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...

Chicosa gen. nov. (Araneae, Lycosidae), a new genus of wolf spiders from East Asia

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Chicosa gen. nov. (Araneae, Lycosidae), a new genus of wolf spiders from East Asia

Abstract

The new genus Chicosa gen. nov. (type species: Alopecosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963) is described and the new combination Chicosa cinnameopilosa (Schenkel, 1963), comb. nov. is made. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial loci do not place Chicosa cinnameopilosa into Alopecosa or the subfamily Lycosinae but rather suggest it is sister to Wadicosa Zyuzin, 1985 + Pardosa C. L. Koch, 1847. Descriptions of the new genus and known species, supplemented by photographs, a distribution map, and phylogenetic evidence, are provided.

Tao Z-H, Fu D, Wu C-J, Wang Y, Liu L-J, Luo Y-F (2025) Chicosa gen. nov. (Araneae, Lycosidae), a new genus of wolf spiders from East Asia. ZooKeys 1260: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1260.161209