New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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  New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae) Abstract Tarantulas (Theraphosidae) exhibit a wide diversity of reproductive behaviors, yet many aspects of their natural history, particularly those related to maternal care and juvenile dispersal, remain poorly known. Pterinopelma roseum is a species distributed in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina for which information on reproductive biology is limited. The aim of this study was to document maternal care, egg sac composition, and juvenile dispersal through the monitoring of a female collected together with its egg sac in Misiones Province, Argentina. The female was maintained under controlled laboratory conditions and observed daily until juvenile dispersal. During the incubation period, the female actively protected the egg sac, remaining in contact with it most of the time and displaying defensive behaviors when disturbed, while continuing to feed regularly. The e...

Fab or F(ab’)2 Antivenom: Which Should we use for North American Crotalids?

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Fab or F(ab’)2 Antivenom: Which Should we use for North American Crotalids?

We read with interest a pair of articles comparing different aspects of Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (CroFab®, BTG International) or Crotalidae immune F(ab’)2(Anavip®, Rare Disease Therapeutics),the two principle antivenoms (AV) for North American pit viper envenomations [1, 2]. Both articles employed the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) North American Snake Bite Registry (NASBR), and both articles sought to determine whether one antivenom is preferable to the other. The two articles point to different answers to the question, “Which antivenom should our hospital use?”

McKnight, M., Mullins, M.E. Fab or F(ab’)2 Antivenom: Which Should we use for North American Crotalids?. J. Med. Toxicol. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-025-01098-1