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Caprella moradi sp. nov. (Figures 1���6) Types. Holotype: male 6.59 mm. Mouthparts completely dissected and mounted on one slide (Djod village; coordinates: N 25˚28�� 7��, E 59˚ 28�� 20��; intertidal zone), ( ZUTC Amph. 2425). Allotype, adult female 4.69 mm. Mouthparts completely dissected and mounted on one slide (same data as holotype), ( ZUTC Amph. 2426). Paratypes (same data as holotype): 10 males (ZUTC Amph. 2427) December 2010; 41 males (ZUTC Amph. 2428), May 2011; 24 females (ZUTC Amph. 2429), December 2010; 90 females (ZUTC Amph. 2430), May 2011. Comparative material loan. Caprella danilevskii Czerwinski, 1968; three males and seven females (AM P61184) and one male (MV J24131). Description. Based on holotype, male. Head. Lateral view (Fig. 1 Lv) Body length 6.59 mm. Head 0.55 mm, and pereonite1 0.31 mm; head and pereonite 1 fused and showing a suture demarking its boundary; body with numerous fine setae between head and pereonite 1, arranged in four rows on dorsal body surface (Fig. 1 Dv and Fig. 5G); eye large, distinctive; pereonite 2, 1.24 mm longest, following pereonites becoming shorter progressively, insertion second gnathopod in middle; pereonite 3, 1.23 mm; pereonite 4, 1.13 mm; pereonite 5, 0.86 mm; pereonite 6, 0.60 mm, with postero-lateral projection; pereonite 7, 0.55 mm; abdomen 0.12 mm. Antenna 1 (Fig. 1 A1), about 0.46 �� body length; peduncular article 1, 0.79 �� second article, article 2 longest, 1.46 �� article 3; flagellum with 11 articles, subequal to peduncle, proximal article with 3 articles. Antenna 2 (Fig. 1 A 2), slender, 1.14 �� peduncle of first antenna, third and forth articles with long setae, flagellum biarticulate with motor setae (Fig. 5 I). Mouthparts (Fig. 2), Upper lip (Fig. 2 U.L) notched, wider than long, with small setae on anterior surface. Lower lip (Fig. 2 L. L) well developed, finely setose on inner and outer lobes. Mandible (Fig. 2 LMd); left incisor with 4 teeth, lacinia mobilis with five teeth and three accessory setae; some fine setae between accessory setae and molar; molar well developed, truncate; palp absent. Right mandible (Fig. 2 RMd); incisor with 5 teeth and lacinia mobilis with two anteriorly serrated plates, two accessory setae; with some fine setae between accessory setae and molar; molar well developed; palp absent. Maxilla 1 (Fig. 2 Mx1), outer plate with seven stout apical tooth-like setae, distal margin of outer plate truncate with fine setae, palp biarticulate; article 2, with 4 triangular projections at distal margin and armed with five robust, two simple and 10 facial setae, inner margin with fine setae. Maxilla 2 (Fig. 2 Mx2), inner plate with 14 apical setae, one medial plumose seta and some fine setae along inner margin; outer plate with 12 long apical setae and one shorter seta. Maxilliped (Fig. 2 Mxp), inner plate subrectangular and reach to first article of maxillipedal palp, with two stout tooth, six plumose setae and one subapical stout seta; outer plate reach to second article of maxilliped palp, with three stout setae and some setae; palp four articulated; article 1 with three setae; article 2 longest with 12 setae, article 3 with some setae on inner and outer margins, article 4 (dactylus) falcate, distally bifid, inner margin moderately serrated, with one proximal seta on outer margin. Pereon. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 1 G1), basis longer than wide, shorter than propodus, border than ischium; merus and carpus combined, in posterior margin setose; propodus subpyriform, longer than wide with anteriorly submarginal setae, palm slightly convex and dentate, with 1 pair of proximal robust setae; dactylus curved, inner margin serrated, fine setae in outer and inner margins, bifid distally. Gnathopod 2 (Fig. 1G 2), with a triangular projection at the insertion (Fig. 3 Gb2 and Fig. 5 H), basis 0.48�� the length of pereonite 2 and 0.6 �� the length of propodus, with dorsal carina provided with one fine seta; ischium and basis width equal; merus and carpus combined, merus with three distal setae; propodus enlarged, about 2.5 �� width, with fine setae along anterior and posterior margins, palm about 0.4 �� propodus length, proximal part of palm with one poison teeth and two spine-like setae followed by fine setae in three rows and distal triangle projection with some setae; dactylus short, not reaching to end of palm, medially swollen. Gill 3 (Fig. 1 Lv), length 0.46 �� pereonite 3, oval, with some fine setae, about 1.3 �� gill 4. Gill 4 (Fig. 1 3 Lv), length 0.38 �� pereonite 4, oval, with some fine setae, smaller than gill 3. Pereopods 3 and 4 absent. Pereopod 5 (Fig. 3 P 5), well developed; ischium with dorsal carina; carpus with two pectinate setae intermixed with 5���7 cuticular teeth; propodus longer than carpus without grasping spines but with some pectinate setae, dactylus falcate, inner margin serrated, several fine setae along inner and outer margins. Pereopod 6 (Fig. 3 P 6), similar to pereopod 5 but slightly longer. Pereopod 7 (Fig. 3 P 7), length about 2 �� pereopod 5, basis lacking dorsal carina, propodus without robust seta. Pleon. Abdomen (Fig. 3 Abv, Abd and Fig. 5 A-C), with one pair of hooked-like appendages, a pair of lateral lobes and a dorsal lobe. Penis median. Appendages (Fig. 5 C) with four medial setae and several rows of robust setae distally. Dorsal lobe medially cleft, with some proximal setae under appendages. Lateral lobes, thin and shorter than dorsal lobe, armed with a group of setae proximally and four apical setae. Telson (Fig. 3 Abd and Fig. 5 A), semicircular, with two plumose setae distally. Female. Body length (Fig. 4 Lv), 4.69 mm. Head length 0.48 mm and pereonite 1 0.1 mm; head and pereonite 1 fused, with a markedly concaved suture between head and pereonite 1; eye large, distinctive; body with numerous fine setae in four rows on dorsal body surface (Fig. 4 Dv); pereonite 2, 0.75 mm; pereonite 3, 0.92 mm; pereonite 4, 0.83 mm; pereonite 5, 0.63 mm; pereonite 6, 0.51 mm; pereonite 7, 0.42 mm; abdomen 0.05 mm. Antenna 1 (Fig. 4 Lv), 0.45 �� body length; peduncular article 1 slightly longer than 3rd article; article 2 longest, 1.36 �� article 1; flagellum with seven articles. Antenna 2 (Fig. 4 Lv), slender, 1.3 �� peduncle of 1st article, 2nd and 3rd articles with long plumose setae; flagellum with two articles. Mouthparts, similar to males. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 4 G 1), without sexual dimorphism. Gnathopod 2 (Fig. 4 G 2) basis length equal to 2 �� width; merus and carpus combined; propodus enlarged, about 2.5 �� width, with few fine setae along anterior and posterior margins, palm concave, proximal part of palm with one poison teeth, some robust and fine seta along palm; dactylus short, not reaching to end of palm, medially swollen. Gill 3 (Fig. 4 Lv), subequal to gill 4, oval. Oostegite 3 (Fig. 4 Os3), length 1.0�� the width, setose along entire margin. Gill 4 (Fig. 4 Lv), subequal to gill 3, oval. Oostegite 4 (Fig. 4 Os4), length 0.84�� the width with seven setae on anterior margin. Pereopods 5���7 similar to male. Abdomen (Fig. 4 Ab and Fig. 5 D), with one pair of small palp-like appendages armed with one distal seta. Variations. Number of stout seta on outer plate of maxilliped is variable from 2���3. Stout setae on second article of first maxilla is recorded as between 4���6. Some material have long second pereonite, basis and propodus of second male gnathopod and first antenna. These elongated forms are illustrated in Figure 6. These material resembled elongated forms of Caprella danilevskii from Tasmania (Guerra-Garc��a and Takeuchi, 2004) but material of the present study are prominently discriminated by setose body. Female individuals found to have two types of genital pore including material with few (Fig. 5 E) and several setae (Fig. 5 F). Etymology. This species named after the late ruler of the Djod village Mr. Morad Salari who generously helped the University of Tehran biodiversity survey team for many years. Remarks. The new species, Caprella moradi, is the only intertidal member of genus Caprella in the Gulf of Oman (Maghsoudlou et al., 2019). Caprella danilevskii (Czerniavski, 1868) shows the most similarity to C. moradi based on shared characters including; lacking grasping spines in pereonite 5���7, one pair of hooked abdominal appendages in male, short dactylus in second gnathopod. However, C. moradi could be differentiated from C. danilevskii based on smooth body surface covered with fine setae in four rows, curved anterior surface of propodus in second male gnathopod, unequal setose gills, flagellum of first antenna longer than peduncle and equal to the peduncle of the second antenna. The anterior surface of propodus was straight in all records of C. danilevskii except in material from Japan studied by Arimoto (1976). But Czerniavski (1868) in description of C. danilevskii mentioned anterior surface of second gnathopod is straight. The flagellum of the first antenna is shorter than the peduncle of the second antenna, and it is equal to the peduncle of first antenna. In the report of C. danilevskii from Bermuda by Stebbing (1888) and also Barnard (1916) from Cape Town, presence of body setae was reported but without stating their regular arrangement as seen in C. moradi. Barnard (1937) recorded C. danilevskii from the south coast of Arabia but with no information on setation. Diagnostic characters of C. moradi, especially fine setae along body surface, are visible under light microscope but for more details, electron microscopic micrographs are provided. The Black Sea is the type locality of Caprella danilevskii Czerniavski (1868). The life history of this species was carefully studied by Takeuchi & Hirano (1991, 1992). They mentioned that there is no planktonic larva in life cycle of this species or rafting behavior. In the studies of Guerra-Garcia and Takeuchi (2004) and Guerra-Garcia (2004), the presence of C. danilevskii was extended to Australia and Tasmania. However, there were several records of C. danilevskii from geographically distanced localities including; the Atlantic Ocean (McCain, 1968), the Mediterranean Sea (Krapp-Schickel, 1993) and the Indian Ocean (Mayer, 1890). In another study, Guerra-Garcia et al. (2006) mentioned that collected material of Colombia resembled type specimens of C. danilevskii. All of these materials were assigned to C. danilevskii which make its taxonomic status ambiguous; therefore there is a need for a thorough study of world material assigned to C. danilevskii. It seems, emphasis on lacking grasping spines abdominal appendages and short dactylus led to neglect of other characters., Published as part of Momtazi, Farzaneh, Sari, Alireza & Darvish, Jamshid, 2020, New species of Caprella (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Gulf of Oman, Iran, pp. 562-571 in Zootaxa 4853 (4) on pages 565-570, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4853.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/4411131, {"references":["Guerra-Garcia, J. M. & Takeuchi, I. (2004) The Caprellidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Tasmania. Journal o f Natural History, 38, 967 - 1044. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 0022293021000054497","Maghsoudlou, A., Momtazi, F., Nasiri, K., Pazooki, S., Molavi-Arabshahi, M., Sepahvand, V., ... & Khaledi, H. (2019). A review on the state of the biodiversity knowledge on Iran's southern seas: introducing a 11 methodology to evaluate the validity of the reported cases. Marine Biodiversity, 49 (2), 563 - 581. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12526 - 017 - 0835 - 8","Czerniavski, V. (1868) Materialia ad zoographiam Ponticam comparatam. Travaux de la Societe des naturalistes de St. Petersbourg, 1, 19 - 136.","Arimoto, I. (1976) Taxonomic studies of caprellids (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Caprellidae) found in the Japanese adjacent waters. Special Publications from the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory Series III. Nippon Printing & Publishing Co., Ltd., Osaka, 111 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5134 / 176456","Stebbing, T. R. R. (1888) Report on the Amphipoda collected by H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 1876. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 76, Zoology, 29 (Part 67), i-xxiv + 1 - 1737, pls. 1 - 212.","Barnard, K. H. (1916) Contributions to the crustacean fauna of South Africa. 5. The Amphipoda. Annals of the South African Museum, 15, 105 - 302. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 22196","Barnard, K. H. (1937) Amphipoda. John Murray Expedition Scientific Reports, London, 4 (6), 131 - 201.","McCain, J. C. (1968) The Caprellidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of the Western North Atlantic. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 276, 1 - 116. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 8960","Krapp-Schickel, T. (1993) Suborder Caprellidea. In: Ruffo, S (Ed.), The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean. Memoires de l'Institute Oceanographique, Monaco, 13 (3), pp. 773 - 809.","Mayer, P. (1890) Die Caprelliden des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden Meeres-Abschnitte. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel, 17, 1 - 55. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 53624","Guerra-Garcia, J. M., Krapp-Schickel, T. & Muller, H. G. (2006) Caprellids from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, South America, with description of three new species and a key for species identification. Boletin Invemar, 35, 149 - 194. https: // doi. org / 10.25268 / bimc. invemar. 2006.35.0.222"]}

Caprella moradi sp. nov. (Figures 1–6) Types. Holotype: male 6.59 mm. Mouthparts completely dissected and mounted on one slide (Djod village; coordinates: N 25˚28ʹ 7ʺ, E 59˚ 28ʹ 20ʺ; intertidal zone), ( ZUTC Amph. 2425). Allotype, adult female 4.69 mm. Mouthparts completely dissected and mounted on one slide (same data as holotype), ( ZUTC Amph. 2426). Paratypes (same data as holotype): 10 males (ZUTC Amph. 2427) December 2010; 41 males (ZUTC Amph. 2428), May 2011; 24 females (ZUTC Amph. 2429), December 2010; 90 females (ZUTC Amph. 2430), May 2011. Comparative material loan. Caprella danilevskii Czerwinski, 1968; three males and seven females (AM P61184) and one male (MV J24131). Description. Based on holotype, male. Head. Lateral view (Fig. 1 Lv) Body length 6.59 mm. Head 0.55 mm, and pereonite1 0.31 mm; head and pereonite 1 fused and showing a suture demarking its boundary; body with numerous fine setae between head and pereonite 1, arranged in four rows on dorsal body surface (Fig. 1 Dv and Fig. 5G); eye large, distinctive; pereonite 2, 1.24 mm longest, following pereonites becoming shorter progressively, insertion second gnathopod in middle; pereonite 3, 1.23 mm; pereonite 4, 1.13 mm; pereonite 5, 0.86 mm; pereonite 6, 0.60 mm, with postero-lateral projection; pereonite 7, 0.55 mm; abdomen 0.12 mm. Antenna 1 (Fig. 1 A1), about 0.46 × body length; peduncular article 1, 0.79 × second article, article 2 longest, 1.46 × article 3; flagellum with 11 articles, subequal to peduncle, proximal article with 3 articles. Antenna 2 (Fig. 1 A 2), slender, 1.14 × peduncle of first antenna, third and forth articles with long setae, flagellum biarticulate with motor setae (Fig. 5 I). Mouthparts (Fig. 2), Upper lip (Fig. 2 U.L) notched, wider than long, with small setae on anterior surface. Lower lip (Fig. 2 L. L) well developed, finely setose on inner and outer lobes. Mandible (Fig. 2 LMd); left incisor with 4 teeth, lacinia mobilis with five teeth and three accessory setae; some fine setae between accessory setae and molar; molar well developed, truncate; palp absent. Right mandible (Fig. 2 RMd); incisor with 5 teeth and lacinia mobilis with two anteriorly serrated plates, two accessory setae; with some fine setae between accessory setae and molar; molar well developed; palp absent. Maxilla 1 (Fig. 2 Mx1), outer plate with seven stout apical tooth-like setae, distal margin of outer plate truncate with fine setae, palp biarticulate; article 2, with 4 triangular projections at distal margin and armed with five robust, two simple and 10 facial setae, inner margin with fine setae. Maxilla 2 (Fig. 2 Mx2), inner plate with 14 apical setae, one medial plumose seta and some fine setae along inner margin; outer plate with 12 long apical setae and one shorter seta. Maxilliped (Fig. 2 Mxp), inner plate subrectangular and reach to first article of maxillipedal palp, with two stout tooth, six plumose setae and one subapical stout seta; outer plate reach to second article of maxilliped palp, with three stout setae and some setae; palp four articulated; article 1 with three setae; article 2 longest with 12 setae, article 3 with some setae on inner and outer margins, article 4 (dactylus) falcate, distally bifid, inner margin moderately serrated, with one proximal seta on outer margin. Pereon. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 1 G1), basis longer than wide, shorter than propodus, border than ischium; merus and carpus combined, in posterior margin setose; propodus subpyriform, longer than wide with anteriorly submarginal setae, palm slightly convex and dentate, with 1 pair of proximal robust setae; dactylus curved, inner margin serrated, fine setae in outer and inner margins, bifid distally. Gnathopod 2 (Fig. 1G 2), with a triangular projection at the insertion (Fig. 3 Gb2 and Fig. 5 H), basis 0.48× the length of pereonite 2 and 0.6 × the length of propodus, with dorsal carina provided with one fine seta; ischium and basis width equal; merus and carpus combined, merus with three distal setae; propodus enlarged, about 2.5 × width, with fine setae along anterior and posterior margins, palm about 0.4 × propodus length, proximal part of palm with one poison teeth and two spine-like setae followed by fine setae in three rows and distal triangle projection with some setae; dactylus short, not reaching to end of palm, medially swollen. Gill 3 (Fig. 1 Lv), length 0.46 × pereonite 3, oval, with some fine setae, about 1.3 × gill 4. Gill 4 (Fig. 1 3 Lv), length 0.38 × pereonite 4, oval, with some fine setae, smaller than gill 3. Pereopods 3 and 4 absent. Pereopod 5 (Fig. 3 P 5), well developed; ischium with dorsal carina; carpus with two pectinate setae intermixed with 5–7 cuticular teeth; propodus longer than carpus without grasping spines but with some pectinate setae, dactylus falcate, inner margin serrated, several fine setae along inner and outer margins. Pereopod 6 (Fig. 3 P 6), similar to pereopod 5 but slightly longer. Pereopod 7 (Fig. 3 P 7), length about 2 × pereopod 5, basis lacking dorsal carina, propodus without robust seta. Pleon. Abdomen (Fig. 3 Abv, Abd and Fig. 5 A-C), with one pair of hooked-like appendages, a pair of lateral lobes and a dorsal lobe. Penis median. Appendages (Fig. 5 C) with four medial setae and several rows of robust setae distally. Dorsal lobe medially cleft, with some proximal setae under appendages. Lateral lobes, thin and shorter than dorsal lobe, armed with a group of setae proximally and four apical setae. Telson (Fig. 3 Abd and Fig. 5 A), semicircular, with two plumose setae distally. Female. Body length (Fig. 4 Lv), 4.69 mm. Head length 0.48 mm and pereonite 1 0.1 mm; head and pereonite 1 fused, with a markedly concaved suture between head and pereonite 1; eye large, distinctive; body with numerous fine setae in four rows on dorsal body surface (Fig. 4 Dv); pereonite 2, 0.75 mm; pereonite 3, 0.92 mm; pereonite 4, 0.83 mm; pereonite 5, 0.63 mm; pereonite 6, 0.51 mm; pereonite 7, 0.42 mm; abdomen 0.05 mm. Antenna 1 (Fig. 4 Lv), 0.45 × body length; peduncular article 1 slightly longer than 3rd article; article 2 longest, 1.36 × article 1; flagellum with seven articles. Antenna 2 (Fig. 4 Lv), slender, 1.3 × peduncle of 1st article, 2nd and 3rd articles with long plumose setae; flagellum with two articles. Mouthparts, similar to males. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 4 G 1), without sexual dimorphism. Gnathopod 2 (Fig. 4 G 2) basis length equal to 2 × width; merus and carpus combined; propodus enlarged, about 2.5 × width, with few fine setae along anterior and posterior margins, palm concave, proximal part of palm with one poison teeth, some robust and fine seta along palm; dactylus short, not reaching to end of palm, medially swollen. Gill 3 (Fig. 4 Lv), subequal to gill 4, oval. Oostegite 3 (Fig. 4 Os3), length 1.0× the width, setose along entire margin. Gill 4 (Fig. 4 Lv), subequal to gill 3, oval. Oostegite 4 (Fig. 4 Os4), length 0.84× the width with seven setae on anterior margin. Pereopods 5–7 similar to male. Abdomen (Fig. 4 Ab and Fig. 5 D), with one pair of small palp-like appendages armed with one distal seta. Variations. Number of stout seta on outer plate of maxilliped is variable from 2–3. Stout setae on second article of first maxilla is recorded as between 4–6. Some material have long second pereonite, basis and propodus of second male gnathopod and first antenna. These elongated forms are illustrated in Figure 6. These material resembled elongated forms of Caprella danilevskii from Tasmania (Guerra-García and Takeuchi, 2004) but material of the present study are prominently discriminated by setose body. Female individuals found to have two types of genital pore including material with few (Fig. 5 E) and several setae (Fig. 5 F). Etymology. This species named after the late ruler of the Djod village Mr. Morad Salari who generously helped the University of Tehran biodiversity survey team for many years. Remarks. The new species, Caprella moradi, is the only intertidal member of genus Caprella in the Gulf of Oman (Maghsoudlou et al., 2019). Caprella danilevskii (Czerniavski, 1868) shows the most similarity to C. moradi based on shared characters including; lacking grasping spines in pereonite 5–7, one pair of hooked abdominal appendages in male, short dactylus in second gnathopod. However, C. moradi could be differentiated from C. danilevskii based on smooth body surface covered with fine setae in four rows, curved anterior surface of propodus in second male gnathopod, unequal setose gills, flagellum of first antenna longer than peduncle and equal to the peduncle of the second antenna. The anterior surface of propodus was straight in all records of C. danilevskii except in material from Japan studied by Arimoto (1976). But Czerniavski (1868) in description of C. danilevskii mentioned anterior surface of second gnathopod is straight. The flagellum of the first antenna is shorter than the peduncle of the second antenna, and it is equal to the peduncle of first antenna. In the report of C. danilevskii from Bermuda by Stebbing (1888) and also Barnard (1916) from Cape Town, presence of body setae was reported but without stating their regular arrangement as seen in C. moradi. Barnard (1937) recorded C. danilevskii from the south coast of Arabia but with no information on setation. Diagnostic characters of C. moradi, especially fine setae along body surface, are visible under light microscope but for more details, electron microscopic micrographs are provided. The Black Sea is the type locality of Caprella danilevskii Czerniavski (1868). The life history of this species was carefully studied by Takeuchi & Hirano (1991, 1992). They mentioned that there is no planktonic larva in life cycle of this species or rafting behavior. In the studies of Guerra-Garcia and Takeuchi (2004) and Guerra-Garcia (2004), the presence of C. danilevskii was extended to Australia and Tasmania. However, there were several records of C. danilevskii from geographically distanced localities including; the Atlantic Ocean (McCain, 1968), the Mediterranean Sea (Krapp-Schickel, 1993) and the Indian Ocean (Mayer, 1890). In another study, Guerra-Garcia et al. (2006) mentioned that collected material of Colombia resembled type specimens of C. danilevskii. All of these materials were assigned to C. danilevskii which make its taxonomic status ambiguous; therefore there is a need for a thorough study of world material assigned to C. danilevskii. It seems, emphasis on lacking grasping spines abdominal appendages and short dactylus led to neglect of other characters.

International audience; Caspian south-east seashore is currently characterized by a humid plain rimed by sea in the North and Albroz mountains in the south, which isolate this region from the rest of the Iranian Plateau. It is located at the crossroad between Iran, Turkmenistan, and considered as a biodiversity hotspot because of it specific environment and climatic conditions. Palaeoenvironmental and archaeological history of this region during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition is documented by four different archaeological sites, Hotu and Belt Caves excavated in 1949 and 1951 respectively, Ali Tappeh excavated in 1963 and Komishan excavated in 2003 and 2009. All these sites show very heterogeneous faunal assemblages characteristic of both steppic (Gazelles, Saiga tatarica, Equus hemiones, Spermophilus fulvus) and more forested environments (Sus scrofa, Cervus elaphus, Bos primigenius). Moreover, the impact of Caspian Sea fluctuations,known thanks to specific geological features,is also visible in faunal recordswith an important number of sea birds and seals during periods of high sea level. But so far no study focused on microfaunal remains recovered in those excavations except a recent ongoing work on spermophiles. The present work aims to compare the evolution of both large and small mammals’ communities from Ali Tappeh in order to preciseclimatic and environmental changes during Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Taxonomic and taphonomic studies were carried out in order to determine the assemblage’s origin, and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions were performed using indices such as the Habitat Weighting, the Taxonomic Habitat Index and correspondence analyses.

Key to the genus Agamura 1a. Dorsal tubercles keeled; forelimb long; number of transverse ventral scales lower than 32; number of scales between tubercles in a longitudinal row 3 or more; head large;................................................................. 2 1b. Dorsal tubercles smooth; small tubercles present on dorsum of thigh; forelimb short; number of transverse ventral scales higher than 32; head small; number of scales between tubercles in a longitudinal row less than 3; color light brown................................................................................................ Agamura persica 2a. Supralabial scales fewer than 14; number of scales from postmental to vent more than 53 in a longitudinal row; short interorbital distance............................................................................ Agamura cruralis 2b. Supralabial scales more than 14; number of scales from postmental to vent less than 53 in a longitudinal row; large interorbital distance..................................................................... Agamura kermanensis sp. nov.

Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. Holotype. ZMSBUK 712 (ERP 6133), adult male, from Saadi Mountain, Kerman Province, Iran at 30��17��N, 56��41��E and 2035 m elevation, collected on 16 September 2016 by Soheila Shafiei. Paratypes. ZMSBUK 713 (ERP 6135), adult male, collected at the same locality as the holotype; ZMSBUK 714 (ERP 6136), adult female, collected from Sirjan, Kerman Province, Iran (29��35�� N, 55��58�� E, 1911 m elevation); ZMSBUK 715 (ERP 6139) subadult female, collected from Faryab, Kerman Province, Iran (28��10�� N, 57��14��E, 1870 m elevation). Etymology. The name kermanensis is derived from the distribution area of the species in Kerman Province. Differential diagnosis. Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. (Fig. 2) is a large spider gecko with maximum snoutvent length 67 mm. The new taxon is distinguished from other species of the genus Agamura by these characters: A. kermanensis sp. nov. differs from A. persica by having keeled tubercles, transverse ventral scales numbering lower than 32, and the number of scales between tubercles 3 or greater; it differs from A. cruralis by having more than 12 supralabials and fewer than 51 scales from postmental to vent. Background color of the dorsum differs among the species: A. persica and A. kermanensis sp. nov. are light brown; A. cruralis is dark brown (Fig. 3). Scales under the tail are homogenous in both A. persica and A. cruralis (not divided), but A. kermanensis sp. nov. has alternating divided and undivided subcaudals (Fig. 4). Description of holotype (ZMSBUK 712). A medium sized spider gecko of SVL 63.7 mm and tail 54 mm in length. Large postmental scales are arranged between the mental and gular scales. Supralabials 16; infralabials 12; three nasal scales in contact with the rostrum and first supralabial scale; rostral scale divided. Tubercles are sharply distinguished from surrounding scales; one row of scales under the fingers and toes; two precloacal pores; tail segmented, each segment comprising five whorls of scales; distalmost whorl with larger scales; subcaudal scales heterogenous and comprising alternating divided and undivided scales. Dorsal color is light brown with a series of five transverse dark brown bands from the occiput to the pelvic region (Fig. 2). There are nine bands on the dorsal surface of the tail. Paratype variation Female paratypes do not have any precloacal pores, but the male paratype has two precloacal pores. The coloration of the paratypes differs, with both females having a darker background color than the male. Several scale counts in the male specimen show noteworthy differences from females, such as number of scales in widest part of abdomen and number of interorbital scales. Remarks. The newly described species was collected from the southern and central part of Kerman Province at the border of the Zagros Mountains. The habitat of the new species is characterized by xeric climate, with the ground covered with small rocks (Fig. 5) and scattered small shrubs. Artiplex, a plant species with a height of approximately 1 m, was sparsely distributed in the habitat, whereas Artemisia was common. As we found Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. in southern Kerman, it can be assumed that the species��� distribution is limited to the southern part of Mount Hazar, and restricted to the south and east by the Jazmourian Depression. The other two species of Agamura (A. persica and A. cruralis) have wide distributional ranges in the Central Plateau and eastern Iran, but the new species is known only from Kerman Province., Published as part of Yousefkhani, Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian, Aliabadian, Mansour, Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar, Darvish, Jamshid, Shafiei, Soheila & Sehhatisabet, Mohammad Ebrahim, 2018, Description of a new species of the genus Agamura Blanford, 1874 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from southern Iran, pp. 325-331 in Zootaxa 4457 (2) on pages 326-330, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4457.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/1457800

Yousefkhani, Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian, Aliabadian, Mansour, Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar, Darvish, Jamshid, Shafiei, Soheila, Sehhatisabet, Mohammad Ebrahim (2018): Description of a new species of the genus Agamura Blanford, 1874 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from southern Iran. Zootaxa 4457 (2): 325-331, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4457.2.8

Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. Holotype. ZMSBUK 712 (ERP 6133), adult male, from Saadi Mountain, Kerman Province, Iran at 30°17ʹN, 56°41ʹE and 2035 m elevation, collected on 16 September 2016 by Soheila Shafiei. Paratypes. ZMSBUK 713 (ERP 6135), adult male, collected at the same locality as the holotype; ZMSBUK 714 (ERP 6136), adult female, collected from Sirjan, Kerman Province, Iran (29°35ʹ N, 55°58ʹ E, 1911 m elevation); ZMSBUK 715 (ERP 6139) subadult female, collected from Faryab, Kerman Province, Iran (28°10ʹ N, 57°14ʹE, 1870 m elevation). Etymology. The name kermanensis is derived from the distribution area of the species in Kerman Province. Differential diagnosis. Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. (Fig. 2) is a large spider gecko with maximum snoutvent length 67 mm. The new taxon is distinguished from other species of the genus Agamura by these characters: A. kermanensis sp. nov. differs from A. persica by having keeled tubercles, transverse ventral scales numbering lower than 32, and the number of scales between tubercles 3 or greater; it differs from A. cruralis by having more than 12 supralabials and fewer than 51 scales from postmental to vent. Background color of the dorsum differs among the species: A. persica and A. kermanensis sp. nov. are light brown; A. cruralis is dark brown (Fig. 3). Scales under the tail are homogenous in both A. persica and A. cruralis (not divided), but A. kermanensis sp. nov. has alternating divided and undivided subcaudals (Fig. 4). Description of holotype (ZMSBUK 712). A medium sized spider gecko of SVL 63.7 mm and tail 54 mm in length. Large postmental scales are arranged between the mental and gular scales. Supralabials 16; infralabials 12; three nasal scales in contact with the rostrum and first supralabial scale; rostral scale divided. Tubercles are sharply distinguished from surrounding scales; one row of scales under the fingers and toes; two precloacal pores; tail segmented, each segment comprising five whorls of scales; distalmost whorl with larger scales; subcaudal scales heterogenous and comprising alternating divided and undivided scales. Dorsal color is light brown with a series of five transverse dark brown bands from the occiput to the pelvic region (Fig. 2). There are nine bands on the dorsal surface of the tail. Paratype variation Female paratypes do not have any precloacal pores, but the male paratype has two precloacal pores. The coloration of the paratypes differs, with both females having a darker background color than the male. Several scale counts in the male specimen show noteworthy differences from females, such as number of scales in widest part of abdomen and number of interorbital scales. Remarks. The newly described species was collected from the southern and central part of Kerman Province at the border of the Zagros Mountains. The habitat of the new species is characterized by xeric climate, with the ground covered with small rocks (Fig. 5) and scattered small shrubs. Artiplex, a plant species with a height of approximately 1 m, was sparsely distributed in the habitat, whereas Artemisia was common. As we found Agamura kermanensis sp. nov. in southern Kerman, it can be assumed that the species’ distribution is limited to the southern part of Mount Hazar, and restricted to the south and east by the Jazmourian Depression. The other two species of Agamura (A. persica and A. cruralis) have wide distributional ranges in the Central Plateau and eastern Iran, but the new species is known only from Kerman Province.

International audience

International audience; Accurate knowledge of the biogeographic history and precise characterization of the genetic make-up of a taxon are essential to investigate speciation processes and achieve sound evolutionary comparisons. A case in point is the house mouse Mus musculus and its three parapatric subspecies, which have become a model for such studies. However, although Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus musculus constitute genetically wellcharacterized homogeneous entities, the case of Mus musculus castaneus remains poorly documented. Using mtDNA control region variation in a sample of 402 individuals, covering much of the distribution range of this subspecies, we identify four haplogroups that show largely non-overlapping geographic distributions. They appear to have undergone post-Neolithic expansions, presumably through commensalism with humans, but exhibit a much more ancient divergence. These results point towards a strong past subdivision and a vicariant origin of the different haplogroups, with each retaining a subfraction of the total variability. The genomic consequences of this spatial heterogeneity on the present taxonomic partition will have to be appraised, and may challenge the use of this subspecies as a single entity in evolutionary studies.

To assess morphometric interspecific differences, we studied by multivariate and univariate analyses 32 cranial, mandibular and dental variables and four standard external measurements in 84 specimens of the genus Calomyscus (C. elburzensis, C. bailwardi, C. hotsoni and C. grandis) from Iran. Almost all mean cranial measurements in C. grandis were larger than in the other three species, while the opposite occurred for C. hotsoni. C. bailwardi showed the smallest dental measurement. Principal Components Analysis showed seven components with Eigen-Value > 1, explaining 77.08% of total variance. PC1 explained 25.96% of the total variance and clearly separated C. grandis from the other three species. The first two Canonical Discriminant Functions explained 84.4% of the total variance. CDF1 separated C. grandis from the other three species and C. bailwardi from C. hotsoni, while CDF2 separated C. elburzensis from C. hotsoni and, with a little overlap, C. bailwardi. In total, 93.7% of cases was correctly classified. Cluster analysis showed that C. bailwardi and C. elburzensis formed a cluster, to which C. hotsoni was closer than C. grandis. We concluded that a combination of several cranial and dental measures may help to discriminate these four Iranian species of the genus Calomyscus.

Three species of the genus Rattus Fisher, 1803 have been reported from Iran: the brown rat (R. norvegicus), the black rat (R. rattus) and the Himalayan rat (R. pyctoris). The first two were introduced, whilst R. pyctoris is native and lives in mountainous regions from Pakistan to north-eastern Iran. In this study, the mitochondrial DNA from twenty six rats were analysed using a PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction - Restriction Fragments Length Polymorphism) method to investigate inter-specific variation. Part of the 16S rRNA and cytochrome b genes were amplified and digested with three restriction enzymes: AluI, MboI and HinfI. Restriction fragments resulted in four different haplotypes and allowed to distinguish the three Rattus species. Our results suggest that the Himalayan rats are more closely related to R. rattus than to R. norvegicus and provide the basics for further phylogenetic studies. Riassunto Identificazione di tre specie iraniane del genere Rattus (Rodentia, Muridae) tramite PCR-RFLP su DNA mitocondriale. Tre specie del genere Rattus risultano diffuse in Iran: il surmolotto (R. norvegicus), il ratto nero (R. rattus) e il ratto himalayano (R. pyctoris). Le prime due specie sono state introdotte, mentre R. pyctoris è presente nelle aree montane che si sviluppano dal Pakistan all’Iran nordorientale. In questo studio, il DNA mitocondriale di 26 individui è stato analizzato tramite PCR-RFLP per evidenziare variazioni inter-specifiche. Parte dei geni del rRNA 16S e del citocromo b è stata amplificata e quindi sottoposta a digestione tramite tre diversi enzimi: AluI, MboI e HinfI. I frammenti di restrizione hanno permesso di individuare quattro aplotipi mitocondriali e di distinguere le tre specie. I risultati ottenuti suggeriscono che il ratto himalayano sia più vicino a R. rattus che non a R. norvegicus e pongono le basi per ulteriori studi filogenetici.

We report a new karyotype of Calomyscus from two localities of the Khorasan Province (Aghdarband, 36° 11’ 3”N, 60° 44’ 6” E and Khajemorad, 36° 8’ 5” N, 59° 41’ 58” E). Chromosomes were examined by conventional staining and C-banding techniques. The diploid chromosome number (2n) and the fundamental autosomal arm number (FNa) were 44 and 60 respectively. The autosomal set consisted of 12 pairs of telocentrics, 5 pairs of acrocentrics and 4 pairs of sub-metacentrics. Both heterosomes were small telocentrics. Riassunto Un nuovo cariotipo del genere Calomyscus dalla provincia di Khorasan, Iran. Si descrive un nuovo cariotipo appartenente al genere Calomyscus, scoperto in due località della provincia di Khorasan (Aghdarband, 36° 11’ 3”N, 60° 44’ 6” E e Khajemorad, 36° 8’ 5” N, 59° 41’ 58” E). I cromosomi sono stati analizzati con le tecniche standard di colorazione e bandeggio. Il numero diploide di cromosomi (2n) e il numero fondamentale di bracci autosomici sono risultati pari a 44 e 60 rispettivamente. Il set di cromosomi autosomici è composto da 12 paia di telocentrici, 5 di acrocentrici e 4 di sub-metacentrici. Entrambi i cromosomi sessuali si presentano come piccoli telocentrici.