| Mediterranean recluse spider | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Loxosceles |
| Species: | L. rufescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Loxosceles rufescens | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Loxosceles rufescens, the Mediterranean recluse spider, originated in the Mediterranean region as its name implies,[2] but is now found worldwide.[1]
Like other species of the genus Loxosceles, bites from the Mediterranean recluse spider can have dangerous effects, causing skin lesions – a condition known as loxoscelism.[2] Despite co-occurrence with humans for millennia, there is only a single report of a human fatality linked to a bite from this species, a case report from 2016 in which no spider was captured for a confirmed identification, and in which the victim suffered from an autoimmune disorder (myasthenia gravis).[3]
This species is considered a cosmopolitan "tramp" species, with widely-scattered occurrences worldwide, including numerous sightings in the United States, where it is commonly confused with the brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa); the two species are superficially almost indistinguishable, and misidentifications are common.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Taxon details Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-10-06
- ^ a b Barnes, Jeffrey K. (2003), Brown recluse and Mediterranean recluse spiders, University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum, retrieved 2018-04-18
- ^ Pezzi M, Giglio AM, Scozzafava A, Filippelli O, Serafino G, Verre M. Spider Bite: A Rare Case of Acute Necrotic Arachnidism with Rapid and Fatal Evolution. Case Reports in Emergency Medicine. 2016;2016:7640789. doi:10.1155/2016/7640789.
- ^ Albert Greene, Nancy L. Breisch, Thomas Boardman, Benedict B. Pagac, Edward Kunickis, Randall K. Howes, Paul V. Brown (2009) The Mediterranean Recluse Spider, Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour): An Abundant but Cryptic Inhabitant of Deep Infrastructure in the Washington, D.C. Area (Arachnida: Araneae: Sicariidae). American Entomologist 55(3): 158–169 https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/55.3.158
External links
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Media related to Loxosceles rufescens at Wikimedia Commons