A review of the wolf spider genus Hippasella (Araneae, Lycosidae, Sosippinae)

The monotypic genus Hippasella Mello-Leitão 1944 is revised, and its type-species H. nitida Mello-Leitão 1944 is considered a junior synonym of Tarentula guaquiensis Strand 1908, from Bolivia. Hippasella guaquiensis (Strand) comb. nov. is redescribed and the female genitalia are illustrated for the first time. This species now is recorded from Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It appears to prefer vegetation near water.

O gênero monotrópico Hippasella Mello-Leitão 1944 e´revisado e sua espécie tipo H. nitidaMello-Leitão 1944 e´ considerada um sinônimo júnior de Tarentula guaquiensis Strand 1908, da Bolívia.Hippasella guaquiensis (Strand) comb. nov. e´ redescrita e a genitália da fêmea e´ilustrada pela primeira vez. Esta espécie e´agora conhecida do Peru, Bolívia e da Argentina, onde parece preferir a vegetação próxima a água.

Characterization of the venom from the Brazilian Brown Spider Loxosceles similis Moenkhaus, 1898 (Araneae, Sicariidae).

Accidents caused by brown spiders (Loxosceles genus) are frequent in Brazil and are associated with dermonecrotic lesions and, eventually, systemic reactions that may be lethal. The major species implicated with human envenoming have been: L. intermedia, L. gaucho and L. laeta. In this study we characterized the venom from Loxosceles similis, a species of spider normally found inside caves. L. similis venom was characterized by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and enzymatic activity (dermonecrosis and haemolysis). The lethal dose to mice and the capacity of commercial anti-serum to neutralize this venom were also analysed. The cross-reactivity with anti-venoms against L. intermedia, L. laeta and L. gaucho were studied. Our results showed that this venom was able to induce severe dermonecrotic lesions and showed the presence of the bacteria Clostridium septicum in association with the fangs. In addition, we have cloned the DNA coding for a dermonecrotic protein (LsD1), using the genomic DNA of L. similis. The deduced amino acid sequence showed a toxin of approximately 31.2 kDa with an estimated pI of 7.37 and sequence similar to LiD1, a protein from the dermonecrotic family of Loxosceles intermedia spider venom, a synanthropic species of medical importance.