New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt

Posted by
  New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt Abstract This study reports new locality records from Iran and a climate-based habitat suitability assessment for Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt. We document new specimens from Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, with an updated distribution map and illustrations, and we model the species' potential distribution across south-eastern Iran and adjacent parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Habitat suitability was associated mainly with precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, and slope. In an arid setting these rainfall variables are unlikely to indicate a need for moist habitat; they more plausibly track seasonal productivity and the terrain features that provide shelter. Present-day suitable areas...

Spiders from the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve of Souss-Massa region (Morocco), and descriptions of two new species (Arachnida: Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Salticidae)

Posted by

 


Spiders from the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve of Souss-Massa region (Morocco), and descriptions of two new species (Arachnida: Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Salticidae)

Abstract

This study presents a preliminary faunistic survey of spiders from the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in the Souss-Massa region of Morocco covering 39 species across 17 families collected between January 2022 and June 2025. Two species are new to science: Cesonia africana Lecigne #38; Ouakri sp. nov. and Menemerus currens Lecigne sp. nov. Five other species are new records for Morocco, i.e., Nemesia uncinata Bacelar, 1933, Phlegra yaelae Prószyński,1998, Mogrus sahariensis Berland #38; Millot, 1941, Cebrennus laurae Jäger, 2014 and Polenecia producta (Simon, 1873). Several other species, already known from Morocco, are noteworthy taxa, e.g., Aelurillus hirtipes Denis, 1960, Cebrennus rungsi Jäger, 2000, Eresus elhennawyi Řezáč, Vaněk #38; Střeštík, 2023, Oecobius machadoi Wunderlich, 1995, Olios pictus (Simon, 1885) and Steatoda ingeae Van Keer, 2024. The following new synonym is proposed: Zelotes oryx (Simon, 1880) = Zelotes tragicus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) syn. nov. Our findings expand our knowledge of Moroccan spiders and highlight the biodiversity of historically poorly studied habitats, thus warranting further, targeted research.

Ouakri, N., Lecigne, S., Abou Oualid, J., & Dugon, M. (2026). Spiders from the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve of Souss-Massa region (Morocco), and descriptions of two new species (Arachnida: Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Salticidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 1051(1), 1–50. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1051.3261