Kut gen. nov., a new troglomorphic spider genus from Turkey (Araneae, Dysderidae)

Abstract

A new genus of troglomorphic Dysderidae is described, based mainly on the morphology of copulatory organs. The new genus Kut gen. nov., with the type species Harpactocrates troglophilus Brignoli, 1978, also includes two recently discovered new species from the coastal Mediterranean Turkey: Kut izmiricus sp. nov. and K. dimensis sp. nov. All three species display troglomorphic traits, most distinct in K. dimensis sp. nov. Another genus-level trait is a characteristic simple type of bulb in males. Female copulatory organ shows similarity to the endemic Caucasian genus Cryptoparachtes Dunin, 1992 in paraspermatheca structure, whereas the male copulatory organ is unique among all known Dysderidae.