Integrating museum collections and molecules reveals genus-level synonymy and new species in red devil spiders (Araneae, Dysderidae) from the Middle East and Central Asia Author Bellvert, Adrià 0ABC3DFE-E982-47F5-A5DA-732688BCDEA9 Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona, Spain. abellvertba@gmail.com Author Dimitrov, Dragomir 37EC22F1-6348-4A61-B55F-3E74498AE5E9 Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona, Spain. & National Museum of Natural Sciences, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. dimitrov.drk@gmail.com Author Zamani, Alireza A21C0B82-E2D9-4402-9408-D6160843DAF4 Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, FI- 20014 University of Turku, Finland. zamani.alireza5@gmail.com Author Arnedo, Miquel A. 0148CECC-0BCF-469F-8614-F4A447C26408 Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Av. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. & Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona, Spain. marnedo@gmail.com text European Journal of Taxonomy 2024 2024-02-14 921 210 210 235 https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/2429/10759 journal article 10.5852/ejt.2024.921.2429 2118-9773 10663874 02633F29-4CDF-4027-BEBF-07AD2F925B42 Dysdera kourosh Bellvert, Zamani & Dimitrov sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2242E86D-6C29-47C0-883C-A7A549D8039E Figs 18–20 Diagnosis Dysdera kourosh sp. nov. resembles D . naouelae sp. nov. , D . mikhailovi , and D . sagartia by the well-developed, wide crest, interior sclerite significantly wider than the exterior one, and the characteristic lateral margin of the lateral sheet. The male differs by (1) the lateral margin of the lateral sheet pointed dorsally ( Fig 20 ), vs thin, sharp, more sclerotized and almost perpendicular to the embolic division in D . naouelae ( Fig. 14 ), and significantly wider in D. mikhailovi ( Fomichev & Marusik 2021 : fig. 46), and D . sagartia , and (2) the concave crest ( Fig. 18 ), vs rounded and not notched in the other three species. Etymology The specific epithet is a noun in apposition after Cyrus the Great – Kourosh in Persian, which translates as Lord of the Sun – the founder of the first Persian empire. Type material Holotype IRAN • 1 ♂ ; Fars Province , Jahrom ; 29.75° N , 52.68° E ; 25 Mar. 2013 ; SMF . Description Male ( Figs 18–20 ) PROSOMA. 2.77 long; maximum width 2.11; minimum width 1.37. Red, frontally darker, becoming lighter towards the back; smooth with some small black grains mainly at the front. Anterior border roughly round, about ½ of carapace length; anterior lateral borders convergent; rounded at maximum dorsal width, posterior lateral borders rounded; posterior margin narrow, straight. Eye diameters:AME 0.13; PLE 0.10; PME 0.10; AMEs on edge of the anterior border, separated from one another by about 1 diameter, close to PLEs; PMEs very close to one another, less than ¼ of PME diameter from PLEs. Labium trapezoid-shaped, its base wider than its distal part, borders slightly curved; longer than wide at base; semicircular groove at the tip. Sternum orange, darkened on borders; very slightly wrinkled, mainly between legs and anterior border; uniformly covered in slender black setae. CHELICERAE. 1.26 long, about ½ of carapace length in dorsal view; fang 1.12 long; paturon dorsal and ventral side completely covered with piligerous granulations. Cheliceral inner groove medium-size, about ⅖ of cheliceral length; armed with three teeth and lamina at base; D =B>M; D triangular, located near segment tip; B close to basal lamina; M close to B. Legs orange. Lengths of leg segments: fe1 2.36; pa1 1.45; ti1 2.00; me1 2.06; ta1 0.56; total 8.43; fe2 2.04; pa2 1.29; ti2 1.73; me2 1.92; ta2 0.49; total 7.48; fe3 1.59; pa3 0.89; ti3 1.08; me3 1.57; ta3 0.51; total 5.64; fe4 2.04; pa4 1.07; ti4 1.59; me4 1.98; total 6.69; fe Pdp 1.38; pa Pdp 0.73; ti Pdp 0.63; ta Pdp 0.70; total 3.45; leg formula: 1>2>4>3. Spination: palp: one spine on pa, three spines on fe distal internal; leg1 two terminal spines on forward margin; leg2 one terminal spine on the forward margin. Fe3d spines in two rows; forward 2; backward 1; pa3 1 ventral; tb3d spines arranged in two bands; proximal 1.0.1; medial-proximal 0; medial-distal 0; distal 1.0.1.; tb3v spines arranged in three bands; proximal 0.1.0; medial-proximal 1.1.0; medial-distal 0; distal 1.0.0; with two terminal spines. Fe4d spines in two rows; forward 1; backward 5; pa4 1 ventral medial; tb4d spines arranged in two bands; proximal 1.0.1; medial-proximal 0; medial-distal 0; distal 1.0.1; tb4v spines arranged in three bands; proximal 0.1.1; medial-proximal 1.1.0; medial-distal 0; distal 1.0.0; with two terminal spines. Dorsal side of the frontal legs covered with small piligerous grains; ventral side of the pedipalp covered with small piligerous grains. Claws with 8 teeth or less; hardly larger than claw width. OPISTHOSOMA. 2.54 long; cream-colored. Abdominal dorsal setae 0.02 long; thick, slightly curved, compressed, blunt, tip not enlarged; uniformly, thickly distributed. PALP ( Figs 18–20 ). T slightly shorter than ED; external distal border straight; internal sloped backward. ED the same T axis in lateral view, internal distal border not expanded. IS wider than ES, continuous to tip ( Fig. 19 ). ED tip sloped towards back in lateral view. C present, long, slightly concave at the middle, seen from lateral view ( Figs 18, 20 ); distal border round, the posterior border with a small sclerotized apophysis, markedly expanded, perpendicular to ED. AC absent. LF absent. L well developed; external border sclerotized, not folded, with processus-like basal lateral apophysis. LA absent. F absent. AL present, very poorly developed; proximal border in posterior view fused with DH. P not fused to T; perpendicular to T in lateral view; lateral length from ⅖ to ½ of T width; ridge present, parallel to T; not expanded, upper margin smooth, distally ridge-like expanded, back margin slightly folded towards the internal side. Female Unknown. Figs 18–20. Male Dysdera kourosh Bellvert, Zamani & Dimitrov sp. nov. (SMF), left palp. 18 . Prolateral view. 19 . Anterior view. 20 . Retrolateral view. Scale bar = 0.5 mm. Distribution Known only from the type locality in Fars Province , southern Iran . Remarks The species belongs to the aculeata group (sensu Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman 1988 ).