The spider genus Pterotricha Kulczyński, 1903 (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Spiders of the gnaphosid genus Pterotricha Kulczyński, 1903 occurring in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are surveyed on the basis of a large collection deposited in the American Museum of Natural History. Within the examined material, six species were recognized, four of which are described as new to science: P.arabicasp. n. (♂♀), P.esyuninisp. n. (♂), P.nadolnyisp. n. (♂) and P.stevensisp. n. (♂), and two are newly recorded for the fauna of the UAE: P.dalmasi Fage, 1929 (hitherto known from Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Iran) and P.kovblyuki Zamani & Marusik, 2018 (hitherto known only from Iran). Illustrations for all treated species and a map of collection localities are provided.