Vol. 78 2026

ARTICLES

The First Troglophilic Species of the Genus Ligidium Brandt, 1833 (Isopoda; Ligiidae) from Iran

Mahmood Mehrafrooz Mayvan1, Ghasem M. Kashani2,*, Shaylin Hajikhani2 & Ľubomír Kováč3

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1Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Sádkách 7, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.; E-mail: HYPERLINK “mailto:mahmood.mehrafrooz.mayvan@upjs.sk” mahmood_mehrafrooz@yahoo.com
2Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran; E-mail: kashani_gm@znu.ac.ir, shaylinkhani80@gmail.com
3Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Sádkách 7, CZ-37005 3 3Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik, University, Šrobárova 2, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia; E-mail: HYPERLINK “mailto:lubomir.kovac@upjs.sk” lubomir.kovac@upjs.sk

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb78.4.003002

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Abstract

A new species of the genus Ligidium Brandt, 1833, collected from Danial Cave in northern Iran, is described. Ligidium danialensis Kashani & Mehrafrooz Mayvan, sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from congeners by the male pleopod 2 endopodite bearing a lateral hollow at the apex of its outer margin. It is the first troglophilic terrestrial isopod species described from the Alborz Mountains.

Key words

biodiversity, cave-dwelling, Iran, new species, Oniscidea

How to Cite
Mayvan M. M., Kashani G. M., Hajikhani S. & Kováč Ĺ. 2026. The First Troglobitic Species of the Genus Ligidium Brandt, 1833 (Isopoda; Ligiidae) from Iran. Acta zoologica bulgarica 78.

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