Theraphosid (Tarantula) Bite Envenomation in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Reported Epidemiology

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  Theraphosid (Tarantula) Bite Envenomation in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Reported Epidemiology ABSTRACT Background Despite the ubiquity of Theraphosidae (tarantulas) in the pet trade, the clinical literature on theraphosid envenomation is heterogeneous, geographically uneven, dominated by selective self-report, and frequently obscured by taxonomic misidentification. Methods PubMed/MEDLINE and supplementary sources were screened against pre-specified criteria for published reports of human theraphosid bites (PRISMA). Results Forty-two reports (1889–2026) entered the primary synthesis: 39 were localizable to 17 countries, one did not state the bite country, and two were international hobbyist compilations. Reporting concentrated in South Asia, in captive-keeper bites in Europe and North America, and in Australia. Among Old World species (native to Africa, Asia, and Australasia), African, South Asian, and Southeast Asian lineages were repeatedly associated with intense local ...

A revision of the open-holed trapdoor spiders of the Teyl damsonoides-group (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae: Teylinae) from south-western Australia

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 A revision of the open-holed trapdoor spiders of the Teyl damsonoides-group (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae: Teylinae) from south-western Australia


Abstract

The open-holed trapdoor spiders of the Teyl damsonoides-group (formerly included in the now synonymized genus Merredinia Main, 1983) are revised, and 20 new species are described from the biodiversity hotspot of south-western Western Australia. The only previously described species, T. damsonoides (Main, 1983), is further re-described and re-illustrated, and molecular data from seven genes for a subset of nine species are analyzed using Bayesian methods. The damsonoides-group of Teyl are unusual for their stunning bi-colored appearance and the bowed morphology of the male metatarsus I, and we here document the known diversity and biology of these little-known spiders.

Michael G. Rix, Jeremy D. Wilson, Mark S. Harvey "A revision of the open-holed trapdoor spiders of the Teyl damsonoides-group (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae: Teylinae) from south-western Australia," The Journal of Arachnology, 51(3), 287-377, (6 December 2023)