Jumping Spiders, Salticidae, are the largest family of Spiders, with about 5800 described species in 600 genera, roughly 13% of all described species. They are noted for their exceptional vision, possibly the best of any Arthropods, which is used in hunting, with these Spiders being active hunters that stalk their prey before catching it with a final leap, as well as in mating, with many species having evolved elaborate courtship rituals. The genus Evarcha currently contains 89 species from across the globe, though it may be paraphyletic (i.e. the members of the genus may not all be descended from a single common ancestor). These Spiders tend to be dull in colour, and favour low plants in moist areas.
In a paper published in the journal Peckhamia on 30 April 2017, Alireza Zamani of the Department of Animal Biology at the University of Tehran, Amin Hosseinpour of the Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, and Koroush Azizi and Aboozar Soltani of the Research Center for Health Sciences at the Institute of Health and Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, describe a new species of Evarcha from the Zagros Mountains of southwest Iran.
The new species is named Evarcha dena, in reference to Mount Dena, a prominent landmark in the area where the species was discovered. The species is described from two male specimens, one found close to the village of Rahmali in Kabgian District, and the other in the Park-e Jangali forest park, both in the province of Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad. These are slightly over 8 mm in length, with oval abdomens, and are black in colour with a row of grey hair along their medial line.
Evarcha dena, male. (A) Dorsal view. (B) Ventral view. (C) Prosoma, frontal view. Zamani et al. (2017).
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