Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq

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  Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq Abstract This study presents new distributional data for three wolf spider species (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Diyala Province in eastern Iraq. Specimens were gathered from different districts and habitats between July 2025 and June 2026. The species Arctosa tbilisiensis Mcheidze, 1946, Lycosa piochardi Simon, 1876, and Wadicosa fidelis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) are recorded for the first time in Diyala, extending their known ranges within Iraq. The paper describes key diagnostic morphological features and includes information about the examined specimens and their local distributions. These findings improve knowledge of the distribution of Iraqi Lycosidae and reveal that Diyala Province, despite its habitat variety, remains insufficiently studied. The records serve as a valuable baseline for future taxonomic, faunistic, and ecological research on spiders i...

New species and records of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iraq

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New species and records of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iraq

Abstract

Newly taxonomic and faunistic data on five ground spiders (Gnaphosidae) in Iraq are provided. Talanites gilgamesh sp. nov. is described as a new species, according to two females collected from Thi Qar Province. Minosia simeonica Levy, 1995 and Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 are reported from Iraq for the first time, representing two new generic records for the fauna of this country. Additionally, new localities are reported for T. sumericus Zamani & Marusik, 2022 and Minosiella intermedia Denis, 1958. Photographic documentation of specimens, including their copulatory organs and habitats, is provided alongside mapped records detailing the known distribution of the species.

Al-Khazali, Azhar Mohammed. 2024. “New Species and Records of Ground Spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iraq”. Ecologica Montenegrina 77 (August):12-23. https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2024.77.2.