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...

New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraqi Kurdistan, with new species and records

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New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraqi Kurdistan, with new species and records

Abstract

Based on a series of specimens collected between 2021 and 2023, this study presents new data on spiders of Iraqi Kurdistan. Despite the small size of the collection (i.e., 74 specimens), the material was found to include five species new to science, which are described and illustrated in this paper: Dysdera goyzha sp. n. (♂♀; Sulaymaniyah) [Dysderidae], D. kurdistanica sp. n. (♂; Sulaymaniyah) [Dysderidae], Palpimanus garmiyanus sp. n. (♂; Sulaymaniyah) [Palpimanidae], Tegenaria sorani sp. n. (♂; Erbil) [Agelenidae], and Zelotes hazarmerdensis sp. n. (♀; Sulaymaniyah) [Gnaphosidae]. Two families (Cheiracanthiidae; Zoropsidae), eleven genera (Agalenatea Archer, 1951 [Araneidae]; Cheiracanthium C.L. Koch, 1839 [Cheiracanthiidae]; Drassodes Westring, 1851 [Gnaphosidae]; Gibbaranea Archer, 1951 [Araneidae]; Mesiotelus Simon, 1897 [Liocranidae]; Micrommata Latreille, 1804 [Sparassidae]; Porrhoclubiona Lohmander, 1944 [Clubionidae]; Rhysodromus Schick, 1965 [Philodromidae]; Steatoda Sundevall, 1833 [Theridiidae]; Trochosa C.L. Koch, 1847 [Lycosidae]; Zoropsis Simon, 1878 [Zoropsidae]) and 18 species are recorded in Iraq for the first time, and five species are newly reported from the Kurdistan Region.

Zamani, A., Khudhur, F. A. & Marusik, Y. M. (2024). New data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Iraqi Kurdistan, with new species and records. Zootaxa 5492(2): 260-278. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5492.2.6