Arachnologische Mitteilungen 57

Arachnologische Mitteilungen / Arachnology Letters 57: 4-7 Karlsruhe, April 2019 Araneidae is the second largest spider family with 3130 extant species in 174 genera (WSC 2018). Some genera, like Poltys C. L. Koch, 1843, have interesting opisthosomal modifica- tions, which helps them camouflage themselves within twigs and tree bark. Species of the genus Poltys can be recognized by the widely separated lateral eyes and a pear-shaped carapace (Smith 2006).They are typical nocturnal spiders, resting mo- tionless during the day, with legs kept close to the prosoma, which makes them difficult to spot (Smith 2006, Kulkarni & Smith 2013). Currently, this genus comprises 43 accep­ ted species, which are mainly distributed from western Africa through to Japan, with a few species known from Australia, whilst the majority of species occur in Southeast Asia (WSC 2018).Most authors have placed this genus in the tribe Polty- ini, within the subfamily Araneinae (Smith 2005). Recently, we were able to study a specimen belonging to this genus from southern Iran, and identified it as Poltys nag- purensis Tikader, 1982. This species was originally described on the basis of a female specimen from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India (Tikader 1982). Here, we provide a redescription of the species based on the holotype and the recently collected spe- cimen including photographs of their habitus and copulatory organs. Material and methods The Iranian specimen was photographed alive in the field in Iran by Meysam Ghasemi and specimen in alcohol was imaged at the Zoological Museum, University of Turku, Fin- land, with a Canon EOS 7D camera attached to an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope.The holotype was photographed at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata (India) with a Leica EZ4 HD stereomicroscope. Digital images were pre- pared using CombineZP and Zerene Stacker image stacking software. All measurements are given in millimeters. Lengths of leg segments were measured on the dorsal side.The Iranian specimen was deposited in the Manchester Museum, Man- chester University, United Kingdom (MMUE) and holotype is from the ZSI in Kolkata, India. Abbreviations: ALE – anterior lateral eye, AME – anteri- or median eye, PLE – posterior lateral eye, PME – posterior median eye Results Araneidae Clerck, 1757 Araneinae Clerck, 1757 – Poltyini Simon, 1895 Poltys C. L. Koch, 1843 Poltys nagpurensis Tikader, 1982 (Figs 1–4) Poltys nagpurensis Tikader 1982: 169, figs 321–325 ( ( ). Material. 1 ( (MMUE), Iran: Hormozgan Province: Man- grove forest, Persian Gulf, 26.83°N, 55.55°E, 07.10.2013 (leg. M. Ghasemi). Holotype. ( (ZSI, N 0 4940/18), India: Maharashtra: Nag- pur, Kachari Swanga, 21.20°N, 78.65°E, 30.10.1973 (leg. U. A. Gajbe), examined. Diagnosis. The epigyne of this species is very similar to that of P. illepidus C. L. Koch, 1843, the type species of the ge- nus, but the two species can be distinguished by the rounded bulged tip and trilobed shape of the plate of P. nagpurensis (Fig. 3) in comparison to more hexangular shape of the plate with a distinct narrow rim in P. illepidus (Smith 2006: Figs 46–51). Lateral plates broadly cover copulatory grooves in comparison to narrow one in P. illepidus and the base of the fovea has approximately the same width, while in P. illepidus is broadest in the middle part, thinner basally and partly co- vered by median plate at the base. Description Iranian specimen (Fig. 1) . Collected specimen was badly damaged, therefore colouration and habitus were described on the basis of photos of the live specimen; measurements were taken from dead specimen. Total length 11.0. Prosoma First record of Poltys nagpurensis (Araneae: Araneidae) from Iran Alireza Zamani, Yuri M. Marusik, Mahmood Soofi, Seppo Koponen, John T. D. Caleb & Anna Šestáková doi: 10.30963/aramit5702 Abstract. A female specimen of Poltys (Araneidae) is reported from southern Iran, representing the first record of the genus for the whole Middle East and its westernmost record in the entire Asian region. The specimen was identified as Poltys nagpurensis Tikader, 1982, previ- ously known only from central and western India. Since the Iranian specimen differs in habitus morphology (but not in the epigyne), a brief description and comparison to the holotype with photos of the habitus and copulatory organs are provided. Keywords: Aranei, fauna, India, orb-weaver spider Zusammenfassung. Erstnachweis von Poltys nagpurensis (Araneae: Araneidae) im Iran. Es wird der Fund eines Weibchens der Gat- tung Poltys (Araneidae) aus dem Südiran berichtet. Es ist der Erstnachweis der Gattung im Nahen Osten und der westlichste in ganz Asi- en. Das Exemplar wurde als Poltys nagpurensis Tikader, 1982 bestimmt, die bisher nur aus dem mittleren und westlichen Indien bekannt war. Da das iranische Exemplar sich morphologisch leicht unterscheidet (aber nicht in der Epigyne) wird es kurz beschrieben und Habitus und Epigyne mit dem Holotypus verglichen. Alireza ZAMANI, Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, FI-20014, Finland; E-mail: zamani.alireza5@gmail.com Yuri M. MARUSIK, Institute for Biological Problems of the North RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan 685000, Russia and Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa; E-mail: yurmar@mail.ru Mahmood SOOFI, Workgroup on Endangered Species, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Germany; E-mail: mahmood.soofi@biologie.uni-goettingen.de Seppo KOPONEN, Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, FI-20014, Finland; E-mail: sepkopo@utu.fi John T. D. CALEB, Centre for DNA Taxonomy, Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata – 700053, West Bengal, India; E-mail: caleb87woodgate@gmail.com Anna Šestáková, The Western Slovakian Museum, Múzejné nám. 3, 918 09 Trnava, Slovakia; E-mail: asestakova@gmail.com submitted 21.11.2018, accepted 20.12.2018, online 20.2.2019