Spider venom peptides Ht1a and Gg1a are toxic to honeybee parasite Varroa destructor by topical application

Posted by
  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 ...

On six poorly known species of Thomisidae (Arachnida: Araneae) described by Ludovico di Caporiacco

Posted by

 


On six poorly known species of Thomisidae (Arachnida: Araneae) described by Ludovico di Caporiacco

Abstract

Illustrations are provided for the type material of six species described by Caporiacco: Heriaesynaema flavipes Caporiacco, 1939; Oxytate jannonei (Caporiacco, 1940); and Synema variabile Caporiacco, 1939 from Ethiopia; Misumenoides rubrithorax Caporiacco, 1947; and Misumenops candidoi (Caporiacco, 1948) from Guyana; and Synema bishopi Caporiacco, 1955 from Venezuela. Synema bishopi is misplaced in this genus, but its correct placement is left for a future revision.

Marusik, Y.M. (2025) On six poorly known species of Thomisidae (Arachnida: Araneae) described by Ludovico di Caporiacco. Zootaxa, 5723 (3), 437–443. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5723.3.8