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 ...

A new species of Bermejoa Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles, 2023 from Peru (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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A new species of Bermejoa Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles, 2023 from Peru (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

Abstract 

A new species of the genus Bermejoa Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles, 2023 is described from Peru: Bermejoa panguana sp. nov., based on males and females. This is the second known species of the genus, being the first description of the female and the first record for Peru. Detailed morphological description and figures of both sexes are presented. 

Portela, L. E. & Ríos-Tamayo, D. (2025). A new species of Bermejoa Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles, 2023 from Peru (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Arachnology 20(3): 333-338.