A new species of Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 from Iran, with a key to the western Asian species (Crustacea, Isopoda, Stenasellidae)

Valiallah Khalaji-Pirbalouty; Yaser Fatemi; Mohammad Javad Malek-Hosseini; Matjaž Kuntner

doi:10.3897/zookeys.766.23239

A new species of Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 from Iran, with a key to the western Asian species (Crustacea, Isopoda, Stenasellidae)

Zookeys. 2018 Jun 13:(766):39-50. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.766.23239. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Valiallah Khalaji-Pirbalouty¹, Yaser Fatemi², Mohammad Javad Malek-Hosseini^{3

4

5}, Matjaž Kuntner^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Zoology, Faculty of Basic science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.
² Young Researchers and Elite Club, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
³ Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
⁴ Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Biological Institute ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
⁵ Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Abstract

A new stenasellid isopod is described from Tashan Cave, Khuzestan Province, south-west Iran, belonging to the genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897. The first recorded species of Stenasellidae from Iran, Stenasellus tashanicussp. n., is diagnosed by the presence of antennae with a minute squama bearing paired, long, robust setae; a maxilliped endite with six coupling hooks; and slender appendix masculina with an acute apex. A revised generic diagnosis is provided with a key to the six known western Asian Stenasellus species.

Keywords: Iran; Stenasellidae; Stenasellus; Stygobitic; Tashan Cave.