New records of the huntsman spider genus Olios (Araneae: Sparassidae) from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan

Abstract

Two species of the spider genus Olios are recorded for the first time from the Middle East, namely O. sericeus (Kroneberg, 1875) from Afghanistan and Iran, and O. iranii (Pocock, 1901) from Iraq. Previously recorded species of Olios are shown to be mis-identifications. A comparative diagnosis is provided for these two newly recorded-species. © 2014 Taylor and Francis.