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...

Current knowledge of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Sinaloa, Mexico: species checklist and new records, including the first record of Plexippus petersi Karsch, 1878 for America

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Current knowledge of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Sinaloa, Mexico: species checklist and new records, including the first record of Plexippus petersi Karsch, 1878 for America

Abstract

In this work, we provide the first spider checklist for Sinaloa, Mexico. After reviewing the literature and the examination of spiders collected in Sinaloa, the checklist comprises 31 families, 82 genera, and 118 species. The families Salticidae (17 species), Araneidae (15), and Theridiidae (13) are the most diverse in Sinaloa. Furthermore, we report the first record of the jumping spider Plexippus petersi Karsch, 1878 in America along with twelve state records of spiders of the families Anyphaenidae (1), Diguetidae (1), Filistatidae (1), Pholcidae (2), Salticidae (4), Sparassidae (1), and Thomisidae (2). Furthermore, we provide photographs of the habitus and copulatory organs of all new records.

Alcántar-Valenzuela, J. J., Chamé Vázquez, D., Jiménez, M.-L., & Castañeda de los Santos, G. (2024). Current knowledge of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Sinaloa, Mexico: species checklist and new records, including the first record of Plexippus petersi Karsch, 1878 for America. ACTA ZOOLÓGICA MEXICANA (N.S.), 40(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2024.4012671