Saturday, September 12, 2020

[Arachnida • 2020] A Black Sheep in Eresus (Araneae: Eresidae): Taxonomic Notes on the Ladybird Spiders of Iran and Turkey, with A New Species

 

Eresus cf. kollari Rossi, 1846

in Zamani, Altin & Szűts, 2020.

Abstract
New taxonomic data are provided on the ladybird spider genus Eresus Walckenaer, 1805 in Turkey and Iran. Eresus adaleari Zamani & Szűts, sp. n. is described as a new species, on the basis of a single male specimen collected in Semnan Province, northeastern Iran, and Eresus lavrosiae Mcheidze, 1997, previously known solely from the original description of the male holotype from Georgia, is re-described on the basis of one newly collected male specimen from Kars Province, eastern Turkey. Both of these species are generally dark-colored, which contrasts with the usual coloration of males of this genus. Finally, a few methods and suggestions that might accelerate and improve taxonomic procedures for studying this group are discussed.

Keywords: Araneae, Caucasus, Middle-East, re-description, taxonomy, velvet spiders


Eresus cf. kollari Rossi, 1846 
  
 
Alireza Zamani, Çağatay Altin and Tamás Szűts. 2020. A Black Sheep in Eresus (Araneae: Eresidae): Taxonomic Notes on the Ladybird Spiders of Iran and Turkey, with A New Species. Zootaxa. 4851(3); 559–572. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4851.3.6