First record of the family Stenasellidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) in Iran with the description of a new cave-dwelling species

A new cave isopod species of the genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 (Stenasellidae) from Iran is reported and described. The new species, Stenasellus tashanensis sp. n. was found in Tashan Cave (Khuzestan province, southwest Iran). A complete description and drawings of the new species are provided. This new species is morphologically close to S. vermeuleni Magniez & Stock, 2000 from Oman

Description of the first cave dwelling species of the spider genus Trilacuna Tong & Li from Iran (Araneae: Oonopidae)

A new species of the hard-bodied oonopid genus Trilacuna Tong & Li is described from a cave in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, southwestern Iran. Trilacuna qarzi sp. nov. is the first troglobiont species known of the genus, and is also the fifth oonopid species to be reported from Iran. Relationships of this new species are briefly discussed in the contextof the limits of the genera belonging to the Dysderoides complex.Fil: Javad Malek Hosseini, Mohammad. Shiraz University; IránFil: Grismado, Cristian José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Sadeghi, Saber. Shiraz University; IránFil: Bakhshi, Yaser. Shiraz University; Irá

Wing shape variation among central Asian populations of Calopteryx splendens

We applied geometric morphometric techniques to explore the morphological variation of forewings between 10 Asian Calopteryx splendens populations including Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan countries. We focused on the study of the phenetic relationships among the populations in central Asia. The results showed that the northern and western populations of Iran had the largest and smallest centroid size of the wings, respectively. In addition, differences among wing shape of the 10 studied populations of C. splendens were significant. Our results indicated that Tajikistan population has quite distinct divergence and also Turkmenistan and northern part of Iran populations both were very close each other and located in a separate clade. The Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, west Iran, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan populations were revealed to be more interrelated to each other, although Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan populations seems to be more closer than the other

First record of the family Stenasellidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) in Iran with the description of a new cave-dwelling species

A new cave isopod species of the genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 (Stenasellidae) from Iran is reported and described. The new species, Stenasellus tashanensis sp. n. was found in Tashan Cave (Khuzestan province, southwest Iran). A complete description and drawings of the new species are provided. This new species is morphologically close to S. vermeuleni Magniez & Stock, 2000 from Oman

Agnara cavernicola Bakhshi and Kashani, sp. nov.

Agnara cavernicola Bakhshi and Kashani, sp. nov. (Figures 1–3) Material examined Holotype. Male; 4.5 mm, Ilam province, city of Zarneh, Zarneh Cave, 33°56.0ʹN, 46°11.0ʹE, alt. 1300 m a.s.l., 28 October 2017, leg. H. Darvishnia and Y. Bakhshi (ZM-CBSU Iso-1238). ♀ Paratypes. Same data as holotype, two males and three females (ZM-CBSU Iso-1239); same data as holotype, one male and one female (PCGMK 2646). Diagnosis Head with developed rounded lateral lobes, frons without incision on middle; male pereopod VII ischium with straight to slightly sinuous ventral margin; pleopod endopodite I straight with pointed apex, exopodite I with very short rounded hind lobe. Description Maximum body length 4.5 mm male, 5 mm female. Body colour pale brown with irregular pale whitish patches on vertex, antenna, uropods, and tergites of both pereion and pleon (Figures 1, 2 (a)). Dorsal surface granulated with small round tubercles (Figure 2 (b,d)). Head with broadly triangular frontal lobe and well-developed rounded lateral lobes, protruding as far as median lobe; eyes composed of 11–12 ommatidia (Figure 2 (b)). Antenna long, reaching beyond the posterior margin of pereion-tergite II, fifth article of peduncle as long as flagellum; flagellum with two articles, distal article almost 1.5 times as long as proximal one (Figure 2 (c)). Antennula with three articles, with a tuft of long aesthetascs at apex (Figure 2 (d)). Right mandible lacinia mobilis covered with fine spines; pars molaris consisting of several plumose setae on a short common socket (Figure 3 (a)). Left mandible lacinia mobilis covered with fine spines; pars molaris consisting of several plumose setae on a short common socket (Figure 3 (b)). Maxillule with outer branch bearing 4 + 4 teeth (Figure 3 (c)); inner branch with two long penicils and a triangular posterior point (Figure 3 (d)). Maxilliped endite with two small triangular teeth on anterior margin (Figure 3 (e)). Posterolateral corners of pereion tergite I convex (Figures 1, 2 (b)); noduli laterales on pereonites I–IV slightly more distant from both lateral and posterior margins of epimera than those on pereonites V–VII (Figures 1, 2 (a)). Pereopod I ischium, merus and carpus almost equal in length and equipped with strong spiny setae, carpus with depression on rostral surface equipped with slender scales; propodus narrow and long, distal part bearing strong setae; pereopods I–VII dactylus with one dactylar seta and one ungual seta. Pleon narrower than pereion, covered with fine tubercles (Figures 1, 2 (a)). Telson triangular, wider than long, with concave lateral sides and pointed apex, slightly surpassing uropod protopodites (Figure 2 (d)). Uropod exopodites almost as long as telson (Figure 2 (d)). Pleopod exopodites I–V with monospiracular lungs (Figure 4 (b–f)). Male: Pereopods I–III merus and carpus with brushes of setae on ventral margin (Figure 2 (e)). Pereopod VII ischium with straight or slightly sinuous ventral margin (Figure 2 (f,g)). Genital papilla elongated, with truncated distal part (Figure 4 (a)). Pleopod endopodite I straight, with pointed apex equipped with row of small setae on inner margin (Figure 4 (a)); exopodite I short with small rounded hind lobe, distal margin bearing few small setae (Figure 4 (b)). Pleopod II endopodite longer than exopodite; exopodite triangular, concave outer margin with small setae (Figure 4 (c)). Pleopod exopodites III–IV with slightly concave outer margin with small setae (Figure 4 (d,e)). Pleopod exopodite V triangular, outer margin slightly convex, with small setae (Figure 4 (f)). Etymology The name of the new species refers to its cave-dwelling lifestyle. Distribution Western Iran.Published as part of Bakhshi, Yaser, Kashani, Ghasem M., Sadeghi, Saber & Darvishnia, Hamid, 2022, Agnara cavernicola, the second troglophilic terrestrial isopod species (Isopoda: Oniscidea) from Iran, pp. 2823-2830 in Journal of Natural History 55 (45 - 46) on pages 2825-2827, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2025939, http://zenodo.org/record/608272