Cithaeron persicus 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 : 11

Cithaeron persicus Zamani & Marusik , sp. nov.

Figs 1B , 2D‒F

Type material. Holotype ♀ ( ZMUT), IRAN: Sistan & Baluchistan Prov.: Zabol, 31°02'12"N 61°32'14"E, 480 m, 20.02.2022 (M. Enayatnia).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the historical region of the Middle East, located in eastern Mesopotamia, which is now Iran.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to the generotype, C. praedonius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872 , but differs in the insemination ducts not extending anteriorly from the anterior hood (Ah), and the hood smaller and wider than it is long (vs. subtriangular) (cf. Fig. 2E and Platnick 1991: fig. 12).

Description. Female (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 1B . Total length 4.53. Carapace 2.22 long, 1.83 wide. Eye sizes:AME: 0.17, ALE: 0.14, PME: 0.16, PLE: 0.14. Carapace and chelicerae dark reddish brown; sternum yellowish brown; labium and maxillae light brown. Chelicerae without teeth. Palps and legs yellowish brown. Abdomen dorsally black, at posterior half with greyish beige heart-shaped pattern, ventrally greyish beige. Spinnerets greyish beige. Measurements of legs: I: 10.31 (2.73, 0.94, 2.52, 2.22, 1.90), II: 9.96 (2.66, 0.94, 2.39, 2.17, 1.80), III: 8.23 (2.26, 0.72, 1.88, 2.00, 1.37), IV: 11.37 (3.12, 0.87, 2.63, 3.00, 1.75).

Epigyne as in Fig. 2D‒F ; epigynal plate almost as long as wide; anterior hood (Ah) wider than long; fenestra (Fe) semiround, with well-sclerotized mesal part; insemination ducts visible through tegument, with thin sub transversal ducts (Td), and thick parts forming X-shaped figure.

Male. Unknown.

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

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of Brignoliolus charitonovi (A), Cithaeron persicus sp. nov. (B), and Steatoda pallens sp. nov. (C), females, dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Epigynes of Brignoliolus charitonovi (A‒C), Cithaeron persicus sp. nov. (D‒F), Cheiracanthium sistani sp. nov. (G‒H), and Cheiracanthium monstrum sp. nov. (I‒J). A, D—intact, ventral view; C, E, H, I—macerated, ventral view; B, F, G, J—endogyne, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Ah—anterior hood; Fe—fenestra; Id—insemination duct; Re—receptacle; Sc—sac-like structure; Td—transversal duct.