New taxonomic and faunistic data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Iraqi Kurdistan, with an updated regional checklist

Abstract

Based on material collected in the Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Halabja governorates of Iraqi Kurdistan, new data on the spider fauna of this region are presented. Two species, Alopecosa qandilica Zamani, sp. nov. (♂; Lycosidae) and Cheiracanthium kurdistanicum Zamani, sp. nov. (♂♀; Cheiracanthiidae), are described as new to science. A new combination, Dipoenoides schwendingeri (Zamani & Marusik, 2021) comb. nov. (ex Euryopis Menge, 1868; Theridiidae), is established, and a specimen most likely representing the previously unknown male of this species is described. Furthermore, two families, 22 genera, and 32 species are recorded from Iraqi Kurdistan for the first time. Of these, 10 genera and 27 species are also newly recorded from Iraq. An updated checklist of the spider species known from the Kurdistan Region is provided.