Eusparassus mesopotamicus, Moradmand & Jäger, 2012

Moradmand, Majid & Jäger, Peter, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the huntsman spider genus Eusparassus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Sparassidae) in Eurasia, Journal of Natural History 46 (39 - 40), pp. 2439-2496 : 2459-2462

Eusparassus mesopotamicus sp. nov.

( Figures 7 , 8 )

Type material

Holotype: male, IRAN: Khuzestan Province: Shush (32 ◦ 11 ′ 39 ′′ N, 48 ◦ 14 ′ 37 ′′ E), with label: Perse, Suse, 1904, de Morgan leg. ( MNHN).

Paratypes (1♂, 2♀♀) IRAN: Khuzestan Province : 1♂ with same data as for holotype ( MNHN) ; 1♀, Ahwaz , semiarid desert, 1961, Schübart leg. ( SMF) ; 1♀, 20 km north of Ahwaz , March 1958, Frank leg. ( SMF) .

Other material examined

1♀, IRAQ: Najaf, 19 July 1937, W.P. Kennedy leg. ( NHM 1949.1.4.14) .

Etymology

The species is named after Mesopotamia (the Land of Rivers), largely corresponding to modern day Iraq, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran where the species is distributed. Adjective.

Diagnosis

Males can be distinguished from other congeners by the robust embolus tip which is Sshaped and directed proximo-retrolatero-distad in left palp, ventral view ( Figure 7E ), females are similar to those of E. walckenaeri but differ in having glandular pores on distal end of glandular projection of vulva ( Figure 8B, D, E ); they differ from females of E. doriae stat. nov. in having AMLL of epigyne more extended and MS is longer than wide ( Figure 8A,C ) in contrast, latter species MS is wider than long.

Description

Male (n = 2). Males medium-sized; holotype, Total length: 16.1, prosoma length 7.6, prosoma width 6.7, anterior width of prosoma 3.5, opisthosoma length 8.5, opisthosoma width 5.5. Eyes diameters: AME 0.46, ALE 0.40, PME 0.35, PLE 0.40; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.30, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.52, PME–PLE 0.46, AME–PME 0.45, ALE–PLE 0.28, clypeus height at AME 0.35, clypeus height at ALE 0.43.

Chelicerae with two anterior and five posterior teeth, cheliceral furrow without denticles ( Figure 7B ). Leg formula: 2 4 1 3. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 10.2 [2.5, 1.0, 1.2, 5.5], I 29.4 [8.2, 2.7, 8.1, 8.3, 2.1], II 32.2 [8.9, 3.0, 9.2, 8.6, 2.5], III 25.6 [7.3, 2.5, 7.2, 6.8, 1.8], IV 30.5 [8.6, 2.5, 8.1, 9.0, 2.3].

Spination. Palp 131, 000 / 001, 1111; Legs: Femur I–III 323, IV 322; Patella I–IV 001 / 101; Tibia I–IV 2124 / 2224; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3034.

Palp. As in diagnosis with cymbium nearly twice as long as tibia, cymbium stout, dRTA compared to cymbium shortened, vRTA broad and not pointed ( Figure 7C, D ). Female (n = 3). Total length: 20.5–25.5, prosoma length 8.5–9.5, prosoma width 7.0–7.8, anterior width of prosoma 4.3–4.7, opisthosoma length 12.0–16.0, opisthosoma width 7.2–9.5. Eye diameters: AME 0.55, ALE 0.47, PME 0.42, PLE 0.47; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.31, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.67, PME–PLE 0.68, AME–PME 0.55, ALE–PLE 0.38, clypeus height at AME 0.35, clypeus height at ALE 0.45.

Chelicerae with two anterior and five or six posterior teeth; cheliceral furrow without denticles. Leg formula: 2 4 1 3. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 10.7 [3.5, 1.5, 2.0, 3.7], I 35.9 [10.3, 4.2, 9.5, 9.4, 2.5], II 39.3 [11.2, 4.5, 10.2, 9.8, 2.6], III 31.4 [9.3, 4.0, 8.3, 7.5, 2.3], IV 37.4 [11.3, 4.0, 9.7, 10.2, 2.2].

Spination. Palp 131, 001, 1111, 1013; Legs: Femur I–III 323, IV 321 / 322; Patella I–IV 000; Tibia I–IV 2024; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3034.

Epigyne / vulva. As in diagnosis with EFB present as narrow band, AMLL developed but not fused together, AMLL encircling partially MS ( Figure 8A,C ).

Colouration [in ethanol]. Cream to pale orange; ventral opisthosoma pale in colour.

Known geographical distribution

Iran (Khuzestan Province), Iraq (Najaf) and Turkey? (Hakkari Province).

Figures

Figure 7. Eusparassus mesopotamicus sp. nov., holotype male from Shush, Khuzestan Province, Iran: (A) eye arrangement; (B) left chelicera, ventral; (C) left palp, ventral; (D) left palp, retrolateral; (E) tip of embolus and conductor, ventral. Scale bars: (A–D) 1 mm, (E) 0.5 mm.

Figure 8. Eusparassus mesopotamicus sp. nov., (A, B) paratype female, from Ahwaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran: (A) epigyne, ventral; (B) left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral; (C, D) paratype female, same locality, variations: (C) epigyne, ventral; (D) left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral; (E) female from Nejef, Iraq: variation left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral. Scale bars: (A, C) 1 mm, (B, D, E) 0.5 mm.