ASJAA : Vol. 53 (2004) , No. 2 December pp.109-124

Crab spiders of the families Thomisidae and Philodromidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Iran

1) Department of Zoology, National Science Museum
2) Institut für Zoologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität

(Received October 31, 2004)
(Accepted December 5, 2004)

Abstract Spiders of the families Thomisidae and Philodromidae (Arachnida, Araneae) mainly collected in the mountainous areas of Iran in 1978 are taxonomically studied and classified into 21 species of 10 genera. Most species are illustrated and described on the basis of the present specimens. Except for only two species, Xysticus kulczynskii Wierzbicki 1902 and Synaema globosum (Fabricius 1775), already known from this country, 19 species are new records to the Iranian fauna. Of these, 14 species, Tmarus stellio Simon 1875, Xysticus ninnii Thorell 1872 (subsp. fusciventris Crome 1965), X. cristatus (Clerck 1758), X. kochi Thorell 1872, X. gallicus Simon 1875, Oxyptila nigrita Thorell 1875, Heriaeus spinipalpus Loerbroks 1983, Misumena vatia (Clerck 1758), Pistius truncatus (Pallas 1772), Runcinia lateralis (C. L. Koch 1838), Thomisus hilarulus Simon 1875, Philodromus longipalpis Simon 1870, P. cespitum (Walckenaer 1802), and P. emarginatus (Schrank 1803), are previously known to science, while five species are regarded as new and described under the names Xysticus marusiki, X. logunovi, X. pieperi, Oxyptila makidica, and O. lutosa.

Key words Araneae, Thomisidae, Philodromidae, Iran, taxonomy, new species