Cheiracanthium minusculum Zamani & Marusik, 2025

Zamani, Alireza, Enayatnia, Masoumeh, Mirshekar, Ali, Mayvan, Mahmood Mehrafrooz, Kováč, Ľubomír & Marusik, Yuri M., 2025, New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), Part XII, Zootaxa 5601 (1), pp. 1-45 : 6-8

Cheiracanthium minusculum Zamani & Marusik , sp. nov.

Figs 5C , 6A‒B

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( ZMUT), IRAN: Sistan & Baluchistan Prov.: Chabahar, 25°18'17"N 60°38'37"E, 30 m, 22.07.2020 ( M. Enayatnia).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective meaning ‘small’, referring to this species being the smallest known in the genus.

Diagnosis. The new species resembles C. iranicum Esyunin & Zamani, 2020 in the general shape of the bulbal structures, but differs by its smaller size (length of carapace 1.55 vs. 2.3), and having a long, very thin tegular apophysis ( Tg) with a hook-shaped tip ( vs. the tegular apophysis straight and wide) (cf. Fig. 6 A and Esyunin & Zamani 2020: fig. 3d). Additionally, the two species differ in the position of the cymbial retrolateral hump ( Ch), which is shallower and located by the mid-part of the tegulum in the new species ( vs. more prominent and positioned by the anterior part of the tegulum).

Description. Male ( holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 5C . Total length 3.25. Carapace 1.55 long, 1.00 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.11, ALE: 0.09, PME: 0.08, PLE: 0.08. Carapace, chelicerae, sternum, labium, maxillae, palps and legs faint fawn. Chelicerae without teeth. Abdomen pale beige, with very faint median band. Spinnerets pale beige. Measurements of legs: I: 8.04 (2.00, 0.70, 2.18, 2.04, 1.12), II: 4.01 (1.10, 0.49, 1.00, 0.95, 0.47), III: 2.91 (0.82, 0.39, 0.62, 0.72, 0.36), IV: 4.44 (1.22, 0.47, 1.02, 1.27, 0.46).

Palp as in Fig. 6A‒B ; tibia long, ~ 4x longer than wide, 1.45x shorter than cymbium, with 1 retroventral apophysis ( Rv); cymbium long, ~ 2.7x longer than wide, tip ~ 1/3 of cymbial length, with small hump ( Ch) by mid-part of tegulum, spur ( Cys) relatively short (=width of cymbium); bulb oval, 1.4x longer than wide; tegular apophysis ( Tg) longer than 1/2 of tegular length, thread-like with hooked tip; conductor ( Cd) broad, rounded anteriorly; embolus filamentous, originates at ~ 2 o’clock position and terminates at ~ 11:30.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Sistan & Baluchistan, southeastern Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Male palp of Cheiracanthium minusculum sp. nov. A—ventral view; B—retrolateral view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Cd—conductor; Ch—cymbial hump; Cys—cymbial spur; Rv—retroventral tibial apophysis; Tg—tegular apophysis.

FIGURE5. Habitus ofCheiracanthium monstrum sp. nov. (A, B),Cheiracanthiumminusculum sp.nov. (C), and Cheiracanthium sistani sp. nov. (D), dorsal view. A, C—males; B, D—females.