Berinda bifurcata sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C7BAB75D-0F99-4B2A-9483-BB7BADF415B0

Fig. 1

Diagnosis

This new species differs from all congeners by the deeply bifurcated retrolateral tibial apophysis (vs two apophyses in B. cypria Chatzaki & Panayiotou, 2010, or one apophysis shallowly [in the upper ⅓] bifurcated or not bifurcated in other species).

Etymology

The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the unique bifurcated retrolateral tibial apophysis of the male palp.

Type material

Holotype IRAN • ♂; Khuzestan Province, Dezful; Mar. 2018; A. Zamani leg.; MHNG.

Paratype IRAN • 1 ♂; Bushehr Province, Khormoj; 7 Feb. 1984; K. Elmi leg.; MMUE .

Description

Male (holotype)

Habitus as in Fig. 1A. Total length 4.02. Carapace 1.60 long, 1.21 wide. Eye sizes and interdistance of PMEs:AME = 0.11, ALE = 0.09, PME = 0.10, PLE = 0.08, PME–PME = 0.05. Carapace, sternum, labium, chelicerae and maxillae yellowish, without any pattern and with slightly darker margins. Chelicera with 4 pro- and 3 retromarginal teeth. Legs the same color as carapace, without annulations. Abdomen light yellowish, without any pattern, dorsally with two pairs of sigilla, anteriorly with a series of long setae and a small, triangular scutum. Spinnerets uniform in color and slightly lighter than abdomen. Measurements of legs: I: 5.07 (1.34, 0.87, 1.12, 0.97, 0.77), II: 3.53 (1.12, 0.46, 0.78, 0.56, 0.61), III: 3.43 (0.88, 0.54, 0.62, 0.77, 0.62), IV: 5.32 (1.40, 0.73, 1.17, 1.30, 0.72).

Palp as in Fig. 1B–G. Femur and patella unmodified; femur as long as cymbium; tibial apophysis deeply bifurcated, both arms subequal in size and length, as long as tibia’s length; guiding hook-like structure (Hs) (sensu Panayiotou at al. 2010) located in anterior half of the bulb and directed anteriorly; spermophor coiled, located in posterior half of the bulb; embolus long, filiform, originating at about 9 o’clock position, proximal part with membranous mesal part, with a small tooth at the retrolateral anterior part of the loop, terminal part bent perpendicular to the plane of the cymbium.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

Known only from the listed localities in Bushehr and Khuzestan Provinces, southwestern Iran. This is the first record of Berinda in Iran, and the southeasternmost record of the genus.