Phalangium nalanae sp. n.

(Figs 1, 2)

Type material: TURKEY: Holotype male (GUSAL), Turkey, Hakkari Province, Ceyhanlı village road (37°28’57.5”N 43°33’49.8”E), 03.06.2020, leg. M. Erdek. Paratypes. Two males (GUSAL), with same data as holotype.

Diagnosis: Long legs, leg I not thickened (all legs the same thickness) and covered with large black-tipped denticles (Fig. 2c). Body dorsally with large denticles (Fig. 1a, b). Distal segment of chelicera with long horn-shaped apophysis (Fig. 2d). Pedipalps long, femur dorsally and ventrally with denticles and setae, patella dorsally with denticles and setae (Fig. 2a, b). Truncus of penis wide at the base, slightly narrowing at mid-length and parallel-sided, then slightly widened, tip spoon-shaped; glans triangular-shaped (Fig.1c–f).

Description: Male. Body (Fig. 1a, b) length 4.6, width 3.1. BLI (Body Leg Index): 1.97 (femur I length / carapace width) (Snegovaya 2022). Body medium-sized and oval-shaped in dorsal view. Anterolateral angles of prosoma and ozophores with black-tipped denticles. A group of black denticles in front of eye mound; eye mound with 8–10 black denticles on both sides. The posterior side of the eye mound with transverse rows of denticles. Supracheliceral lamellae smooth, bearing two black-tipped denticles. Prosoma brown. Abdominal tergites with distinct dark brown-to-black saddle marks, with long black-tipped denticles and irregularly spaced microdenticles and light brown spots. Genital operculum, leg coxae and opisthosomal sternites covered with black setae and light brown spots. Eye mound with 8–9 black-tipped denticles in two rows.

Chelicerae (Fig. 2d): Basal segment 0.96 mm long, dorsally with 2–3 tubercles and setae. Distal segment 4.5 mm long, with long horn-shaped apophysis, ventrally and laterally with microtubercles and setae; dorsally with setae.

Pedipalp (Fig. 2a, b). femur 3.8, patella 1.4, tibia 2.1, tarsus 4.4, total length: 11.7. Trochanter dorsally and ventrally with denticles and setae; femur with small distomesal apophysis covered with setae and microdenticles, dorsally and ventrally with denticles and setae, laterally with setae; patella with small distomesal apophysis covered with setae, ventrally and laterally with microdenticles and setae, dorsally with denticles; tibia covered with setae; tarsus with setae and ventrally with black microdenticles in rows; tarsal claw smooth.

Legs (Fig. 2c): long, leg I not thickened (all legs the same thickness). Femur I dorsally and ventrally with long sharp denticles, laterally with denticles; patella with denticles; tibia and tarsus dorsally sparse denticles and setae, ventrally with intense denticles; metatarsus with setae. Length of legs: I: 6.1(Fe) + 1.3(Pa) + 5.2(Ti) + 7.3(Mta) + 8(Ta) = 27.9 mm; II: 9.7 + 1.63 + 8.8 + 12.5 + 17 = 49.63 mm; III: 6.3 + 1.4 + 6.2 + 8.1 + 9.2 = 31.2 mm; IV: 8.4 + 1.5 + 6.8 + 12.0 + 16.4 = 45.1 mm.

Penis (Fig. 1c–f): Truncus 3.2, glans 0.45. Truncus wide at the base, slightly narrowing at mid-length and parallel-sided; then widened subapically and spoon-shaped; glans triangular-shaped, slightly enlarged ventrally.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology: The specific epithet is in honor of Prof. Dr. Nalan YILDIRIM DOGAN (Erzincan Binali YILDIRIM University, Erzincan, Turkey), who has made important contributions to molecular biology studies in Turkey.

Comparative morphological remarks: The new species is most similar to Phalangium armatum Snegovaya, 2005 and can be distinguished by the following characteristics: body with dorsally sparce denticles (densely distributed black-tipped tubercles in P. armatum), eye mound with 8–10 black denticles (10–11 long black-tipped tubercles in P. armatum); pedipalpal femur and patella dorsally covered with denticles, tibia and tarsus with setae (pedipalpal femur and patella with longitudinal rows of black-tipped tubercles; tibia dorsally covered with several black tubercles in P. armatum), leg I not thickened (leg I thickened in P. armatum); glans penis triangular-shaped (glans penis with oval-shaped in P. armatum). The comparison of the new species with other morphologically similar Phalangium species is given in Table 1.