Zaitunia akhanii Marusik & Zamani, 2015

Fig. 15

Zaitunia akhanii Marusik & Zamani, 2015: 129, figs 4a–f (♀).

Diagnosis

Females of Z. akhanii resemble those of Z. persica Brignoli, 1982 by having sinuous tube-like receptacles, but the receptacles of Z. akhanii have two loops, whereas those of Z. persica have four.

Material examined

Holotype

IRAN: ♀, Tehran Province, southern slopes of Alborz Mountains, 35°48.5' N, 51°23.0' E, Jul. 2014, A. Zamani (SMF) .

Paratypes

IRAN: 7 ♀♀, same data as holotype (ZMMU, ZMUT).

Description

Female (paratype)

HABITUS. See Fig. 15 A–B.

BODY LENGTH. 5.20.

COLOUR. Light yellowish, with distinct pattern on carapace and legs: clypeus entirely dark, wide dark median band terminating near fovea; femora I–III with median-ventral spot. Abdomen uniformly yellowish-grey, without darker pattern.

CARAPACE (Fig. 15 C). 2.16 long, 1.60 wide.

EYES. AME 0.09, ALE 0.16, PLE 0.11, PME 0.12, AME–AME 0.03.

ENDOGYNE (Fig. 15 E–G). With one pair of sinuous tube-like receptacles. Receptacles wavy, bent twice, gland pores not distinct in low magnification but easily visible after contrast coloring (Fig. 15 F); pores distributed evenly along receptacle while absent on heads. Receptacles spaced in mid-part by more than 4 diameters.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. Paratype ♀.

Male

Unknown.

Variation

Total body length 4.80‒7.20. Pale specimens may have light clypeus and may lack spots on femora.

Ecology

Specimens were found in large, dusty cribellate webs made around human dwellings.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality in Tehran (Fig. 47).