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New faunistic and taxonomic data are provided for 18 families of Iranian spiders. Four species, Cryptodrassus liyanicus Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, Bushehr Province; Gnaphosidae), Mesiotelus khorasanicus Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♂♀, Razavi Khorasan Province; Liocranidae), Nurscia minuscula Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, West Azerbaijan Province; Titanoecidae) and Talanites farsensis Zamani & Marusik, sp. n. (♀, Fars Province; Gnaphosidae), are described as new to science. Clubiona liachviana Mcheidze, 1997 stat. reval. (Clubionidae) is removed from the synonymy with C. alpicola Kulczyński, 1882 and is reported from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan for the first time; additionally, its previously unknown male is described. The genus Kishidaia Yaginuma, 1960 (Gnaphosidae) and a total of 10 species are recorded in Iran for the first time, and new provincial records are provided for 20 species. Two specimens from Iraq are also reported. Considering the results of this paper, the number of species of spiders known from Iran is increased to 980 species in 329 genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the growing alignment between Tajikistan and Iran within the analytical framework of omnibalancing developed by Steven David. It argues that the regime of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has been pursuing closer relations with Tehran in an effort to balance threats at the system, regional and domestic levels. While cultural factors and affinity based on the idea of Aryanism may have contributed to the rapprochement between Tajikistan and Iran, in the final analysis Rahmon's foreign policy decision-making has been driven by realism and pragmatism. There are limits to the Tajik–Iranian alignment which is not likely to evolve into a formal alliance in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents characteristics of the habitats of Melitaea gina Higgins, 1941 and describes the behavior of adults under natural conditions, their host plant, egg chorion, caterpillars, and pupa morphology. The morphology of the early stages and the taxonomy of M. gina are discussed.

This article presents characteristics of the habitats and flying period of Melitaea timandra Coutsis et Oorschot, 2014 and describes the behavior of the adults under natural conditions, their food plant, egg chorion morphology, and caterpillars of the first and senior instars. In addition, a larval parasitoid is identified as Cotesia sp., and the possible development cycle of M. timandra is described.

A new species, recently misinterpreted as Callophrys mystaphia Miller, 1913, Callophrys mystaphioides Krupitsky & Kolesnichenko sp. n., is described from Central Iran (Esfahan Province). The new species differs from C. mystaphia in the combination of external characters and morphology of genitalia. Possible relations of C. mystaphia--species group with other Palaearctic Callophrys are discussed.