Echemus caspicus sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: CFBF122D-F516-4D05-B4F9-85AD591F4511 Fig. 9 Diagnosis The new species is most similar to the generotype E. angustifrons (Westring, 1861) by having an S-shaped septum (rather than rectangular as in, e.g., E. kaltsasi Chatzaki, 2019 and E. levyi Kovblyuk & Seyyar, 2009) but differs by the much narrower anterior part (or stalk), giving a bell-shaped form to the septum (widened part of septum/stalk of stem ratio>2, vs <1.5 in E. angustifrons, cf. Fig. 9B and Chatzaki & Van Keer 2019: fig. 9). Also, the anterior epigynal margin is equally sclerotized, round and reaches the lateral sides of the plate in the new species (vs extending anteriorly and forming a triangular sclerotization in E. angustifrons). Etymology The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the Caspian region, in which the type locality of the new species in located. Type material Holotype IRAN • ♀; Golestan Province, Shast Kalateh; 36°46′ N, 54°11′ E; 523 m a.s.l.; Jul. 2017; R. Rafiei-Jahed leg.; MHNG. Description Female Habitus as in Fig. 9D. Total length 5.29. Carapace 1.87 long, 1.26 wide. Eye sizes and interdistance of PMEs: AME = 0.14, ALE = 0.13, PME = 0.12, PLE = 0.11, PME–PME = 0.07. Carapace, sternum, labium, chelicerae and maxillae dark brown, without any pattern. Chelicerae (Fig. 9C) with 3 pro- and 1 retromarginal teeth. Legs the same color as carapace, without annulations. Abdomen and spinnerets gray, without any pattern. Spinnerets uniform in color and slightly lighter in the apical segment. Measurements of legs: I: 4.59 (1.34, 0.91, 0.98, 0.76, 0.60), II: 4.26 (1.31, 0.83, 0.93, 0.66, 0.53), III: 4.04 (1.12, 0.73, 0.76, 0.78, 0.65), IV: 5.48 (1.47, 0.86, 1.11, 1.35, 0.69). Epigyne as in Fig. 9A–B. Atrium large (ca 1.8 times as wide as long), wider than epigynal plate’s length, lateral margins distinct; septum thin, stalk 4.6 times thinner than atrium’s width; accessorial gland transverse and as long as receptacles, parallel to copulatory ducts; copulatory ducts transverse, moderately coiled, connected to oval receptacles posteriorly and to accessorial glands. Male Unknown. Distribution Known only from the type locality in Golestan Province, northern Iran. This is the first record of the genus Echemus in Iran.

Published as part of Zamani, Alireza, Chatzaki, Maria, Esyunin, Sergei L. & Marusik, Yuri M., 2021, One new genus and nineteen new species of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Iran, with other taxonomic considerations, pp. 68-114 in European Journal of Taxonomy 751 (1) on pages 83-84, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.751.1381, http://zenodo.org/record/4906007