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 ...

Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Azilia Keyserling, 1881 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

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Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Azilia Keyserling, 1881 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

Abstract

The species of the spider genus Azilia Keyserling, 1881 from the Americas are revised. Cardimia Mello-Leitão, 1940 is removed from the synonymy with Azilia and is newly synonymized with Diphya Nicolet, 1849, with its type species, Cardimia eximia Mello-Leitão, 1940, considered synonymous of Diphya bicolor Vellard, 1926. The genus type species, Azilia formosa Keyserling 1881 described from Peru is redescribed. The type material is considered lost, but here a neotype is designed based on specimens next to the type locality in Peru. Azilia boudeti Simon, 1895, Azilia marmorata Mello-Leitão, 1948, Arochoides integrans Mello-Leitão, 1935 and Cyrtophora vachoni Caporiacco, 1954 had their types examined and are synonymized with Azilia histrio Simon, 1895. The males of Azilia formosa and A. histrio are described for the first time. Azilia affinis O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893, A. guatemalensis O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889, A. rojasi Simon, 1895 and A. montana Bryant, 1940 are redescribed and illustrated. Finally, eight new species are described based on males and females, including six from Brazil: Azilia arrebitada sp. nov.; A. catita sp. nov.; A. fabulosa sp. nov.; A. guapa sp. nov.; A. joinha sp. nov.; A. supimpa sp. nov. and two from Mexico: Azilia esplendida sp. nov., and A. hermosa sp. nov.

Brescovit, A. D., Rodrigues, E. N. L., Álvarez-Padilla, F. & Ott, R. (2025b). Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Azilia Keyserling, 1881 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae). Megataxa 18(1): 188-261. doi:10.11646/megataxa.18.1.2