Letter: Description of Two Cases of Spider Bites Attributed to Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae, Sicariidae) in Albania

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  Letter: Description of Two Cases of Spider Bites Attributed to Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae, Sicariidae) in Albania Fewer than 0.5% of spider species are medically significant, with the genus  Loxosceles  responsible for most dermonecrotic envenomings. 1 , 2  In the Mediterranean,  Loxosceles rufescens  is the primary species associated with loxoscelism. 2  This synanthropic spider thrives in human dwellings, typically biting only when inadvertently provoked. 1 , 3 , 4  Its venom, containing sphingomyelinase D, triggers local inflammation and necrosis, 1 , 5  and rarer the acute localized exanthematous pustulosis. 6  Diagnosis is often challenged by initial painlessness, leading to frequent misidentification as bacterial infections. 2 , 4 , 5  These cases in Albania highlight the need for improved clinical recognition of regional spider-bite occurrences. 7 Two cases were retrospectively documented via interviews and photos. Infor...

Description of a new Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 species (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador

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Description of a new Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 species (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador

Abstract

A new species of Theraphosidae, genus Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 is described from the Chocó region of Ecuador, Psalmopoeus pristirana n. sp. (male and female). The identity of the female of the recently described Psalmopoeus satanas Peñaherrera-R. & León-E., 2023 is discussed. Images of Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus Pocock, 1903 are given for comparison and a distribution map of all Ecuadorian Psalmopoeus species is presented.

Dupérré, N. & Tapia, E. (2024b). Description of a new Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 species (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador. Zootaxa 5437(4): 495-509. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5437.4.3