a new species of the centipede genus hessebius verhoeff, 1941 (chilopoda: lithobiomorpha: lithobiidae) from iran

Hessebius iranicus sp. nov. is described based on 22 specimens from the eastern part of mazandaran province, iran. this species belongs to the genus hessebius verhoeff, 1941, based on the structure of the female gonopods with a massive expansion and projection on the dorsolateral ridge. the new iranian species differs from other congeners by the combination of the following characters: presence of both weak triangular projections on tergite 13 and accessory spines on the 15th legs, and by the number of spurs of female gonopods. it is the first species of hessebius described from the hyrcanian region of iran.