The agnarid terrestrial isopods (Isopoda, Oniscidea, Agnaridae) of the province of Qazvin, Iran, with a description of a new species

Abstract Six species of terrestrial isopods from the province of Qazvin, central Iran, are recorded. Three species, Hemilepistus klugii (Brandt, 1833), Protracheoniscus ehsani Kashani, 2014 and Mongoloniscus persicus Kashani, 2014, were previously reported from the province. Hemilepistus elongatus Budde-Lund, 1885 and Protracheoniscus major (Dollfus, 1903) are recorded for the first time, and one species, Protracheoniscus sarii sp. n., is described as new. The diagnostic characters of the new species are figured.


Introduction
Several contributions on the terrestrial isopod fauna of Iran have recently been published (Khalaji-Pirbalouti and Wägele 2010; Kashani et al. 2010Kashani et al. , 2011Kashani et al. , 2013Kashani and Sari 2012;Kashani 2014aKashani , 2014b; however, the knowledge on this taxon remains relatively poor. During a survey of terrestrial isopods of the province of Qazvin, a dozen species of terrestrial isopods were collected. In the present study the species belonging to the family Agnaridae are investigated. The family Agnaridae is characterized by possessing monospiracular covered lungs in all five pleopod-exopodites (Schmidt 2003(Schmidt , 2008. Distributed in the temperate and subtropical zones of Eurasia and northern Africa, the members of this family prefer habitats with low humidity (Schmidt 2003). According to the world catalogue of terrestrial isopods by Schmalfuss (2003), the family includes 15 genera, the validity of some of which is questionable (Ferrara and Taiti 1988). Up to date, three genera of Agnaridae, i.e. Hemilepistus Budde-Lund, 1879, Protracheoniscus Verhoeff, 1917and Mongloniscus Verhoeff, 1930, were reported from Iran (Kashani et al. 2010;Kashani 2014aKashani , 2014b and three agnarid species, namely Hemilepistus klugii (Brandt, 1833), Protracheoniscus ehsani Kashani, 2014 and Mongloniscus persicus Kashani, 2014, were recorded from the province of Qazvin (Kashani et al. 2010;Kashani 2014b). Here, we report the occurrence of three more specie, one of which is new to science.

Material and methods
The material of the present study was collected throughout the province of Qazvin. The specimens were collected by hand and preserved in 96% ethanol. Some of the specimens were dissected and the body parts were slide-mounted in Euparal (Carl Roth, Karlsruhe). Drawings were made using a camera lucida fitted on a SaIran ZSM-100 dissecting stereomicroscope and on a Nikon Y-IDT compound microscope. The specimens, including the type material of the newly described species have been deposited in the personal collection of the third author (PCGMK), the Zoological Museum, University of Tehran (ZUTC), and the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran (IRIPP). Remarks. Kashani et al. (2010) reported the presence of Hemilepistus klugii in central parts of Iran, including the province of Qazvin. Here, more localities are presented for the species. This species occurs in semi-arid habitats of the province.

Taxonomy
Distribution. Azerbaidjan and central Iran. Remarks. The presence of Mongoloniscus persicus in western Iran, including the province of Qazvin, was formerly reported by Kashani (2014b). Herein, only the sampling localities for the province are presented.

Hemilepistus elongatus
Distribution. Western Iran. Remarks. This species was recently described from central parts of Iran (Kashani, 2014b). Here more sampling localities for the province of Qazvin are provided.
Distribution. Central Iran. Diagnosis. Head with short lateral and developed rounded median lobes. Male pleopod exopodite I with a truncate apex; endopodite I apex bent outward, equipped with some small setae.

Protracheoniscus sarii
Description. Maximum length of male and female 9 mm. Color brown with the usual pale muscle spots. Body outline as in Fig. 1A. Cephalon with rounded median lobe, protruding from the shorter lateral ones (Fig. 1B). Antenna long, surpassing the posterior margin of pereon tergite II; fifth article of peduncle as long as flagellum, with length: width ratio 6:1; flagellum with two articles, proximal article as long as the distal one (Fig. 1D). Pereopod I carpus with depression on rostral surface equipped with slender scales; propodus narrow and long, proximal part of sternal margin slightly concave with dense small scales, distal part bearing spine setae; pereopods I-VII dactylus with one dactylar and one ungual setae (Fig. 1E, F).
Pereon smooth. Pereon tergite I with rounded posterolateral margin. Noduli laterales on pereonites I to IV distinctly more distant from the lateral margins than those on pereonites V to VII (Fig. 1A).
Male: Pereopods I-III merus and carpus with brushes of setae (Fig. 1E). Pereopod VII ischium triangular, with straight ventral margin, merus and carpus equipped with strong spines on sternal and distal margins (Fig. 1F). Pleopod exopodite I with long hind lobe and truncate distal margin (Fig. 2B); endopodite I straight with apical part triangular, bent outwards and equipped with small setae (Fig. 2A). Pleopod endopodite II slightly longer than exopodite; exopodite triangular with a line of strong setae on outer margin (Fig. 2C). Pleopod exopodites III-V as in Fig. 2D-F. Etymology. The name of the species is after Dr. Alireza Sari, professor in animal biosystematics, the University of Tehran, Iran.
Remarks. Protracheoniscus sarii sp. n. is superficially similar to P. ehsani but differs in lacking the ridge on the dorsal margin of pereopod VII carpus, and the shape of pleopod endopodite I. Ecologically, this species is associated with relatively humid microhabitats.
Distribution. Central Iran.