Oecobius melanocephalus Zamani & Marusik 2023, sp. n.
Creators: name: Zamani, Alireza
name: Marusik, Yuri M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Oecobiidae
Oecobius
Oecobius melanocephalus

description: Oecobius melanocephalus sp. n.
(Figures 1G, H, 3A‒D)
Oecobius ferdowsii: Zamani et al. 2017: 333, fig. 3A‒D (♀). – Zamani and Bosselaers 2020: 42, fig. 3A (♀).
Type material
Holotype ♀ (ZMFUM), IRAN: Razavi Khorasan Province: Mashhad, 36.383333°N, 59.383333° E, 20 June 2015 (M. Hatami) [mismatched paratype of O. ferdowsii].
Additional material examined
IRAN: Tehran Province: 1♀ (AZMI), Varamin-Pakdasht Rd., wheat field, Water Pump station, 16 April 2001 (A. Bahramishad); Lorestan Province: 1♀ (MHNG), Ma̍mulan, 33.377778°N, 47.960417°°, 6 August 1973 (A. Senglet); 1♀ (MHNG), Tang-e-Malavi, 33.263361°N, 47.76225°E, 24 June 1974 (A. Senglet); Semnan Province: 1♀ (ZUCT), road to Shahrud, 36.306417°N, 54.794722°E, 17 May 2016 (A. Zamani).
Etymology
The specific epithet refers to the characteristic black colouration of the carapace in this species.
Diagnosis
The new species differs from all its congeners occurring in the region, except for O. rhodiensis Kritscher, 1966, by having a uniformly dark carapace. The new species differs from O. rhodiensis by dark sternum and venter of abdomen (vs light). The epigyne of the new species is somewhat similar to that of O. fahimii Zamani and Marusik, 2018 in the similar position of the sclerotised capsules, but differs by a relatively longer posterior part of ‘scape̍(Sc), ‘hoods̍ (H) longer than scape is wide, and round sclerotised capsules (Cs) (vs ‘scape̍ wider than ‘hoods̍, sclerotised capsules oval; see Figure 3A–D).
Description
Female (measurements from Zamani et al. 2017, p. 335). Habitus as in Figure 1G, H. Total length 2.58. Carapace 0.88 long, 1.00 wide. Eye sizes: AME: 0.08, ALE: 0.09, PLE: 0.04, PME: 0.13. Carapace and sternum uniformly black. Chelicerae, labium, and maxillae dark brown. Legs pale yellowish brown, with distinct annulations. Abdomen black, dorsally mottled with guanine patches and bearing black median band and submedian patches, ventrally slightly lighter, with three light brown longitudinal stripes. Spinnerets slightly lighter than abdomen, uniformly coloured. Measurements of leg I: 2.77 (0.78, 0.28, 0.56, 0.62, 0.53).
Epigyne as in Figure 3A, B; epigynal plate oval, ca 1.3 times wider than long; with distinct, as long as wide ‘scape̍ (Sc), and pair of ‘hoods̍ (H), twice wider than ‘scape̍; sclerotised capsules (Cs) round, separated by ca 3 diameters; receptacles (Re, poorly distinct in Figure 3B) oval, transversal, each shorter than half of epigynal plate width.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution
Known from Lorestan, Tehran, Semnan and Razavi Khorasan provinces, south-western to north-eastern Iran (Figure 9).
Comments
This species was initially described as the female of O. ferdowsii Mirshamsi, Zamani and Marusik, 2017. This is herein considered a mismatch: not only are there striking differences in the colouration pattern between the two species (compare Zamani et al. 2017, fig. 2A, B and 3A, B), but the results of ongoing research on Central Asian Oecobiinae also indicate that O. ferdowsii should be classified within a separate genus. The females of this currently undescribed genus exhibit a completely different conformation of epigyne and vulva compared to those of O. melanocephalus sp. n.
description: Published as part of Zamani, Alireza & Marusik, Yuri M., 2023, New species and records of Oecobius Lucas, 1846 (Araneae: Oecobiidae) from Iran and Azerbaijan, pp. 1693-1709 in Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) (J. Nat. Hist.) 57 (37 - 40) on pages 1697-1698, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2023.2272356, http://zenodo.org/record/10491656