When Tarantula Venom Comes from a Misnamed Spider: The Importance of Taxonomic Accuracy in Theraphosid Toxinology

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  When Tarantula Venom Comes from a Misnamed Spider: The Importance of Taxonomic Accuracy in Theraphosid Toxinology I am very happy to share my most recent publication in Toxicon. This is a particularly meaningful publication for me because it brings together two areas that have become an important part of my work and personal interests: tarantulas and toxinology. At first glance, taxonomy and venom research may seem like two very different fields. In reality, they are closely connected. Before we can properly study the venom of a spider, we need to know which spider we are actually studying. Why the Name Matters A scientific name is much more than a label attached to an animal. It connects that animal to everything we report about it, including its biology, distribution, behavior, venom, toxins, and even its potential medical importance. When a tarantula is incorrectly identified, or when an outdated name continues to be used without considering changes in taxonomy, the problem ca...

A new species of Hadruroides Pocock, 1893 from Peru (Scorpiones: Caraboctonidae)

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A new species of Hadruroides Pocock, 1893 from Peru (Scorpiones: Caraboctonidae)

Abstract

A new species belonging to the genus Hadruroides Pocock, 1893 (family Caraboctonidae Kraepelin, 1905) is described on the basis of specimens collected in Apurimac region in Southern Peru. H. (Lourencoides) apu sp. n. appears to be related to H. (L.) mauryi Francke & Soleglad, 1980 and H. (L.) bustamantei Ochoa & Chaparro, 2008 but can be distinguished notably by a smaller size, different pigmentation pattern, reduced granulation, lower pectinal tooth count, metasoma with only the first segment wider than long and pedipalp chela slenderer in male and broader in female with fixed finger straight without proximal gap between fingers in both sexes. This new taxon represents the 18th known species of the genus Hadruroides reported from Peru and the 23rd species of the subgenus Lourencoides Rossi, 2014. The total number of Hadruroides species is now raised to 25.

Eric Ythier, Wilson R. Lourenço. A new species of Hadruroides Pocock, 1893 from Peru (Scorpiones: Caraboctonidae). Faunitaxys, 2023, 11 (76), pp.1-7. ⟨10.57800/faunitaxys-11(76)⟩. ⟨hal-04299577⟩