﻿Notes on Dysderidae (Arachnida, Araneae) of Armenia and Iran, with new species and records

﻿Abstract New data are provided on dysderid spiders of Armenia and Iran. Dysderahaykanasp. nov. is described based on male specimens collected in Kotayk and Lor provinces, central and northern Armenia. The female of Dysderanakhchivanica Beydizade, Shafaie & Guseinov, 2018 is described for the first time, and the species is newly recorded from Armenia. Furthermore, new distribution data are provided for Harpacteaarmenica Dunin, 1989, including the first record of the species from Iran. Photographs and a distribution map are provided for all three species.


Introduction
The spider family Dysderidae C.L. Koch, 1837 currently comprises 612 extant species in 25 genera distributed in the Western Palaearctic (WSC 2023). The dysderid fauna of the Caucasus is relatively well studied thanks to the publication of several large-scale, family-level revisions and smaller taxonomic contributions (e.g., Charitonov 1956;Dunin 1982Dunin , 1987Dunin , 1990Dunin , 1991Dunin , 1992. However, the Armenian dysderids, with only 11 currently known species (Otto 2022), remain poorly documented, especially when compared to adjacent countries of Azerbaijan (30 species; Otto 2022), Georgia (33 species; Otto 2022), Iran (15 species; Zamani et al. 2023), and Turkey (69 species; Danışman et al. 2023). This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge of dysderid diversity in this region by providing new taxonomic and faunistic data on three species occurring in Armenia and Iran.

Materials and methods
Photographs of specimens and their copulatory organs were obtained using an Olympus Camedia E-520 camera attached to an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope, and a JEOL JSM-5200 scanning electron microscope. Digital images of different focal planes were stacked with Helicon Focus™ v. 8.1.1. Illustrations of internal genitalia were made after digesting tissues off in a 10% KOH aqueous solution.
Body measurements exclude the chelicerae and spinnerets. Leg segments were measured on the dorsal side. Measurements and characters of the palp used in the diagnoses are based on the retrolateral view. Measurements of legs are listed as: total length (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are given in millimetres. The map was prepared using SimpleMappr (Shorthouse 2010).
Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the asiatica species-group and is most similar to D. asiatica Nosek, 1905(see Deeleman-Reinhold and Deeleman 1988: figs 226, 227) and D. ukrainensis Charitonov, 1956(as illustrated by Charitonov 1956) in possessing a spine-like median process (Mp) (vs either lacking or of a different shape (with 2 or more teeth) in other species). Dysdera haykana sp. nov. can be distinguished from both species by the almost indistinct spinelike outgrowth (So) on the median crest (vs distinct). From D. ukrainensis, it also differs by having median crest (Mc) ca 2.5 times longer than high (vs as long as high), the median process extending the median crest (vs not extending), and the relatively larger posterior apophysis (Pa) (cf. Fig. 2A  Palp as in Figs 2A-D, 3A, B; bulb 3 times longer than its maximal width; psembolus 1.5 times longer than tegulum; tegulum 1.27 times longer than wide; median crest (Mc) elongate, ca 2.5 times longer than high, with almost indistinct spine-like outgrowth (So), middle part of psembolus with spine-like process (Mp), its tip extending dorsal margin of median crest.
Female. Unknown. Note. The record of D. ukrainensis in central Georgia (cf. Otto 2022) may belong to this species. Kovblyuk et al. (2008) redescribed the types of D. ukrainensis, although their figures of the lectotype male differs from those provided in Charitonov (1956) in the shape of the median process. Moreover, according to Kovblyuk et al. (2008), the median process can vary in shape and may be bifurcated on the tip.
Distribution. Known only from the listed localities in Kotayk and Lori provinces, central and northern Armenia (Fig. 10).       Fig. 1B Ti: 2pl,2rl,2v;Mt: 3pl,2rl,6v. IV: Fe: 3d;Ti: 2rl,2v;Mt: 3pl,3rl,6v. Endogyne as in Fig. 7; receptacle (Re) with posteriorly bent lateral edges (Rl), ca 8 times longer than wide and as wide as transverse bar (Tb); dorsal arch (Da) ca 2.5 times wider than long, with rounded anterior edges; transverse bar (Tb) long and thin, ca 15 times longer than wide; posteriorly with pair of diverticula (Pd). Note. The holotype of D. nakhchivanica has four teeth on the median process (Mp), while Armenian specimens have 5-7. We have tentatively considered this as an intraspecific variation. Certain variations in the male palp, some of which depend on the photography angle, are illustrated in Figs 4A and 6A-D.

Female. Habitus as in
Distribution. Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan) and Armenia (new record) (Fig. 10).    Comments. This species is most similar to H. secunda Dunin, 1989, a species restricted to northern Armenia, but can be differentiated from it by the base of embolus (Eb) (slightly and roundly bent, vs sharply bent to about 70°). It is possible that this small difference is only an intraspecific variation; in order to verify this, it is necessary to collect additional material from northern Armenia or examine the type specimens of H. secunda. Furthermore, it is likely that the female illustrated by Dunin (1989Dunin ( , 1992 belongs to another species. All females collected in Armenia and Iran examined here have a longer receptacle, longer than anterior diverticulum (Ad) sensu Dunin (1992), and lack bulbous thickening of the receptacle (Re, Fig. 9D).

Subfamily
Distribution. This species was previously known from only two localities in Armenia: Yerevan and the southernmost part of Kotayk Province. The new records slightly extend the known range of the species to the north, approximately 5° to the east, and around 4° to the south. Additionally, this species is newly recorded from Iran (Fig. 10).