From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon

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  From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon By Luis A. Roque | Arácnido Taxonomy When I submitted my correspondence, “When tarantula venom comes from a misnamed spider: The importance of taxonomic accuracy in theraphosid toxinology,” to Toxicon , I hoped it would encourage a broader conversation. The purpose was to draw attention to a problem that benefits from the experience of people working across taxonomy, venom research, and biological databases. Dr. Volker Herzig’s response, “The need for a unified toxin nomenclature for consistent toxin naming,” is precisely the kind of engagement I hoped to see. His contribution acknowledges the importance of identifying venom-source organisms accurately while bringing another essential question into focus: How do we maintain continuity in toxin names when taxonomy and our understanding of toxin function change? Two connected challenges My original correspondence focused on the biological source of venom. In t...

Integrating museum collections and molecules reveals genus-level synonymy and new species in red devil spiders (Araneae, Dysderidae) from the Middle East and Central Asia

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Integrating museum collections and molecules reveals genus-level synonymy and new species in red devil spiders (Araneae, Dysderidae) from the Middle East and Central Asia


ABSTRACT

This paper reviews little-known species of the dysderid spider genera Dysdera Latreille, 1804, and Dysderella Dunin, 1992 based on specimens collected in the Caucasus, Middle East, and Central Asia. After combining molecular phylogeny of five mitochondrial and three nuclear genes with morphological evidence, Dysderella is proposed as a junior synonym of Dysdera. In addition, three species are described as new to science: D. jaegeri Bellvert & Dimitrov sp. nov., D. naouelae Bellvert & Dimitrov sp. nov., and D. kourosh Bellvert, Zamani & Dimitrov sp. nov. Four combinations are proposed: Dysdera caspica Dunin, 1990 comb. rev., Dysdera transcaspica Dunin & Fet, 1985 comb. rev., Dysdera elburzica (Zamani, Marusik & Szűts, 2023) comb. nov. and Dysdera sancticedri (Brignoli, 1978) comb. nov. (ex. Dasumia Thorell, 1875). Furthermore, we report a first record of D. festai Caporiacco, 1929 in Turkey and its male cheliceral polymorphism. Our results illustrate the deficiencies that undermine the current taxonomy of this genus. For example, many species are described based on only one or few specimens or limited locality data. The advancements in DNA sequencing technologies applied to museum specimens reduce the need for fieldwork collection and export of fresh specimens. This highlights the significance of museum collections for improving research in this field.

Bellvert, Adrià, Dragomir Dimitrov, Alireza Zamani, and Miquel A. Arnedo. 2024. “Integrating Museum Collections and Molecules Reveals Genus-Level Synonymy and New Species in Red Devil Spiders (Araneae, Dysderidae) from the Middle East and Central Asia”. European Journal of Taxonomy 921 (1):210-35. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2024.921.2429.