The global spread of misinformation on spiders.

In the internet era, the digital architecture that keeps us connected and informed may also amplify the spread of misinformation. This problem is gaining global attention, as evidence accumulates that misinformation may interfere with democratic processes and undermine collective responses to environmental and health crises1,2. In an increasingly polluted information ecosystem, understanding the factors underlying the generation and spread of misinformation is becoming a pressing scientific and societal challenge3. Here, we studied the global spread of (mis-)information on spiders using a high-resolution global database of online newspaper articles on spider-human interactions, covering stories of spider-human encounters and biting events published from 2010-20204. We found that 47% of articles contained errors and 43% were sensationalist. Moreover, we show that the flow of spider-related news occurs within a highly interconnected global network and provide evidence that sensationalism is a key factor underlying the spread of misinformation.

An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites.

Mass media plays an important role in the construction and circulation of risk perception associated with animals. Widely feared groups such as spiders frequently end up in the spotlight of traditional and social media. We compiled an expert-curated global database on the online newspaper coverage of human-spider encounters over the past ten years (2010-2020). This database includes information about the location of each human-spider encounter reported in the news article and a quantitative characterisation of the content-location, presence of photographs of spiders and bites, number and type of errors, consultation of experts, and a subjective assessment of sensationalism. In total, we collected 5348 unique news articles from 81 countries in 40 languages. The database refers to 211 identified and unidentified spider species and 2644 unique human-spider encounters (1121 bites and 147 as deadly bites). To facilitate data reuse, we explain the main caveats that need to be made when analysing this database and discuss research ideas and questions that can be explored with it.

Karyotype differentiation and male meiosis in European clades of the spider genus Pholcus (Araneae, Pholcidae).

Haplogyne araneomorphs are a diverse spider clade. Their karyotypes are usually predominated by biarmed (i.e., metacentric and submetacentric) chromosomes and have a specific sex chromosome system, X1X2Y. These features are probably ancestral for haplogynes. Nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) spread frequently from autosomes to sex chromosomes in these spiders. This study focuses on pholcids (Pholcidae), a highly diverse haplogyne family. Despite considerable recent progress in pholcid cytogenetics, knowledge on many clades remains insufficient including the most species-rich pholcid genus, Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805. To characterize the karyotype differentiation of Pholcus in Europe, we compared karyotypes, sex chromosomes, NORs, and male meiosis of seven species [P.alticeps Spassky, 1932; P.creticus Senglet, 1971; P.dentatus Wunderlich, 1995; P.fuerteventurensis Wunderlich, 1992; P.phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775); P.opilionoides (Schrank, 1781); P.silvai Wunderlich, 1995] representing the dominant species groups in this region. The species studied show several features ancestral for Pholcus, namely the 2n♂ = 25, the X1X2Y system, and a karyotype predominated by biarmed chromosomes. Most taxa have a large acrocentric NOR-bearing pair, which evolved from a biarmed pair by a pericentric inversion. In some lineages, the acrocentric pair reverted to biarmed. Closely related species often differ in the morphology of some chromosome pairs, probably resulting from pericentric inversions and/or translocations. Such rearrangements have been implicated in the formation of reproductive barriers. While the X1 and Y chromosomes retain their ancestral metacentric morphology, the X2 chromosome shows a derived (acrocentric or subtelocentric) morphology. Pairing of this element is usually modified during male meiosis. NOR patterns are very diverse. The ancestral karyotype of Pholcus contained five or six terminal NORs including three X chromosome-linked loci. The number of NORs has been frequently reduced during evolution. In the Macaronesian clade, there is only a single NOR-bearing pair. Sex chromosome-linked NORs are lost in Madeiran species and in P.creticus. Our study revealed two cytotypes in the synanthropic species P.phalangioides (Madeiran and Czech), which differ by their NOR pattern and chromosome morphology. In the Czech cytotype, the large acrocentric pair was transformed into a biarmed pair by pericentric inversion.

From taxonomy to molecular characterization of brown spider venom: An overview focused on Loxosceles similis.

Loxosceles spp. (Araneae, Sicariidae), known as brown spiders, are distributed in temperate and tropical regions worldwide. Accidents caused by these spiders are known as loxoscelism and constitute a public health problem, especially in Brazil. The present review describes the taxonomy, distribution, and ecological profile of brown spiders, as well as the molecular and biochemical aspects of Loxosceles venom. Additionally, it presents an overview on L. similis, a species found in the Southeastern region of Brazil. In this region, the number of Loxosceles accidents has been increasing in the past few years, thus calling attention to its raising importance as a medically relevant spider species in Brazil.

Ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae, Prodidomidae) from the Greek islands Rodos, Symi and Karpathos, with the description of new species.

New taxonomic data on the ground spiders of the families Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae and Prodidomidae from the Greek islands Rodos and Symi are presented resulting from extensive field work conducted in 2006. Additional material from Karpathos is also included. In total, 48 species are recorded, and five new species (Drassodes mylonasi Chatzaki sp.n., Echemus kaltsasi Chatzaki sp.n., Minosiella apolakia Chatzaki sp.n., Phaeocedus vankeeri Chatzaki sp.n., and Turkozelotes attavirus Chatzaki sp.n.) are proposed. Although the Gnaphosidae of Cyprus are not the focus of the present paper, the unknown female of Echemus levyi Kovblyuk, 2009 found in Cyprus, is also described here for comparative purposes. Leptodrassex memorialis (Spassky, 1940) is justifiably transferred to the genus Leptopilos Levy, 2009 and it is therefore regarded as Leptopilos memorialis comb.nov. The male of Zelotes daidalus Chatzaki, 2003 and the female of Z. minous Chatzaki, 2003 are newly matched and Z. daidalus is further synonymised with Z. shaked Levy, 1998.The new matching of Z. minous males with Z. daidalus females is justified. Two species are new records for Greece: Zelotes limnatis Chatzaki Russell-Smith, 2017 and Agraecina scupiensis Deltshev, 2016.

How not to delimit taxa: a critique on a recently proposed "pragmatic classification" of jumping spiders (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae).

Modern taxonomy and systematics profit from an invaluable tool that has been developed in the course of more than a century by intense discussions and negotiations of generations of zoologists and palaeontologists: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999, 2012). The main goal of the Code is "to promote stability and universality in the scientific names of animals and to ensure that the name of each taxon is unique and distinct" (Melville 1995, ICZN 1999: 2). The provisions of the Code are generally accepted and thoroughly applied by the scientific community. Exceptions, such as the one described below, are very rare.

Description of a new Chaetopelma (Araneae, Theraphosidae) species from Crete and a re-description of Macrothele cretica Kulczynski, 1903 (Araneae, Macrothelidae).

The family Theraphosidae is recorded from Greece for the first time with the description of a new species, Chaetopelma lymberakisi sp. n. Also, the male of Macrothele cretica Kulczynski, 1903 is re-described and the female of the same species is described for the first time.

Parasitoids and Predators of Physokermes hellenicus (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) in Greece.

The genus Physokermes Targioni Tozzetti includes species that are distributed in the Holarctic region and feed on conifers. The recently described scale Physokermes hellenicus (Kozár and Gounari) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) is an endemic species of Greece whose host plants are fir trees of the genus Abies (Pinales: Pinaceae). It is considered as beneficial scale insect species since its honeydew secretions are exploited by honeybees leading to the production of a special honey with important physicochemical characteristics. Since there are no previous data on the natural enemies of P. hellenicus, an investigation was carried out during 2013 in forested areas of eight mountains in south and central Greece aiming to correlate the presence of P. hellenicus with certain parasitoids and predators. Seven species of Encyrtidae, Eulophidae, Pteromalidae, and Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera); five species of Anthribidae and Coccinellidae (Coleoptera); and four species of Dictinidae, Linyphiidae, and Theridiidae (Araneae) were identified. Twelve of them were identified at the species level while four at the genus level. Among them Microterys lunatus (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Pseudorhopus testaceus (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), and Anthribus fasciatus Forster (Coleoptera: Anthribidae) were the most abundant natural enemies of P. hellenicus adult female while Metaphycus unicolor Hoffer (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Trichomasthus sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) were found to parasitize P. hellenicus male nymph. Cinetata gradata (Simon) (Araneae: Linyphiidae) is reported for first time in the Greek arachnofauna. Our results suggest that the abundance of the fir scale P. hellenicus could be affected by a complex of parasitoid and predator species of different taxa. Future long-term research on these species in relation with abiotic factors would help to understand possible fluctuation of the scale's population.

On the ground spider genera Marjanus gen. n., Lasophorus gen. n. and Turkozelotes Kovblyuk Seyyar, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Greece.

New taxonomic data on the ground spiders of the family Gnaphosidae from Greece are presented. Two genera are proposed as new to science (Marjanus gen. n. and Lasophorus gen. n.) together with two new species (Lasophorus zakkak sp. n. and Lasophorus zografae sp. n.) and a new combination (Marjanus platnicki comb. nov.). Additionally the genus Turkozelotes Kovblyuk Seyyar, 2009 is here rediagnosed and the female of the type species T. microb Kovblyuk Seyyar, 2009 is described for the first time. The finding of the matching male of Setaphis mccowani Chatzaki Russell-Smith, 2017 suggests the transfer of this species to Turkozelotes and hence the male of T. mccowani comb. nov. is described for the first time. Taxonomic affinities of these genera and species are discussed.

New species and new records of ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Cyprus.

New taxonomic data on the ground spiders of the family Gnaphosidae from the island of Cyprus are presented. Three species are proposed as new to science (Drassyllus cyprius sp. n., Setaphis mccowani sp. n., Zelotes limnatis sp. n.). The male of Synaphosus shirin Ovtsharenko, Levy & Platnick, 1994 and the female of Zelotes zekharya Levy, 2009 are described for the first time. The transfer of Zelotes helvolus (O.P. Cambridge, 1872) and Z. helvoloides Levy, 1998 (the latter not recorded in Cyprus) to Cryptodrassus is proposed. The mismatching of male and female of C. helvoloides is discussed, and the female originally described as C. helvoloides is transferred to C. helvolus. Micaria pallipes (Lucas, 1846) is here recorded and the synonymy with Castanilla marchesii Caporiacco, 1936 is rejected, while the paralectotype of Castanilla marchesii is here assigned to Leptodrassex algericus Dalmas, 1919. Finally a male Poecilochroa still not attributed to a known or new species is described.

Discovering the still unexplored arachnofauna of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli, NE Greece: a taxonomic review with description of new species.

The National Park of Dadia in NE Greece (Thrace) was established as a nature reserve in 1980, mainly due to its great diversity in birds of prey. Since then many studies have taken place, focusing on other birds, reptiles, amphibians and some invertebrates (grasshoppers, beetles and butterflies), but up to now none was conducted on spiders. The aim of the present paper was to create the first extensive checklist on the spiders of this important natural reserve. For this purpose, pitfall traps were set in 15 sites located in and around the National Park, resulting in a large spider collection. The results of the taxonomical revision of this collection are here presented, giving rise to 132 species in total, which belong to 24 families. Of them, 11 species (Centromerus valkanovi Deltshev, 1983, Crosbyarachne silvestris (Georgescu, 1973), Ipa terrenus (L. Koch, 1879), Sintula spiniger (Balogh, 1935), Tenuiphantes floriana (van Helsdingen, 1977), Alopecosa taeniopus (Kulczyñski, 1895), Liocranum rupicola (Walckenaer, 1830), Zodarion turcicum Wunderlich, 1980, Gnaphosa modestior Kulczyñski, 1897, Philodromus krausi Muster & Thaler, 2004, Cozyptila thaleri Marusik & Kovblyuk, 2005) are new records for the Greek territory. Seven species (Dysdera kati sp. n., Dysdera krisis sp. n., Harpactea ice sp. n., Harpactea wolfgangi sp. n.-Dysderidae, Phrurolithus thracia sp. n.-Phrurolithidae, Zodarion beroni sp. n.-Zodariidae, Drassyllus dadia sp. n.-Gnaphosidae) are here proposed as new species for science.

Cardiovascular-Active Venom Toxins: An Overview.

Animal venoms are a mixture of bioactive compounds produced as weapons and used primarily to immobilize and kill preys. As a result of the high potency and specificity for various physiological targets, many toxins from animal venoms have emerged as possible drugs for the medication of diverse disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. Captopril, which inhibits the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), was the first successful venom-based drug and a notable example of rational drug design. Since captopril was developed, many studies have discovered novel bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs) with actions on the cardiovascular system. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have also been found in animal venoms and used as template to design new drugs with applications in cardiovascular diseases. Among the anti-arrhythmic peptides, GsMTx-4 was discovered to be a toxin that selectively inhibits the stretch-activated cation channels (SACs), which are involved in atrial fibrillation. The present review describes the main components isolated from animal venoms that act on the cardiovascular system and presents a brief summary of venomous animals and their venom apparatuses.

Defining the needs of ICU patient families in a suburban/rural Greek population: a prospective cohort study.

AIM: To define the needs of intensive care unit patients' families in the specific suburban/rural population of Crete Island. BACKGROUND: Families of intensive care unit patients have specific needs that should also be addressed by the intensive care unit-care team. Current research has mostly concentrated on families from an urban setting, therefore may not be applicable to other populations. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Family members of patients admitted in the intensive care unit for ≥ 48 hours over 18 months, in a mixed medical-surgical, 11 bed closed intensive care unit. Questionnaire: The Greek translation of Critical Care Family Need Inventory, which consists of 45 need items covering the information, reassurance, proximity, support and comfort domains. Each item was scored on a four-point scale (1 = very important to 4 = not important). Participants were also asked to single out the most important need from the Critical Care Family Need Inventory and complete a questionnaire on basic demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty (65%) family members completed the questionnaire. Mean score for each of the 45 items ranged from 1.03-3 (scale from 1: very important-4: not important). Fourteen items were rated by responders as very important (mean score <1.25). Reassurance need items were consistently singled out as most important regardless of the participant's background. Participants with a lower educational and socio-economical status rated support need items as more important than those with a higher status. CONCLUSION: In this particular suburban/rural population, both 'universal' reassurance needs and specific support needs related to responders' educational or socio-economical background were identified. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Enhanced recognition of these needs may improve quality of care offered by intensive care unit-care team to families of their patients.