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 further study on the wolf spider genus Hippasa Simon, 1885 from East Asia, with the description of a genus (Araneae: Lycosidae)

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A further study on the wolf spider genus Hippasa Simon, 1885 from East Asia, with the description of a genus (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Abstract

Three new species of Hippasa are described from China and adjacent regions of Thailand and Vietnam: H. modog sp. nov. (♂♀, Xizang, China), H. pulmoniformis sp. nov. (♂♀, Guangxi, China, and Hải Phòng Province, Vietnam), and H. thailandica sp. nov. (♂♀, Suan Phueng, Thailand). A new genus, Pandacosa gen. nov., is established to accommodate Hippasa bifasciata Buchar, 1997 (previously known only from females in Bhutan). The male of Pandacosa bifasciata (Buchar, 1997) comb. nov. is described for the first time based on specimens from Yunnan, China. A distribution map for all treated species is provided.

Wang, L.-Y., Li, S., Marusik, Y.M. & Zhang, Z.-S. (2026) A further study on the wolf spider genus Hippasa Simon, 1885 from East Asia, with the description of a genus (Araneae: Lycosidae). Zootaxa, 5750 (2), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5750.2.2