Venomics of the six-eyed sand spider, Sicarius rugosus (Araneae: Sicariidae), from the neotropical dry forest of Costa Rica

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  Venomics of the six-eyed sand spider, Sicarius rugosus (Araneae: Sicariidae), from the neotropical dry forest of Costa Rica Abstract Background Sicarius rugosus , the only member of the genus that inhabits Central America, is phylogenetically related to South American  Sicarius  spiders. These originated from a common ancestor with sister African species. Like  Loxosceles ,  Sicarius  exhibits venom phospholipase D activity due to a group of toxins known collectively as SicTox. Methods A gel-assisted, bottom-up, proteomic analysis was performed to characterize the venom composition of  S. rugosus . Hyaluronidase activity was determined using zymography. Results We identified several SicTox sequences, all classified as β-clade paralogs and sharing unique peptides with proteins from  S. patagonicus ,  S. peruensis,  and other species. Enzymes such as metalloproteinases, including putative astacins, carboxypeptidases, and angiotensin-conv...

Small stream floodplains have high conservation value for riparian carabid beetles but less for ground-dwelling spiders

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Small stream floodplains have high conservation value for riparian carabid beetles but less for ground-dwelling spiders

Abstract

  1. Floodplains along rivers and streams are characterised by a high habitat heterogeneity and a large biodiversity. However, floodplains are highly threatened by anthropogenic activities such as channelisation and bank enforcement of watercourses. While floodplains along rivers are well known for their importance for riparian biodiversity, the conservation value of floodplains along small streams is less understood.
  2. We studied carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and ground-dwelling spiders (Arachnida: Aranea) along forested small streams (~ up to 5 m width) in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). We investigated 16 pairs of floodplains (natural stream sites with shallow bank and regular flooding events) and controls (deeply cut stream sites without regular flooding), where we sampled carabid beetles and spiders at different distances to the stream bank (0, 5 and 10 m).
  3. We found that floodplains along small streams had contrasting value for carabid beetles and ground-dwelling spiders. For carabid beetles, we observed several typical floodplain species and distinct species assemblages and 2.7 times more individuals across species of conservation concern in floodplain sites. Moreover, species richness and total number of individuals of carabid beetles were highest directly at the stream bank (0 m distance) of floodplains compared with the more distant locations, while the opposite was found for the control stream sites. The spider composition also differed between floodplains and control steam sites, but only one typical floodplain species was detected. Species richness and number of individuals in ground-dwelling spiders were lower in floodplains than in control stream sites.
  4. We conclude that the conservation value of floodplains of small streams is taxa-dependent and that they appear less relevant for ground-dwelling spiders but provide important habitats for riparian carabid beetles.
Bauspiess, P., Kolb, S., Joschko, T. J., Schulz, R., & Schirmel, J. Small stream floodplains have high conservation value for riparian carabid beetles but less for ground-dwelling spiders. Insect Conservation and Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12759