Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5339 No. 2: 29 Aug. 2023
Type: Article
Published: 2023-08-29
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5339.2.2
Page range: 132-158
Abstract views: 359
PDF downloaded: 106

An updated and annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraq

Department of Science / Biology branch; College of Basic Education; University of Sumer; Dhi Qar; Iraq
Departments of Biology; Faculty of Science; University of Zakho; Zakho; Iraq
Zoological Museum; Biodiversity Unit; FI-20014 University of Turku; Turku; Finland
College of Science; Salahaddin University; Erbil; Iraq
Araneae distribution fauna geographical regions Mesopotamia Middle east

Abstract

An updated and annotated checklist of the spiders of Iraq, currently comprising 104 species in 75 genera and 29 families is presented, including six endemic and four subendemic species. Twenty-three records are considered misidentifications and therefore omitted from the checklist. Where possible, the misidentified records are attributed to other species based on their distribution and morphology; as a result of this, three species are recorded in Iraq for the first time: Dictis striatipes L. Koch, 1872 (Scytodidae), Hippasa deserticola Simon, 1889 (Lycosidae) and Latrodectus cinctus Blackwall, 1865 (Theridiidae). The history of studies and the geographical distribution of records are reviewed and discussed. The list is dominated by members of the families Gnaphosidae, Lycosidae, and Salticidae, comprising 15.4%, 13.5% and 10.6% of the total number of species, respectively.

 

References

  1. Abdul-Rassoul, M.S., Al-Jalely, B.H., Al-Nuaimi, K.T. & Al-Anil, K. (2012) First record of red-back spider Latrodectus scelio Thorell, 1870 (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Baghdad, Iraq. Bulletin of Iraq Natural History Museum, 12 (2), 1–5.
  2. Aharon, S., Huber, B.A. & Gavish-Regev, E. (2017) Daddy-long-leg giants: revision of the spider genus Artema Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 376, 1–57. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.376
  3. Ahmed, S.M. & Ahmed, S.T. (2012) First record of three jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Mergasor (Erbil-Iraq). Trends of Life Sciences, 1, 38–43.
  4. Al-Abbad, M.Y.M., Al-Mayah, S.H. & Al-Abody, A.M.A. (2019) First record of the spider Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Iraq, with references to some its biological aspects. International Journal of Biosciences, 14 (2), 498–502. https://doi.org/10.12692/ijb/14.2.498-502
  5. Al-Azawii, Z.N. (2020) Description of New Iraqi Spider Ananeon howardensis (Arachnida: Salticidae) and the Prey Capture Method. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera, 51, 611–615. https://doi.org/10.36872/LEPI/V51I1/301056
  6. Al-Hadlag, K.S. & Najim, S.A. (2015) First record of red-back spider Latrodectus hasselti Thorell, 1870 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Basrah, south of Iraq. Journal of Purity, Utility Reaction and Environment, 4 (2), 91–98.
  7. Ali, H.B., Fadhil, H.Y. & Baker I.M. (2018) Taxonomic and molecular study of the widow spider Genus Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Iraq. Pakistan Entomologist, 40 (1), 25–29.
  8. Al-Khazali, A.M. & Fomichev, A.A. (2021) Description of the female of Berlandina mesopotamica (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 61, 70–72. https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6111
  9. Al-Khazali, A.M. & Hussein, A.N. (2019) First record of genus Gnaphosa Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Iraq. Serket, 16 (4), 161–165.
  10. Al-Khazali, A.M. & Jäger, P. (2019) Cebrennus sumer sp. nov. (Araneae: Sparassidae): first record of the genus in Iraq. Arachnology, 18 (1), 37–39. https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2018.18.1.37
  11. Al-Khazali, A.M. & Khalaf, R.Z. (2022) Larinia chloris and Uroctea thaleri represent new records of two genera for Iraq (Araneae: Araneidae, Oecobiidae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 63, 39–42. https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6309
  12. Al-Khazali, A.M. & Najim, S.A. (2018) First records of Pholcidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum, 15 (2), 179–187.
  13. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2018) The first record of family Agelenidae from Iraq (Arachnida: Araneae). Serket, 16 (2), 60–65.
  14. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2020a) Berlandina mesopotamica sp. nov. (Araneae: Gnaphosidae): new record of the genus in Iraq. Arachnology, 18 (5), 444–446. https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2020.18.5.444
  15. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2020b) Genus Hogna Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Lycosidae), a new record to the spider fauna of Iraq. Serket, 17 (2), 101–104.
  16. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2021a) Stenochilus hobsoni (Araneae: Stenochilidae): first record of the family in Iraq and the Middle East. Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 62, 4–6. https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6202
  17. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2021b) Prodidomus redikorzevi Spassky, 1940 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae: Prodidominae), the first record of the subfamily in Iraq. Serket, 18, 36–39.
  18. Al-Khazali, A.M. (2022) Zodarion lutipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Zodariidae) a new record from Iraq. Serket, 18, 378–381.
  19. Al-Khazali, A.M., Hussen, F.S., Kachel, H.S., Ismail, N.K. & Ahmed, A.I. (2021) Three new and two confirmed records for the Iraqi spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae). Commagene Journal of Biology, 5 (2), 204–207. https://doi.org/10.31594/commagene.1022862
  20. Al-Khazali, A.M., Khalaf, R.Z. & Al-Fayadhi, K.H. (2022) Banded garden spider, Argiope trifasciata (Forskål, 1775), a new record of the family Araneidae in Iraq. Serket, 18, 511–515.
  21. Al-Yacoub, G. & Najim, S.A. (2022) Prodidomus rufus Hentz, 1847 (Arachnida: Araneae), Redescription of Female and New Record of Male from South of Iraq. Commagene Journal of Biology, 6 (2), 240–241. https://doi.org/10.31594/commagene.1118860
  22. Al-Yacoub, G.A.A & Al-Abbad, M.Y.M. (2022) Genus Zelotes Gistel, 1848 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), a new record from Iraq. Serket, 18 (3), 386–390.
  23. Al-Yacoub, G.A.A., Al-Abbad, M.Y.M. & Kareem, D.K. (2021a) First record of Pterotricha kovblyuki Zamani & Marusik, 2018 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iraq. Serket, 18 (2), 186–190.
  24. Al-Yacoub, G.A.A., Al-Abbad, M.Y.M. & Kareem, D.K. (2021b) Pterotricha esyunini Zamani, 2018 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), a new record for Iraqi spiders. Serket, 18 (1), 31–35.
  25. Amr, Z.S. (2021) The state of biodiversity in Kuwait. IUCN, Gland and Environmental Public Authority, Kuwait, xx + 248 pp. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.11.en
  26. Bachmann, A., Chappell, B., Elliott, N. & Matti, N. (Eds.) (2011) Key biodiversity survey of Iraq, 2010 site review. Nature Iraq & Iraq Ministry of Environment, Sulaimani, Kurdistan, 100 pp. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29639.85923
  27. Baker, I.M. & Ali, H.B. (2020) Taxonomical study of spiders (Order, Araneae) from different localities of Iraq. Iraq Natural History Museum Publication, 38, 1–51. https://doi.org/10.26842/inhmp.7.2020.2.38.0051
  28. Baker, I.M., Ali, H.B., & Fadhil, H.Y. (2019) First record of the cellar spider genus Nita Huber & El-Hennawy, 2007 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum, 15 (4), 403–411. https://doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2019.15.4.0403
  29. Bosmans, R. & Van Keer, J. (1999) The genus Enoplognatha Pavesi, 1880 in the Mediterranean region (Araneae: Theridiidae). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 11, 209–241.
  30. Dalmas, R.De. (1920) Liste d’Araignees de Boudron en Asie Mineure suive d’une etude des especes Mediterraneennes du genre Habrocestum. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova, 50, 57–69.
  31. Danışman, T., Kunt, K.B. & Özkütük, R.S. (2022) The Checklist of the Spiders of Turkey, version 2022. Available from: https://www.spidersofturkey.info (accessed 14 January 2023)
  32. Deeleman-Reinhold, C.L. & Deeleman, P.R. (1988) Revision des Dysderinae (Araneae, Dysderidae), les espèces mediterranéennes occidentales exceptées. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 131, 141–269.
  33. Demir, H., Seyyar, O. & Najim, S.A. (2017) Thomisus citrinellus Simon 1875 is a new record (Araneae: Thomisidae) for spider fauna of Iraq. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Doğa Bilimleri Dergisi, 20, 25–27.
  34. El-Hennawy, H.K. (2014) Preliminary list of spiders and other arachnids of Saudi Arabia (Except ticks and mites). Serket, 14 (1), 22–58.
  35. El-Hennawy, H.K. (2020) Segestria florentina (Rossi, 1790) in Jordan (Araneae: Segestriidae), with a list of the known records of spiders from Jordan. Serket, 17 (3), 314–323.
  36. Fomichev, A.A., Marusik, Y.M & Koponen, S. (2018) New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraq. Zoology in the Middle East, 64 (4), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2018.1484018
  37. Hassan, A.I. (1950) The Theraphosidae in Egypt, with a description of Chaetopelma shabati spec. nov. {Araneae}. Bulletin de la Société Fouad 1er d’Entomologie, 34, 159–171.
  38. Huber, B.A. (2022) Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 795, 1–241. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.795.1663
  39. Jocqué, R. (1991) A generic revision of the spider family Zodariidae (Araneae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 201, 1–160.
  40. Jocqué, R., Alderweireldt, M. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, A. (2013) Biodiversity, an African perspective. In: Penney, D. (Ed.), Spider Research in the 21st Century Trends and Perspective. Siri Scientific Press, Manchester, pp. 18–57.
  41. Kachel, H.S., Al-Khazali, A.M., Hussen, F.S. & Yağmur, E.A. (2021) Checklist and review of the scorpion fauna of Iraq (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 61, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6101
  42. Kraus, O. & Kraus, M. (1989) The genus Stegodyphus (Arachnida, Araneae). Sibling species, species groups, and parallel origin of social living. Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg, Neue Folge, 30, 151–254.
  43. Logunov, D. (2015) Taxonomic-faunistic notes on the jumping spiders of the Mediterranean (Aranei: Salticidae). Arthropoda Selecta, 24 (1), 33–85.
  44. Malinowski, J.C. (Ed.) (2002) Iraq: a geography. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, 120 pp. Available from: https://fles.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED476013.pdf (accessed 25 May 2020)
  45. Marusik, Y.M. & Nadolny, A.A. (2021) Redescription of Hippasa deserticola, the northernmost species of Hippasa (Aranei: Lycosidae), with taxonomic notes on other species of the genus. Zoosystematica Rossica, 30 (2), 222–235. https://doi.org/10.31610/zsr/2021.30.2.222
  46. Mizhir, A.H. (2021) New Species of Spiders Prodidomus rufus Hentz, 1847 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in Iraq. International Journal of Animal Biotechnology and Applications, 7 (2), 6–9.
  47. Mohammed, R., Rhadi F., Rastegar-Pouyani, N., Rastegar-Pouyani, E. & Yousefkhani, S. (2017) Zoogeography of lizards fauna from central and southern Iraq with a checklist of Iraqi lizard’s fauna. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 24, 193–201. https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2019-24-3-193-201
  48. Moradmand, M. & Jäger, P. (2012) Taxonomic revision of the huntsman spider genus Eusparassus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Sparassidae) in Eurasia. Journal of Natural History, 46 (39–40), 2439–2496. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2012.707249
  49. Moradmand, M., Mirshamsi, O. & Hula, V. (2015) New records of the huntsman spider genus Olios (Araneae: Sparassidae) from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Zoology in the Middle East, 61 (1), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2014.985505
  50. Najim, S.A. & Abbas, A.F. (2022) New locality data of Stegodyphus lineatus (Latreille, 1817) (Araneae: Eresidae) from Basrah province south of Iraq. Serket, 18 (3), 382–385.
  51. Najim, S.A. & Al-Fayyadh, M.J. (2019) Second record of Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Araneae: Sicariidae) from Iraq. Serket, 17 (1), 7–9.
  52. Najim, S.A. & Al-Hadlag, K.S. (2020) First record of Latrodectus dahli Levi, 1959 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Iraq. Journal of Animal Diversity, 2 (1), 141–145. https://doi.org/10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.6
  53. Najim, S.A. & Al-Hadlag, K.S. (2022) Diversity of spiders from Agro ecosystem of Basra Province. south of Iraq. The Arab Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Arab Institute for Education, Science and Arts, Egypt, 5 (16), 129–156. https://doi.org/10.21608/asajs.2022.262826
  54. Najim, S.A. & Al-Khazali, A.M. (2019) The first record of Crossopriza maculipes (Araneae, Pholcidae) in Iraq. Syrian Journal of Agricultural Research, 6 (2), 548–554.
  55. Najim, S.A. (2019) The first record of long-jawed spider Tetragnatha nitens (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from Iraq. Serket, 17 (1), 10–14.
  56. Najim, S.A., Al-Hadlag, K.S. & Seyyar, O. (2015) A new species of the genus Enoplognatha Pavesi, 1880 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Iraq. Serket, 14 (4), 184–188.
  57. Najim, S.A., Seyyar, O. & Demir, H. (2019) Second record of Hippasa pisaurina Pocock, 1900 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Iraq. Serket, 16 (4), 188–190.
  58. Noori, H. & Al-Azawii, Z. (2022) Description new Species of the Spider Hasarius adansoni (Audouin 1826) (Araneae: Salticidae). Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences, 16 (6), 575–576. https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22166575
  59. Reimoser, E. (1913) Echte Spinnen (Araneae) aus Mesopotamien. In: Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Expedition nach Mesopotamien, 1910. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 27, 505–506.
  60. Schäfer, M. & Breitling, R. (2018) Ein Beitrag zur Springspinnenfauna (Araneae, Salticidae) der griechischen Dodekanes-Insel Rhodos mit der Neubeschreibung von Pseudeuophrys rhodiensis und sechs weiteren Erstnachweisen. Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 55, 64–74. https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit5512
  61. Seyyar, O., Demir, H. & Najim, S.A. (2016) A new spider record of the genus Thomisus Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Thomisidae) from Iraq. Biological Diversity and Conservation, 9, 221–223.
  62. Tikader, B.K. & Malhotra, M.S. (1980) Lycosidae (wolf-spiders). Fauna India, Araneae, 1, 248–447.
  63. Wesołowska, W. (1988) Redescriptions of three species of the genus Icius Simon, 1876 (Aranei: Salticidae). Annales Zoologici, Warszawa, 41, 395–402.
  64. WSC (2023) World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, Bern. Available from: https://wsc.nmbe.ch (accessed 14 January 2023)
  65. Zamani, A. & El-Hennawy, H.K. (2016) Preliminary list of the spiders of Iraq (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnida – Rivista Aracnologica Italiana, 6, 12–20.
  66. Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2022) On a small collection of spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from Iraq, with new species and records. Zoodiversity, 56 (4), 291–306. https://doi.org/10.15407/zoo2022.04.291
  67. Zamani, A., Al-Yacoub, G.A.A. & Najim, S. A. (2022a) New data on Gnaphosidae (Arachnida, Araneae) of Iraq. Evolutionary Systematics, 6 (2), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.6.87158
  68. Zamani, A., Dimitrov, D., Weiss, I., Alimohammadi, S., Rafiei-Jahed, R., Esyunin, S.L., Moradmand, M., Chatzaki, M. & Marusik, Y.M. (2020) New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Araneae), part VII. Arachnology, 18 (6), 569–591. https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2020.18.6.569
  69. Zamani, A., Mirshamsi, O., Savoji, A. & Shahi, M. (2014) Contribution to the distribution of spiders with significant medical importance (Araneae: Loxosceles and Latrodectus) in Iran, with a new record for the country. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics, 10 (1), 57–66.
  70. Zamani, A., Stockmann, M., Magalhaes, I.L.F. & Rheims, C.A. (2022b) New taxonomic considerations in the spitting spider family Scytodidae (Arachnida: Araneae). Zootaxa, 5092 (2), 151–175. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5092.2.1
  71. Zamani, A., Vahtera, V., Sääksjärvi, I.E. & Carvalho, L.S. (2023) The Effect of Sampling Bias on Evaluating the Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Iranian Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Diversity, 15, 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15010022
  72. Zonstein, S. & Marusik, Y.M. (2013) Checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of Israel. Zootaxa, 3671 (1), 1–127. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3671.1.1
  73. Zamani, A. (2023) Spiders of Iran—Systematics, diversity and distribution. Publication No. AII 398. Doctoral dissertation, University of Turku, Turku. Available from: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-9253-9 (accessed 18 July 2023)