Hersiliola babilinus Hamid & Al-Khazali, 2025

Hamid, Majeed Shafi & Al-Khazali, Azhar Mohammed, 2025, Hersiliola babilinus sp. nov. and New Spider Records (Arachnida: Araneae) from Babil Province, Iraq, Ecologica Montenegrina 83, pp. 33-46 : 40-46

Genus Hersiliola Thorell, 1870

Hersiliola babilinus Hamid & Al-Khazali , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:00E74261-EB77-47BF-A097-3F588C82CE59

( Fig. 9 A , 10 A-D).

Type Material. Holotype: ♂ ( CBEUS), IRAQ: Babil Province, Al-Mahawil district , agricultural land, 32°42'37.45"N, 44°16'51.81"E, 15 December 2023. Leg. M.S. Hamid . Paratype: 1♂, same data as the holotype .

Comparative Material Examined

H. bayrami Danişman, Sancak, Erdek & Coşar, 2012 . Holotype 1♂: Turkey, Antalya Province, Korkuteli District, Datköy Village (37°02’N, 30°14’E), 13.7.2010 (leg and photographed by Tarik Danisman).

H. turcica Marusik, Kunt & Yağmur, 2010 . 1♂, Turkey, Mardin Province, Mazıdağı district , (37°28'23.5"N 40°28'31.2"E), 05.06.2018. (Photographed by. Tarik Danisman).

Etymology. The name babilinus is derived from Babylon, one of the great cities of the ancient world. It was the largest capital of Mesopotamian civilization and the heart of the Babylonian Empire, which flourished between 1800 BC and 539 BC.

Diagnosis. The new species (male) is morphologically similar and closely related to the Turkish species H. bayrami Danişman, Sancak, Erdek & Coşar, 2012 , and H. turcica Marusik, Kunt & Yağmur, 2010 . However, it can be distinguished by the embolus base's length, thickness, and position. In the new species, the embolus has approximately 2.5 coils, thicker, and its base is positioned at the 2 o’clock position. In contrast, H. bayrami has an embolus with 1.25 coils, which is much thinner, and its base is at 10 o’clock. Meanwhile, H. turcica possesses an embolus with 3.5 coils, which is also much thinner, and its base is situated at the 4 o’clock position.

Description. Male. (Holotype). Overall appearance as in Fig. 9A . Measurements: Total length 6.87; carapace 2.8 long, 2.19 wide; opisthosoma 4.07 long, 2.94 wide. Leg measurements: I: 9.63, II: 7.47, III: 6.38, IV: 10.26. Carapace circular and has a distinctive colour pattern, with black segmented edges, four pairs of dots with a thin median stripe, the cephalic region is dark. Sternum, endite and labium uniform yellow. Legs uniformly yellowish with broad black rings. Opisthosoma oval, dorsally with a black mid-band from which three transverse bands protrude on each side, forming a rhombus shape, covered by fine setae, sides of the abdomen have a dark stripe, the colour of which becomes less intense towards the ventral side. Spinnerets yellow.

Palp as in Figs 10 A–D . The tegular apophysis (Ta) long and thick, hook-like, downwardly curved, widened at the convex part, with a pointed and thin end, about as thick as the embolus, and forming about a third of the length of tegular apophysis; embolus (Em) rather long and thick, with approximately 2.5 coils, base of embolus (Be) located at 2 o’clock.

Female. Unknown.

Habitat. This species was found in an agricultural field in the Al-Mahawil district, where the land was planted with okra and beans. Two specimens were collected from the weeds growing under these crops, but one of the specimens was lost during its capture and transfer to the collection tube.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Babil Province, Al-Mahawil district, central Iraq.

Discussion

This study provides significant new data on the fauna of Iraqi spiders. A new species was described, and four additional species were recorded as new to Iraq, three of which also represent the first records of their respective genera in the country. These findings confirm the existence of previously undocumented biodiversity in Iraq, suggesting that many species remain undiscovered due to the lack of comprehensive studies in the region.

The province studied, as well as central Iraq in general, has not received much attention from researchers in the past. Many areas remain unexplored, likely due to challenges such as limited access to certain regions and the general lack of research resources in the country. Before this study, only three spider species had been documented in this Province (Al-Khazali et al., 2023). The study by Zamani and Marusik (2022), which focused on Najaf Province in central Iraq, revealed remarkable biodiversity in the region. this study examined a small collection of preserved specimens dating back to 1978, originally collected from the Middle Euphrates region. This analysis led to the description of four new species and the recording of five genera and two families as new records for Iraq.

Based on the current results and the study by Al-Khazali et al. (2023), the total number of spider species documented in Babil Province is eight. However, this number does not reflect the true diversity of species in the region, as many areas remain unexplored. As part of the first researcher's master's thesis, this study successfully described a new species, documented four additional species, and recorded three genera previously unknown in Iraq. In addition, approximately 20 other species were identified in the province during the research, although they were not included in this study. These records will be documented in a separate future study.

Overall, this study represents an important contribution to knowledge about spider diversity in Iraq, especially in areas that have not received sufficient attention from researchers. The current results show that we have only uncovered a small fraction of the region's biodiversity, underscoring the urgent need for further field studies and in-depth scientific analyses, supported by modern technologies and international collaboration.

Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Dr. Alireza Zamani (University of Turku, Finland) and Dr. Hisham K. El- Hennawy (Cairo, Egypt) for their thorough review of the manuscript. We are also deeply thankful to Dr. Tarik Danisman (Kırıkkale University, Turkey) for providing us with the photographs of the Turkish specimens, and to Dr. Kadir Boğaç Kunt (Turkish Arachnological Society, Turkey) and Dr. Ersen Aydın Yağmur (Manisa University, Turkey) for their confirmation of the identification of the new species.

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Figures

Figure 9. Habitus and dorsal pattern of Holotype male, A. Hersiliola babilinus sp. n. B: H. turcica Marusik, Kunt & Yağmur, 2010 from Turkey.

Figure 10: Male palps of Hersiliola babilinus sp. n. (A-D), H. bayrami Danişman, Sancak, Erdek & Coşar, 2012 (E, F), and H. turcica Marusik, Kunt & Yağmur, 2010 (G, H), A, D, G, E, retrolateral view; B, F, H, ventral view; C. prolateral view.