A new Palliduphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1996 from the Elburz Mountains, Iran (Araneae: Linyphiidae)

Abstract

A new linyphiid spider, Palliduphantes elburz, sp. n., is described, based on material of both sexes taken from high altitudes in the Elburz Mts, northern Iran. The male of the new species is easily distinguished not only from the single Iranian congener, P. sbordonii (Brignoli, 1970), but also from other species of the genus by the strongly modified palpal tibia, the peculiar shape of the lamella characteristica, as well as the form and armature of the embolus. The epigyne of P. elburz, sp. n. seems to be most similar to P. stygius (Simon, 1884) from the western Mediterranean, but differs well by the much longer stretcher.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E10F35CE-47D2-4FF8-9386-A00F3E61659B

Keywords:

• spiders
• mountain fauna
• subterranean
• epigean
• new species

Acknowledgements

I am greatly indebted to Peter Jäger and Julia Altmann (SMF) for the access to the spider collection under their care. I also thank Sergei I. Golovatch (Moscow), who kindly checked the English of a draft.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.