Mehrafrooz Mayvan M.1, Kashani G.M.2*, Hajikhani Sh.2, Kováč L.1 2026. Terrestrial isopods from the caves of northeastern Iran (Isopoda: Oniscidea) with a redescription of Protracheoniscus turcomanicus Borutzky, 1945 // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.35. No.2: 175–181 [in English].
1 Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Sádkách 7, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
* Corresponding author
Mahmood Mehrafrooz Mayvan: mahmood.mehrafrooz.mayvan@upjs.sk ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7494-0981
Ghasem M. Kashani: kashani_gm@znu.ac.ir, gmkashani@gmail.com ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0806-6202
Shaylin Hajikhani: shaylinkhani80@gmail.com ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5071-1988
Ĺubomir Kováč: lubomir.kovac@upjs.sk ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8194-2128
doi: 10.15298/arthsel.35.2.05
ABSTRACT. Based on recent speleobiological surveys in the Kopet Dagh mountain range in northeastern Iran, we examined terrestrial isopods collected from three caves in the Kopet Dagh sector of the Eastern Alborz Mountains, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Two trogloxene species were identified: Protracheoniscus major (Dollfus, 1903) and P. turcomanicus Borutzky, 1945; the latter is recorded from Iran for the first time. A redescription of P. turcomanicus based on holotype and other material, is provided, with diagnostic morphological characters and notes on habitat and cave-specific occurrence.
KEY WORDS: Agnaridae, Alborz, biodiversity, cave, Iran, subterranean habitat, taxonomy, Turkmenistan, woodlice.