Rhysodromus medes Zamani & Marusik, 2021

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 : 32-33

Rhysodromus medes Zamani & Marusik, 2021

Figs 20E , 21D‒F

Rhysodromus medes Zamani & Marusik, 2021: 123 , figs 18B, 19C‒D, 21A‒B (♂).

Material. IRAN: Sistan & Baluchistan Prov.: 1♂ 1♀ ( ZMUT), Hirmand , 31°10'N 61°38'E, 480 m, 2017 (M. Enayatnia) .

Diagnosis. The female differs from other congeners (except R. latrophagus ) by the shape of the epigyne, with the posterior half of the fovea being wider than the anterior half (vs. narrower in other species). It also has elongate receptacles that are twice as long as they are wide and closely positioned (vs. receptacles that are either as wide as they are long and spaced apart or 1.5x longer than wide and contiguous, as in R. xinjiangensis (Tang & Song, 1987); see Szita & Logunov 2008: figs 46). Additionally, the female has an elongate abdomen with the posterior part wider than the anterior and bearing a pair of angular projections (vs. an abdomen that is wider anteriorly). The epigyne and abdomen of females of R. latrophagus and R. medes are nearly indistinguishable, though the males show clear differences in the palp. Rhysodromus medes has a posterior part of the epigyne that is as long as the anterior (vs. shorter) and distinct accessorial glands (vs. indistinct) (cf. Fig. 21D‒F and Levy 1999a: figs 20, 21). For male, see Zamani & Marusik (2021).

Description. Female. Habitus as in Fig. 20E . Total length 4.56. Carapace 1.90 long, 1.65 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.08, ALE: 0.07, PME: 0.07, PLE: 0.09. Carapace, chelicerae, sternum, labium and maxillae brown; pars cephalica with irregular pale beige stripes, pars thoracica marginally and medially lighter. Palps and legs yellowish brown, palpal tarsi brown. Abdomen greyish beige, mottled, dorsally with 2 posterior angular projections, ventrally with 2 faint pale lateral bands. Spinnerets light brown, with brush of setae anteriorly. Measurements of legs: I: 6.16 + missing Ta (2.18, 0.94, 1.67, 1.37, missing), II: 7.65 + missing Ta (2.62, 1.06, 2.17, 1.80, missing), III: missing, IV: Fe 2.65, Pa 0.73, others missing.

Epigyne as in Fig. 21D‒F ; plate almost as long as wide; fovea elongate, with anterior 1/2 thinner than posterior one, posterior 1/2 square-shaped; receptacles elongate, 2x longer than wide, tapering posteriorly, with accessorial glands (Ag) located prolaterally at middle part.

Male. See Zamani & Marusik (2021).

Comment. This species was previously known based on the holotype male only.

Records in Iran. Hormozgan. New record for Sistan & Baluchistan (the easternmost record).

Distribution. Endemic to Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Habitus of Philodromus parvulus sp. nov. (A), Thanatus sepiacolor (B), Rhysodromus tikhmenevi sp. nov. (C), Rhysodromus pictus (D), and Rhysodromus medes (E), dorsal view. B, C—males; A, D, E—females.

FIGURE 21. Epigynes of Philodromus parvulus sp. nov. (A‒C), Rhysodromus medes (D‒F), Rhysodromus pictus (G‒I), and Thanatus sepiacolor (J‒L). A, D, G, J—intact epigyne, ventral view; B, F, H, K—macerated epigyne, ventral view; C, E, I, L—endogyne, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Ag—accessorial gland; Re—receptacle; Se—septum.