Zoosyst. Evol. 99 (2) 2023, 337-344 | DOI 10.3897/zse.99.104613

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A survey of Dysderella Dunin, 1992 (Araneae, Dysderidae),

with a new species from [ran

Alireza Zamani', Yuri M. Marusik®*, Tamas Sztits*

Altai State University, Lenina Pr. 61, Barnaul, RF-656049, Russia

FW NM

https://zoobank. org/3A62C71E-EFF1-4D12-B7D2-15ED002A9D2E

Corresponding author: Alireza Zamani (zamani.alirezad@gmail.com)

Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, FI-20014 University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa

Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Rottenbiller u. 50, Budapest, 1077, Hungary

Academic editor: Danilo Harms # Received 5 April 2023 Accepted 25 May 2023 Published 7 June 2023

Abstract

The dysderid spider genus Dysderella Dunin, 1992 is surveyed. The genus currently comprises two species: D. caspica (Dunin, 1990)
from Azerbaijan and North Caucasus and D. transcaspica (Dunin & Fet, 1985) from Turkmenistan and north-eastern Iran. Herein,
D. elburzica sp. nov. is described based on male specimens collected in Tehran Province, northern Iran. All three species are illus-

trated and their distributions are mapped.

Key Words

Aranei, Caucasus, Dysderinae, Middle East, Turkmenistan, woodlouse spiders

Introduction

Dysderella Dunin, 1992, a small genus of dysderid spi-
ders, is presently composed of only two known species,
both of which were originally described in Dysdera La-
treille, 1804. The first, D. caspica (Dunin, 1990), was de-
scribed from Azerbaijan (Dunin 1990) and subsequently
recorded from North Caucasus (Ponomarev and Alieva
2010). The second species, D. transcaspica (Dunin & Fet,
1985), was initially discovered in Turkmenistan (Dunin
and Fet 1985) and later reported from north-eastern Iran
(Zamani et al. 2015). In this study, we present a survey of
this genus and describe a new species from Tehran Prov-
ince of Iran. All three species are depicted with illustra-
tions and their distribution records are mapped.

Material and method

Photographs of specimens and their copulatory or-
gans were obtained using a Nikon D300S DSLR cam-

era attached to a Nikon SMZ-800 stereomicroscope, a
Tucsen TrueChrome Metrics microscope camera attached
to a Nikon Eclipse E200 compound microscope and an
Olympus E-520 camera attached to an Olympus SZX16
stereomicroscope or to the eye-piece of an Olympus BH2
transmission microscope. Digital images of different
focal planes were stacked with Helicon Focus 8.1.1. II-
lustrations of the endogynes were made after digesting
off tissues with a Neo PanPur commercial pancreatic
enzyme cocktail pill, clearing the structures in winter-
green oil (methyl-salicylate), then mounting them on a
temperate slide preparation (Coddington 1983). Lengths
were measured without the chelicerae and the spinnerets.
Leg segments were measured on the dorsal side and their
measurements are listed as: total length (femur, patella,
tibia, metatarsus, tarsus). All measurements are given in
millimetres. Geographic coordinates of collection locali-
ties were obtained from the labels (given in parentheses)
or georeferenced using Google Earth (given in square
brackets). The distribution map was prepared using
SimpleMappr (Shorthouse 2010).

Copyright Zamani, A. et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

338

Abbreviations: Eyes: AME — anterior median eye, PLE
— posterior lateral eye, PME — posterior median eye. Spina-
tion: Mt — metatarsus, pl — prolateral, Ti- tibia, v — ventral.

Depositories: MMUE — Manchester Museum of the
University of Manchester, United Kingdom (D.V. Logunov);
ZMFUM — Zoological Museum of Ferdowsi University of
Mashhad, Iran (O. Mirshamsi); ZISP — Zoological Institute,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (D. V.
Logunov); ZMMU — Zoological Museum of Moscow State
University, Russia (K.G. Mikhailov).

Taxonomy

Family Dysderidae C.L. Koch, 1837
Subfamily Dysderinae C.L. Koch, 1837

Genus Dysderella Dunin, 1992

Type species. Dysdera transcaspica Dunin & Fet, 1985,
from Turkmenistan.

Diagnosis. The genus is most similar to Dysdera
C.L. Koch, 1837, but can be distinguished from it by the
smaller size (1.e. carapace < 2.1 mm vs. > 4 mm) and the
spineless legs I and II (vs. spinose in most species).

7

A

Zamani, A. et al.: A survey of Dysderella

Description. Small-sized (i.e. body length less than 5
mm). Pars cephalica very flat (Figs 1C, F, 4C, 6C). Interd-
istance of AMEs smaller than AME diameter. PMEs close-
ly spaced. Legs with few spines; legs III and IV, if spinose,
with only a few spines on tibiae and metatarsi. Gnathoc-
oxae and tarsal claws as in Dysdera. Bulb with a hook-like
posterior apophysis. Endogyne with I]-shaped anterior di-
verticulum and dumbbell-shaped “spermatheca’.

Composition. Three species, including the new one
described here (WSC 2023).

Distribution. From Northern Caucasus (Dagestan)
southward to Tehran Province of Iran and eastward to
southern Turkmenistan (Fig. 8).

Dysderella caspica (Dunin, 1990)
Figs 1A-F, 2A-C, 3A-F

Dysdera kollari: Dunin 1984: 53 (as per Dunin 1992: 71).

Dysdera caspica Dunin, 1990: 143, figs 4.14 (39).

Dysderella caspica: Dunin 1992: 67, fig. 12 (42); Ponomarev and Alie-
va 2010: 12.

Material. AZERBAUAN: Baku Region: 1¢ (ZMMU), en-
virons of Baku, Dyubendy, (40°29'N, 50°13'E), 18.05,

Figure 1. Male (A—C) and female (D-F) of Dysderella caspica: A, D. Habitus, dorsal view; B, E. Same, ventral view; C, F. Same,

lateral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

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Zoosyst. Evol. 99 (2) 2023, 337-344 339

Figure 2. Male palp of Dysderella caspica: A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view; C. Anterior view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm. Abbrevi-
ations: Mo — membranous outgrowth; Ps — psembolus; St-— stylus.

Figure 3. Endogynes of Dysderella caspica (A-F) and D. transcaspica (G): A. Intact, ventral view; B—D, F, G. Macerated, dorsal
view; E. Same, ventral view; F. Reproduced from Dunin (1990); G. Reproduced from Dunin and Fet (1985). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.
Abbreviations: Ad — anterior diverticulum; Hs — head of ‘spermatheca’.

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340

8.06.2003 (Y.M. Marusik); 14192). (ZMMU), Gobustan,
(40°07'N, 49°23'E), 17—31.05.2003 (Y.M. Marusik).
Diagnosis. Male palp of D. caspica is most similar to
that of D. transcaspica, but differs by the relatively short-
er psembolus (Ps) (1.e. length/width ratio ca. 5, vs. 5.4)
and the presence of a membranous outgrowth (Mo). Fe-
male of D. caspica differs from that of D. transcaspica by
the relatively wider anterior diverticulum (Ad) (1.e. almost
twice broader than long, vs. 1.5 times broader than long).
Males of the two species differ also in spination (i.e. 1
spine on metatarsus III and 2 spines on leg IV in D. caspi-
ca, VS. 2 spines on metatarsus II and 3 spines on leg IV).
Description. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 1 A—C. Total length
3.91. Carapace 1.62 long, 1.26 wide. Eye sizes: AME 0.07,
PME 0.08, PLE 0.08. Carapace, sternum, chelicerae, labium
and maxillae light reddish. Legs yellowish orange. Abdo-
men light beige, without any pattern. Spinnerets uniformly
beige. Measurements of legs: I: 4.14 (1.23, 0.76, 0.89, 0.84,
0.42), II: 3.68 (1.10, 0.67, 0.78, 0.76, 0.37), III: 2.89 (0.81,
0.51, 0.53, 0.76, 0.28), IV: 3.90 (1.10, 0.61, 0.86, 0.97,
0.36). Spination: IT: Ti: 1pl, lv; Mt: Ipl. TV: Ti: 1pl; Mt: Ipl.
Palp as in Fig. 2A—C; tibia twice longer than wide,
slightly shorter than cymbium; bulb ca. 3 times longer
than wide, tegular part ca. 2 times longer than wide; ps-
embolus ca. as long as tegular part, margins almost paral-
lel, stylus short, shorter than width of psembolus; middle
part of bulb with triangular membranous outgrowth (Mo).

Zamani, A. et al.: A survey of Dysderella

Female. Habitus as in Fig. 1D—F. Total length 5.44.
Carapace 1.83 long, 1.36 wide. Eye sizes: AME 0.11,
PME 0.06, PLE 0.05. Colouration and spination as in
male. Measurements of legs: I: 6.88 (1.96, 1.07, 1.53,
1.73, 0.59), II: 6.05 (1.69, 1.13, 1.34, 1.37, 0.52), III: 4.83
(1.38, 0.84, 0.84, 1.27, 0.50), IV: 6.69 (1.81, 1.29, 1.48,
1.535.058);

Endogyne as in Fig. 3A—F; dumbbell-shaped ‘sper-
matheca’ well visible through integument; anterior diver-
ticulum (Ad) almost 2 times broader than long, heads of
spermatheca (Hs) globular, spaced by ca. 2.5 diameters.

Habitats. A xerophilous species that inhabits worm-
wood (Artemisia absinthium LL.) and ephemeroid
semi-deserts and can be found under stones, in soil cracks
and within rodent burrows (Dunin 1992).

Distribution. Azerbaijan (Baku, Ganja and Goygol),
North Caucasus (Dagestan) (Fig. 8).

Dysderella elburzica sp. nov.
https://zoobank.org/7DE212D7-1235-446D-BC53-46CB7BF1F41B
Figs 4A-C, SA-F

Type material. Holotype 3 (MMUE), Iran: Tehran
Province: Latian Dam, (35°48'N, 51°08'E), 6—19.6.2000
(Y.M. Marusik). Paratype: 13 (MMUE), same data as
for the holotype.

B

Figure 4. Male of Dysderella elburzica sp. nov.: A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Same, ventral view; C. Same, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

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Zoosyst. Evol. 99 (2) 2023, 337-344 341

Figure 5. Male palp of Dysderella elburzica sp. nov.: A. Whole palp, retrolateral view; B. Same, prolateral view; C. Cymbium and
bulb, posterior view; D. Same, anterior view; E. Same, prolateral view; F. Same, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective, Description. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 4A—C. Total
referring to the Elburz Mountain Range in northern Iran. _—length 3.63. Carapace 1.63 long, 1.19 wide. Eye sizes:
Diagnosis. Male of the new species differs from its AME 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.06. Carapace, sternum,
congeners by having tapering psembolus (vs. psembolus _ chelicerae, labium and maxillae light reddish. Legs yel-
with subparallel margins). lowish orange. Abdomen light beige, without any pattern.

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342

Spinnerets uniformly beige. Measurements of legs: I:
5.30 (1.35, 0.99, 1.27, 1.21, 0.48), II: 5.12 (1.51, 0.86,
1.16, 1.16, 0.43), III: 4.25 (1.22, 0.71, 0.77, 1.04, 0.51),
IV: 5.32 (1.68, 0.69, 1.19, 1.37, 0.39). Spination: III: Ti:
Ipl; Mt: Ipl. IV: Ti: Ipl; Mt: Ipl.

Palp as in Fig. SA—F; femur 4 times longer than wide,
almost as long as patella+tibia; patella and tibia subequal
in length; bulb ca. 3.4 times longer than wide; psembolus
ca. 1.7 times longer than tegulum (in prolateral view); ps-
embolus gradually tapering, with long stylus.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in
Tehran Province, northern Iran (Fig. 8).

Dysderella transcaspica (Dunin & Fet, 1985)
Figs 3G, 6A-C, 7A-J

Dysdera kollari: Ovtsharenko and Fet 1980: 443; Fet 1983: 837 (as per
Dunin and Fet 1985: 298).

Dysdera transcaspica Dunin & Fet, 1985: 298, figs 14 (3).

Dysdera transcaspica: Dunin 1985: 118, figs 5-7 (3).

Dysderella transcaspica: Dunin 1992: 67; Zamani et al. 2015: 340,

fig. la-g (2).

Material. TurKMENISTAN: Balkan Province: 1419
(ZMMU), south-western Kopetdagh, Yoldere (= Eldere)
Valley, [38°31'N, 56°23'E], under garland thorn, 25.05.1982
(N.S. Ustinova); 1 juv. (ZMMU), Aydere Valley, [38°24'N,
56°4S'E], 27.05.1980 (V.Y. Fet). IRAN: Razavi Khorasan
Province: 1 (only palp) (ZMFUM), Torbat-e Jam, Ghad-
er Abad, [35°16'N, 60°37'E], 05.2014 (B. Jannesar).

A

Zamani, A. et al.: A survey of Dysderella

Note. Dunin and Fet (1985) stated that all type se-
ries (consisting of 16 males and 12 females) were de-
posited in ZISP. However, according to D.V. Logunov
(personal communication), the material could not be
located there. Three specimens were found in ZMMU,
consisting of one male, one female without endogyne
and a juvenile.

Diagnosis. See diagnosis for D. caspica.

Description. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 6A—C. Total
length 4.00. Carapace 1.95 long, 1.45 wide. Eye sizes:
AME 0.11, PME 0.10, PLE 0.11. Carapace, sternum,
chelicerae, labium and maxillae reddish. Legs
yellowish orange. Abdomen light beige, without any
pattern. Spinnerets uniformly beige. Measurements
of legs: I: 5.40 (1.45, 1.03, 1.26, 1.24, 0.42), II: 4.75
(Lay, 0:87. L133 1780.41) IT 363° (107-80: 62:
0.68, 0.92, 0.34), IV: 5.00 (1.35, 0.83, 1.16, 1.21,
0.45). Spination: III: Ti: Ipl, lv; Mt: 2v. IV: Ti: lv;
Mt: 2v.

Palp as in Fig. 7A—J; femur 4 times longer than wide
and as long as patellat+tibia; tibia almost as long as cym-
bium; psembolus almost straight, with subparallel mar-
gins, ca. 5.4 times longer than wide, with stylus (broken
in the illustrated specimen).

Female. See Dunin and Fet (1985). Colouration and
spination as in male; endogyne as in Fig. 3G.

Habitats. The habitats of this species range from foot-
hills to low mountains. It can be found in various micro-
habitats, including under stones, within ground cracks
and inside rodent burrows (Dunin 1985).

Distribution. Turkmenistan (Ahal, Ashgabat, Balkan,
Mary), Iran (Razavi Khorasan) (Fig. 8).

Figure 6. Male of Dysderella transcaspica. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Same, ventral view; C. Same, lateral view.

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Zoosyst. Evol. 99 (2) 2023, 337-344 343

A

Figure 7. Male palp of Dysderella transcaspica (stylus broken): A. Whole palp, retrolateral view; B, D, E. Close-up, anteroretrolat-
eral, prolateral and retrolateral views; C, F. Tip of psembolus, retrolateral and prolateral views; G. Cymbium and bulb, retrolateral
view; H. Same, prolateral view; I. Same, posterior view; J. Same, anterior view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

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Zamani, A. et al.: A survey of Dysderella

Figure 8. Distribution records of Dysderella spp.: circles — D. caspica; star — D. elburzica sp. nov.; square — D. transcaspica. Yellow
symbols refer to the type localities.

Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Victor Fet for providing lit-
erature. We also wish to thank Kirill Y. Eskov and Kirill
G. Mikhailov for their efforts in locating and providing a
loan of the studied material of D. transcaspica deposited
in ZMMU. Additionally, we would like to thank Dmitri
V. Logunov for his effort in locating the apparently lost
holotype and paratypes of this species in ZISP. We are
thankful to the reviewers Mikhail Omelko, Maria Nau-
mova and Anna Sestakova for their valuable comments
and suggestions provided on the earlier version of the
manuscript.

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