Zodarion sanchezi Shafaie and Pekár, 2025

Shafaie, Sepideh, Pekár, Stano & Ortiz, David, 2025, Zodarion spiders (Araneae: Zodariidae): morphology, molecular characterisation and reassessment of the elegans, italicum, and pusio groups from Iberia and the Canary Islands, Journal of Natural History 59 (25 - 28), pp. 1825-1875 : 1841-1842

Zodarion sanchezi Shafaie and Pekár sp. n.

( Figures 12 , 23 )

Zodarion sp. 3 . Ortiz et al. 2023b: 62; figs 1, 3, 4 (♂).

Type material

Holotype (♂) and paratypes (♂): SPAIN: Almería , Punta de Las Majadas, Níjar; 28 May 2012; S. Pekár leg.; NMP.

Other material examined

SPAIN: Almería, 3 juv .; Punta de Las Majadas , Níjar; 28 May 2012; S . Pekár leg .; CMU.

Etymology

The specific epithet is in honour of Íñigo Sánchez, who provided us with rare Spanish specimens.

Diagnosis

The male of the new species differs from that of Z. diatretum by several characters: the tibial apophysis gently curved, medially with a jagged mesal tubercle, terminally ending in a claw-shaped tip (vs strongly curved, medially humped, and terminally ending in a recurved, rounded tip; compare Figure 23C and Figure 21F ); the median apophysis more developed in basal part (vs reduced and shaped as a spur; compare Figure 23B and Figure 21E ); the embolus with a stout subterminal tooth that slightly diverged from the embolus (vs acutely pointed, with the subterminal tooth converging towards the embolus; compare Figure 23B and Figure 21E ); and distinct prosoma pattern ( Figure 12A vs Figure 4A ).

Description

Male. (holotype). Total length 3.85, carapace 1.9 long, 1.25 wide. Prosoma. ( Figures 12A–B ) Carapace dark brown with an elongated heart-shaped median band, dorsally followed by a postero-median, smaller area; clypeus dark brown; chelicerae light; mouthparts pale; sternum light grey. Eyes. AME 0.12, ALE 0.09, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.05, ALE–ALE 0.7, PME–PME 0.35, PLE–PLE 0.22, ALE–PLE 0.04. Abdomen. ( Figures 12A–B ) Abdomen dorsum uniformly black, venter yellow and brown. Spinnerets pale apically and light brown basally. Legs. Leg segments yellow except for dark femur I, femur II distal half and femora III–IV distal tip, and yellow tibiae I–IV. Legs: I 5.75 (1.6, 0.6, 1.3, 1.5, 0.75), II 5.45 (1.45, 0.55, 1.1, 1.45, 0.9), III 5.34 (1.34, 0.6, 1.05, 1.45, 0.9), IV 7.9 (2.15, 0.7, 1.85, 2.1, 1.1). Palp. ( Figures 23A–F ) Palp segments entirely yellow. Tibial apophysis elongated, ending in a diamond-shaped arm in ventral view, gradually recurved in retrolateral view, ending in a triangular tip, pointed at 3 o’clock position, medially accompanied by a jagged mesal tubercle, partially covering a triangular retrolateral tubercle. Median apophysis developed in basal part. Embolus oblong and stout, accompanied by a similar subterminal tooth, the two structures slightly converging. Tegulum slightly protruding posteriorly.

Female

Unknown.

Molecular data

No molecular data available.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality in Spain .

Figures

Figure 4. Habitus of Z. diatretum Denis, 1935. A–B, lectotype, male (MNHN-AR1513). C–D, paralectotype, female (MNHN-AR1513). A, C, dorsal view. B, D, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Figure 12. Habitus of Z. sanchezi Shafaie and Pekár sp. n. A–B, holotype, male (NMP). A, dorsal view. B, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Figure 21. Comparison of palp shape among males of the elegans group. A–C, Z. beticum (CMU). D–F, Z. diatretum (MNHN-AR1513). G–I, Z. maculatum (CMU). J–L, Z. murphyorum (CJFM-18452, G7572.14697). M–O, Z. vanimpei (CJFM-18593, G7572.15281). P–R, Z. elegans (MNHN-AR2853). A, D, G, J, M, P, prolateral view. B, E, H, K, N, Q, ventral view. C, F, I, L, O, R, retrolateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Bi = baso-lateral incision of the median apophysis; It = internal tooth of the tibial apophysis; TA = terminal apophysis.

Figure 23. Male palp of Z. sanchezi Shafaie and Pekár sp. n., holotype (NMP). A, D, prolateral view.B, E, ventral view. C, F, retrolateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: C = conductor; Em = embolus; Es = subterminal tooth of embolus; MA = median apophysis; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; Tm = mesal tubercle of the tibial apophysis; Tr = retrolateral tubercle of the tibial apophysis.