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...

A new dwarf theraphosid spider species of the genus Phlogiellus Pocock, 1897 (Aranei: Theraphosidae) from Vietnam

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A new dwarf theraphosid spider species of the genus Phlogiellus Pocock, 1897 (Aranei: Theraphosidae) from Vietnam

Abstract

A new alyrate species of the dwarf theraphosid genus Phlogiellus Pocock, 1897, P. birulai Bariev et Logunov, sp.n., is described from the Bidoup– Nui Ba National Park, Vietnam based on a female series. The new species can be clearly distinguished from other alyrate congeners in possessing a unique conformation of the spermathecae, which are almost uniform width throughout their length. A male lectotype is designated for Selenocosmia subinermis Giltay, 1934, described from Bokor (Cambodia), with notes on the nomenclature of this taxon. 

Bariev T.B., Logunov D.V., Son L.X. 2024. A new dwarf theraphosid spider species of the genus Phlogiellus Pocock, 1897 (Aranei: Theraphosidae) from Vietnam // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.33. No.4. P.582–588. doi: 10.15298/arthsel.33.4.12