Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application

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  Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application Abstract Global food supply strongly depends on honeybee pollination services, which are threatened by insecticides and pests such as parasitic Varroa destructor mites. Chemical varroacides/acaricides are hampered by resistance development, necessitating the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives, with arthropod venom peptides being considered promising sources of acaricidal toxins. With only a few acaricidal venom peptides being reported, we performed a systematic topical screening of 50 arthropod venoms against V. destructor , with 78% of the venoms causing 100% mortality after 24 h. Deconvolution of the venoms from the Tasmanian cave spider Hickmania troglodytes and the Giant Japanese funnel-web spider Gigathele gigas led to identification of the varroacidal peptides Ht1a and Gg1a. Topical application of Ht1a and Gg1a reduced varroa mite ...

Contribution to the zodariid spider fauna (Araneae: Zodariidae) of Algeria

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Contribution to the zodariid spider fauna (Araneae: Zodariidae) of Algeria

ABSTRACT

Within the spider family Zodariidae, only four of the 90 recognised genera have been recorded from Algeria, encompassing a total of 19 species. In this study, we describe and illustrate a new species, Zodarion bifidum sp. n. (♂), from Biskra Province, northern Algeria. Additionally, we provide the first descriptions of the males of Z. bicoloripes (Denis) and Z. dispar Denis. Finally, we document the first records of Z. cesari Pekár and Acanthinozodium cirrisulcatum Denis from Algeria, and propose the synonymisation of Z. punicum Denis syn. n. with Z. pusio Simon.

Shafaie, S., Pekár, S., Korba, J., Doumandji, S., & Berretima, W. (2025). Contribution to the zodariid spider fauna (Araneae: Zodariidae) of Algeria. Journal of Natural History, 59(25–28), 1895–1916. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2025.2501589