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...

Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

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Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

Abstract


A new scorpion species, Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., is described from the western foothills of the Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, in the Aegean Region of western Turkey, based on morphological characters. The species is assigned to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, due to the presence of three trichobothria in the em series on the external surface of the pedipalp patella. A. huyukensis sp. n. can be readily distinguished from its all congeners by its yellowish-orange or greyish-orange body and yellow metasomal coloration, the fifth metasomal segment bearing distinct ventrolateral carinae, the presence of six trichobothria in the Pv series, and 4–5 trichobothria in the et series. A. huyukensis sp. n. clearly differs from the geographically close species Euscorpius sultanensis Tropea & Yağmur, 2015, by its reddish brown coloration and higher trichobothrial number in the et series (et = 5 versus 4). The latter species is transferred herein to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, because it has three trichobothria in the em series and a lower number of trichobothria in the Pv series (Pv = 6). With the description of this species and the new combination for A. sultanensis (Tropea & Yağmur, 2015), comb. n., the number of recognized species in the family Euscorpiidae in Turkey increases to 25, while the genus Alpiscorpius is now represented by 10 species.

Yağmur, E. A., & Yaylı, H. İ. 2025 . Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius, No. 425: 1-15. https://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/vol2025/iss425/1/