Five new spider species discovered in Kurdistan Region by University of Sulaimani
Remarkably, these species have been named with Kurdish identifiers, further enhancing the cultural significance of the discovery: Dysdera kurdistanica, Dysdera goyzha, Palpimanus garmiyanus, Tegenaria sorani, and Zelotes hazarmerdensis.
Erbil (Kurdistan24) – University of Sulaimani has announced the groundbreaking discovery of five new species of spiders in the Kurdistan Region, marking a significant contribution to the global catalog of spider species.
According to a statement from the university, these newly discovered species have been registered with a unique code on the zoobank.org website, ensuring their recognition in the scientific community.
Remarkably, these species have been named with Kurdish identifiers, further enhancing the cultural significance of the discovery.
Farhad Ahmad Kheder, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at University of Sulaimani 's Faculty of Science, shared that the spiders were found in various regions of the Kurdistan Region, particularly around Sulaimani and its neighboring areas.
In collaboration with Mendel University in the Czech Republic, Altai State University in Russia, and under the supervision of Dr. Ali Reza Zamani from the University of Turku in Finland, these findings were published in the esteemed scientific journal ZOOTAXA.
Kheder further explained that the scientific names of these newly discovered species reflect their Kurdish origins: Dysdera kurdistanica, Dysdera goyzha, Palpimanus garmiyanus, Tegenaria sorani, and Zelotes hazarmerdensis. These names honor the regions and cultural heritage of Kurdistan.
The discovery of these species adds to the more than 51,600 known spider species globally.
As new species continue to be uncovered in various parts of the world, the addition of these Kurdish spiders enriches the global biodiversity record and highlights the unique ecological landscape of the Kurdistan Region.