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 ...

New data on long-jawed spiders (Araneae, Tetragnathidae, Tetragnatha) from China

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New data on long-jawed spiders (Araneae, Tetragnathidae, Tetragnatha) from China

Abstract

Two species of Tetragnatha Latreille, 1804 are described, including one new species, Tetragnatha tricuspidata sp. nov. (♀♂) from Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces, and one Chinese newly recorded species, Tetragnatha hirashimai Okuma, 1987 from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province. Detailed descriptions, photographs, and a distribution map of both species are provided.

Liu C, Huang Z, Yin H, Xu X (2026) New data on long-jawed spiders (Araneae, Tetragnathidae, Tetragnatha) from China. ZooKeys 1269: 225-236. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1269.177630