On a Small Collection of Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from Iraq, with New Species and Records

Abstract

The results of an investigation on a small collection of spiders from Najaf Province in southern Iraq are reported. Four species are described: Hersiliola babylonica sp. n. (♂♀; Hersiliidae), Liocranoeca deserticola sp. n. (♂; Liocranidae), Talanites sumericus sp. n. (♀; Gnaphosidae) and Zelotes jakesi sp. n. (♀; Gnaphosidae). Two families (Liocranidae; Miturgidae), five genera (Evippa Simon, 1882; Heriaeus Simon, 1875; Liocranoeca Wunderlich, 1999; Prochora Simon, 1886; Talanites Simon, 1893) and five species (Enoplognatha gershomi Bosmans & Van Keer, 1999; Evippa amitaii Armiach Steinpress et al., 2021; Heriaeus buffoni (Audouin, 1826); Prochora lycosiformis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872); Thanatus vulgaris Simon, 1870) are recorded in Iraq for the first time; for E. gershomi, the epigyne is described for the first time, the male is redescribed and the species is newly reported also from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Keywords

• aranei
• central asia
• fauna
• middle east
• najaf
• redescription
• taxonomy