Notes on the identity of the orb-weaver spider Araneus nox Simon, 1877 (Araneae: Araneidae) from India, including its transfer to Eriovixia Archer, 1951 and one new synonymy

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  Notes on the identity of the orb-weaver spider Araneus nox Simon, 1877 (Araneae: Araneidae) from India, including its transfer to Eriovixia Archer, 1951 and one new synonymy The orb-weaver genus Araneus Clerck, 1757 has historically served as a heterogeneous assemblage for numerous araneid spiders lacking clear generic placement, and several Asian species formerly assigned to Araneus have subsequently been transferred to more narrowly defined genera. One species that still needs further investigation on its true identity is Araneus nox (Simon, 1877), originally described as Epeira nox Simon, 1877 from Basilan Island, Philippines, and later transferred to Araneus by Simon (1905). In the same year as the description of Epeira nox, Thorell (1877) described Epeira pilula from the Moluccas (Indonesia), which was subsequently synonymised under Epeira nox by Simon (1880). Despite its broad Oriental distribution, the taxonomic identity and generic placement of A. nox have remained insuff...

Natural history of Loxosceles chapadensis Bertani, Fukushima & Nagahama, 2010 (Araneae, Sicariidae)

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Natural history of Loxosceles chapadensis Bertani, Fukushima & Nagahama, 2010 (Araneae, Sicariidae)

Summary

Brown spiders of the genus Loxosceles comprise 147 species and are responsible for the most significant spider-borne diseases in South America. There are knowledge gaps for several species, such as Loxosceles chapadensis , whose biological information is scarce, limited to its description in 2010 and to a few publications that mention it in some way. We aim to contribute to the characterization of the natural history of L. chapadensis , as well as to expand knowledge about its distribution. A total of 457 specimens were collected through active searching between 2022-2024 in seven locations (six caves) in Bahia, Brazil. The sampling areas in the caves were marked according to microclimatic variables. Temperature and humidity were considered environmentally homogeneous, but the spatial distribution of the spiders was heterogeneous, determined by luminosity. We conclude that L. chapadensis is a cave-dwelling spider, endemic to the Brazilian Caatinga environments with high-altitude xeric geomorphological and vegetation characteristics, with records so far in the states of Bahia and Piauí. Its occurrence in places with a large tourist flow requires care in the management plan of the caves where it occurs.

de Sá, J., Brazil, T., Mise, Y., & Lira-da-Silva, R. (2025). Natural history of Loxosceles chapadensis Bertani, Fukushima & Nagahama, 2010 (Araneae, Sicariidae). Bulletin of the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará - Natural Sciences , 20 (1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.46357/bcnaturais.v20i1.1005