral margins, and in the shape of the receptacles. However, the new species differs in having longer lateral margins, which are longer than half of the fovea’s length (0.7 vs. 0.5 of the fovea’s length). Additionally, the new species has more elongated receptacles, with the anterior tip lying at the same level as the copulatory openings or the origin of the copulatory ducts (vs. the copulatory duct located more anteriorly) (cf. Figs 61–63 and Zamani et al. 2023: fig. 14B–D).

Description. Female (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 12 . Total length 4.65. Carapace 2.00 long, 1.60 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.10, ALE: 0.13, PME: 0.10, PLE: 0.12. Carapace, chelicerae, maxillae, labium and sternum light yellowish-brown. Carapace with faint marginal and lateral bands. Legs slightly lighter than carapace, without annulations. Abdomen dark grey, dorsally darker and with light beige chevrons, ventrally with two white bands. Spinnerets uniformly light yellowish-brown. Ventral paired spines: tibiae: I, II: 2p, III, IV: 3p. Measurements of legs: I: 6.21 (1.57, 0.95, 1.61, 1.32, 0.76), II: 5.69 (1.51, 0.88, 1.36, 1.14, 0.80), III: 5.30 (1.45, 0.70, 1.17, 1.30, 0.68), IV: 7.73 (2.00, 0.84, 1.86, 2.12, 0.91).

Epigyne as in Figs 61–63 ; epigynal plate ca. 1.3 times longer than wide; fovea lenticular, ca. 3 times longer than wide; anterior hood wider than long; lateral margins (Lm) very long, ca. 0.7 of fovea’s length, anterior part almost parallel; receptacles (Re) oval, ca. 1.5 times longer than wide; copulatory ducts broad and short, as long as receptacle’s width.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Sistan & Baluchistan, southeastern Iran ( Fig. 75 ).

Figures

FIGURE 75. Collection localities of the studied liocranid species. 1—Agroeca angirasu; 2—A. cuprea; 3—A. inopina; 4—A. proxima; 5—Mesiotelus alanyensis sp. nov. (in part, specimens from Antalya); 6—M. bosmansi sp. nov.; 7—M. confusus sp. nov.; 8—M. cyprius; 9—M. damavandicus sp. nov.; 10—M. scopensis; 11—M. kravetsi sp. nov.; 12—M. mediterraneus sp. nov. and M. alanyensis sp. nov. (in part, specimens from Mersin); 13—M. patricki; 14—M. sistanus sp. nov.; 15—M. tadzhikus sp. nov.; 16—M. turanicus sp. nov.; 17—M. kulczynskii; 18—Scotina celans; 19—Sestakovaia annulipes. Some symbols could refer to more than one closely situated locality.

FIGURES 7–12. Dorsal habitus of Mesiotelus cyprius (7), M. damavandicus sp. nov. (8), M. kravetsi sp. nov. (9), M. mediterraneus sp. nov. (10), M. patricki (11) and M. sistanus sp. nov. (12). 7–8, 10–12—female; 9—male. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 61–69. Epigyne of Mesiotelus sistanus sp. nov. (61–63), M. tadzhikus sp. nov. (64–66) and M. turanicus sp. nov. (67–69). 61, 64, 67—intact, ventral; 62, 65, 68—macerated, ventral; 63, 66, 69—macerated, dorsal. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: Ah—anterior hood, Cd—copulatory duct, Lm—lateral margin, Re—receptacle.