What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae)

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  What’s a Spider? Designation of the Neotype for the First Animal Species Ever Described, Araneus angulatus Clerck 1757 (Araneae: Araneidae) Abstract We designate a neotype for the Eurasian spider species Araneus angulatus Clerck, 1757, thereby fixing the objective application of the species name, the genus name Araneus Clerck 1757, the family name Araneidae Clerck 1757, and the superfamily name Araneoidea Clerck 1757. By etymology and arachnological tradition, it also unofficially fixes the application of the ordinal name Araneae Clerck 1757 and thus answers the uncontroversial question, “What’s a spider?” A. angulatus also happens to be historically the first animal species ever described because Clerck (1757) has priority over Linnaeus (1758). Neotype designation is justified for three reasons: the syntypes of A. angulatus are lost; “ A. angulatus ” contains significant COI sequence divergence, potentially representing intraspecific variation, misidentifications, or as many...

Influence of the ABO system on the hemolytic activity of medically relevant Loxosceles venoms in Brazil

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Influence of the ABO system on the hemolytic activity of medically relevant Loxosceles venoms in Brazil

Abstract

Envenomation by Loxosceles spiders is an important public health issue, frequently associated with hemolysis. Although the ABO blood group system influences various diseases, its role in loxoscelism is poorly understood. This study evaluated the effect of ABO types on hemolysis induced by L. intermedia, L. gaucho, and L. laeta venoms, with and without complement. Blood type B erythrocytes showed reduced susceptibility to direct hemolysis, suggesting a potential protective effect and offering new insights for improving loxoscelism management.
Beltramino, M., Jiacomini, I. G., Prado-Costa, B., Fonseca, M. F., Degraf Muzzi, J. C., Ferreira de Moura, J., Minozzo, J. C., Becker-Finco, A., & Alvarenga, L. M. (2026). INFLUENCE OF THE ABO SYSTEM ON THE HEMOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF MEDICALLY RELEVANT LOXOSCELES VENOMS IN BRAZIL. Toxicon, 108994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2026.108994