What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae)

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  What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae) Abstract We designate a neotype for the Eurasian spider species Araneus angulatus Clerck, 1757, thereby fixing the objective application of the species name, the genus name Araneus Clerck 1757, the family name Araneidae Clerck 1757, and the superfamily name Araneoidea Clerck 1757. By etymology and arachnological tradition, it also unofficially fixes the application of the ordinal name Araneae Clerck 1757 and thus answers the uncontroversial question, “What’s a spider?” A. angulatus also happens to be historically the first animal species ever described because Clerck (1757) has priority over Linnaeus (1758). Neotype designation is justified for three reasons: the syntypes of A. angulatus are lost; “ A. angulatus ” contains significant COI sequence divergence, potentially representing intraspecific variation, misidentifications, or as many...

Fatal Bothrops atrox snakebite with thrombotic microangiopathy, hemorrhagic stroke and acute kidney injury

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By Darío De la Fuente - https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/113840233, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129474300

Fatal Bothrops atrox snakebite with thrombotic microangiopathy, hemorrhagic stroke and acute kidney injury

Abstract

Bothrops atrox is responsible for most snakebite envenomations in the Amazon region. Its venom induces systemic hemostatic disturbances and local tissue damage, potentially leading to severe complications. This report describes a fatal case of B. atrox envenomation in a 53-year-old male with a history of hypertension and alcoholism. The patient presented with persistent incoagulable blood, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and progressive renal dysfunction. These findings were consistent with venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) associated with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). He subsequently developed intracranial hemorrhage, the autopsy revealed a confirmed subarachnoid hemorrhage, and acute kidney injury (AKI), which contributed to systemic decompensation. Postmortem findings included subarachnoid hemorrhage, acute tubular necrosis, hepatic steatosis, and fibrin thrombi in cutaneous vessels. This case highlights the potential for severe systemic involvement in Bothrops atrox envenomation, particularly in patients with preexisting comorbidities, and underscores the need for early recognition of complications such as VICC and TMA to guide appropriate clinical management.
Duarte, L. R. A., Carvalho, É., Melo, T. F. C., Barbosa, F. B. A., De Andrade, R. V., Sartim, M., Araújo, F. Q., Sachett, J., Pivoto, G., De Lima Ferreira, L. C., & Monteiro, W. (2025). Fatal Bothrops atrox snakebite with thrombotic microangiopathy, hemorrhagic stroke and acute kidney injury. Toxicon, 268, 108610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108610