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Zookeys 2019 6(822):141-158. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium Royal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren Belgium.

The zodariine spider genus Simon, 1893 is redescribed and diagnosed. The type species, Simon, 1893 from South Africa, was originally described from subadult specimens. Adults of both sexes of are described for the first time, based on recently collected material, and the genus is rediagnosed, redescribed, and its relationships discussed. Read More

Anal Sci 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Applied Physics, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University.

J Sex Med 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Biomedicina e Medicina, Ensino e Pesquisa da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Grupo Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:

Introduction: With the aim of overcoming the high toxicity of PnTx2-6 (or δ-CNTX-Pn2a), a toxin from the venom of the armed spider (Phoneutria nigriventer), the 19-aminoacid peptide, PnPP-19 (P nigriventer potentiator peptide), was synthesized based on molecular modeling studies of PnTx2-6. PnPP-19 improved the erectile function of normotensive rats and mice, without eliciting side effects, and no signs of toxicity were observed. In addition, PnPP-19 was able to potentiate the effect of sildenafil. Read More

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Dermatology, Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

A 50-year-old woman consulted to the emergency department for painful erythematous swelling on her forearm hours after a spider bite. The patient had spent the evening cleaning the outside of her home, located in the periphery of an urban area, next to a ravine, on the western Mediterranean Basin, when she identified a spider on the dorsum of her forearm. She described it as a light-brown coloured spider, with darker long legs, between 1 and 1,5 cm in size. Read More

Zookeys 2019 4(822):17-31. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.

Three new species of Li & Li, 2017 are described: Li & Li, (♂♀), Li & Li, (♂♀) and Li & Li, (♂♀). Prior to this study, the genus was known by two species, both from Luzon Island, Philippines. So far, the genus and all five species are endemic to Luzon Island and can be found in dry or humid caves in a dark environment. Read More

Plant Physiol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas CITY: Pozuelo de Alarcon STATE: Madrid POSTAL_CODE: 28223 Spain [ES]

Plant immunity depends on fast and specific transcriptional reprogramming triggered by the perception of biotic stresses. Numerous studies have been conducted to better understand the response of plants to the generalist herbivore two-spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). However, how plants perceive mites and how this perception is translated into changes in gene expression is largely unknown. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2019 Feb 5;19(3). Epub 2019 Feb 5.

División de Sistemas e Ingeniería Electrónica (DSIE), Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Campus Muralla del Mar, s/n, 30202 Cartagena, Spain.

This paper presents a systematic review of the perception systems and simulators for autonomous vehicles (AV). This work has been divided into three parts. In the first part, perception systems are categorized as environment perception systems and positioning estimation systems. Read More

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019 Feb 11;92:339-346. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Faculty of Psychology, Center for Experimental and Learning Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Background: Exposure is the gold standard treatment for phobic anxiety and is thought to represent the clinical application of extinction learning. Reward sensitivity might however also represent a predictive factor for exposure therapy outcome, as this therapy promotes positive experiences and involves positive comments by the therapist. We hypothesized that high reward sensitivity, as expressed by elevated reward expectancy and reward value, can be associated with better outcome to exposure therapy specifically. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2019 Feb 12;10(2). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

Variation in DNA methylation patterns among genes, individuals, and populations appears to be highly variable among taxa, but our understanding of the functional significance of this variation is still incomplete. We here present the first whole genome bisulfite sequencing of a chelicerate species, the social spider . We show that DNA methylation occurs mainly in CpG context and is concentrated in genes. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 Feb 12;11(2). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Laboratory of Immunopathology, Butantan Institute, 05503-900 São Paulo, Brazil.

Human accidents with spiders of the genus Loxosceles are an important health problem affecting thousands of people worldwide. Patients evolve to severe local injuries and, in many cases, to systemic disturbances as acute renal failure, in which cases antivenoms are considered to be the most effective treatment. However, for antivenom production, the extraction of the venom used in the immunization process is laborious and the yield is very low. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 12;20(3). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Entomology, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA.

Neonicotinoids are widely used systemic insecticides that have been associated with spider mite outbreaks on diverse plants. These insecticides have complex effects on plant physiology, which have been speculated to drive enhanced performance of spider mites. We used RNA-Seq to explore how neonicotinoids modify gene expression in soybean thereby lowering plant resistance. Read More

Small 2019 Feb 13:e1805294. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.

Spider silks are desirable materials with mechanical properties superior to most synthetic materials coupled with biodegradability and biocompatibility. In order to replicate natural silk properties using recombinant spider silk proteins (spidroins) and wet-spinning methods, the focus to date has typically been on modifying protein sequence, protein size, and spinning conditions. Here, an alternative approach is demonstrated. Read More

Contact Dermatitis 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of dermatology, Fattouma Bourguiba Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a severe eruption characterized by numerous non-follicular sterile pustules on an erythematous background. AGEP is mostly caused by systemic drugs mainly antibiotics. Others causes of AGEP, such as contact with mercury, spider bites and viral infection had been described. Read More

Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Parasitology, Toxoplasmosis Research Center, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari. Iran.

Background: Wolbachia is the most common endosymbiotic bacteria in insect-borne parasites and it is the most common reproductive parasite in the world. Wolbachia has been found worldwide in numerous arthropod and parasite species, including: insects, terrestrial isopods, spiders, mites and filarial nematodes. There is a complicated relationship between Wolbachia and its hosts and in some cases, they create a mutual relationship instead of a parasitic relationship. Read More

Microbiol Resour Announc 2019 Feb 7;8(6). Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

The false spider mite Brevipalpus yothersi infests a broad host plant range and has become one of the most economically important species within the genus . This phytophagous mite inflicts damage by both feeding on plants and transmitting plant viruses. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of the false spider mite, which is also the first plant virus mite vector to be sequenced. Read More

Genetics 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

University of Utah

Pesticide resistance arises rapidly in arthropod herbivores, as can host plant adaptation, and both are significant problems in agriculture. These traits have been challenging to study as both are often polygenic and many arthropods are genetically intractable. Here, we examined the genetic architecture of pesticide resistance and host plant adaptation in the two-spotted spider mite, a global agricultural pest. Read More

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI. Electronic address:

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Department of Vascular Medicine, University Heart Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Objectives: SPIDER-graft for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair avoiding thoracotomy and extracorporeal circulation was modified, enabling reimplantation of lumbar arteries to prevent spinal cord ischemia and compared with open aortic repair (control) in a pig model.

Methods: Graft implantation was performed in 7 pigs per group (75-85 kg). For SPIDER-graft (groups I and II), the infra-diaphragmatic aorta was exposed through retroperitoneal access. Read More

J Insect Physiol 2019 Feb 8;114:10-14. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States.

Temperature strongly influences the physiology and behavior of ectotherms. Persistence within different environments can be limited by thermal tolerances. These thermal tolerances can also shift through life stages and differ between sexes. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 11;9(1):1727. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Plant defensive substances can affect the quality of herbivores as prey for predators either directly or indirectly. Directly when the prey has become toxic since it ingested toxic plant material and indirectly when these defences have affected the size and/or nutritional value (both quality parameters) of prey or their abundance. To disentangle direct and indirect effects of JA-defences on prey quality for predators, we used larvae of the omnivorous thrips Frankliniella occidentalis because these are not directly affected by the jasmonate-(JA)-regulated defences of tomato. Read More

Zookeys 2019 31(821):11-44. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of sciences Beijing China.

Seven new species of the genus Tong & Li, 2007: Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female), and Tong, Zhang & Li, (male, female) are described from Yunnan Province, China. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 8;9(1):1704. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Department of Biological Science & Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science & Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, 125-8585, Japan.

Mint plants could theoretically serve as companion plants (CPs) that attract enemies of herbivores in tritrophic interactions. In order to explore the traits of mint volatiles as attractant cues for enemies of two-spotted spider mites, we performed Y-tube olfactometer assays of predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, towards three mint species, apple mint, candy mint, and spearmint, as odor source. Clean candy mint and spearmint were attractive to P. Read More

Evolution 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

CNRS, UMR 5554 Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier/CNRS/IRD/EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier, France.

The convergent evolution of analogous features is an evolutionary process occurring independently across the tree of life. From the evolution of echolocation, prehensile tail, viviparity, or winged flight, environmental factors often drive this astonishing phenomenon. However, convergent evolution is not always conspicuous or easily identified. Read More

J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2019 Dec;34(1):310-321

a Immunochemistry Laboratory , Butantan Institute , São Paulo , SP , Brazil.

Loxosceles spiders' venoms consist of a mixture of proteins, including the sphingomyelinases D (SMases D), which are the main toxic components responsible for local and systemic effects in human envenomation. Herein, based on the structural information of SMase D from Loxosceles laeta spider venom and virtual docking-based screening approach, three benzene sulphonate compounds (named 1, 5 and 6) were identified as potential Loxosceles SMase D inhibitors. All compounds inhibited the hydrolysis of the sphingomyelin substrate by both recombinant and native SMases D. Read More

Zookeys 2019 29(820):95-118. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Zoological Museum, Center of Natural History, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.

Four new species of armoured spiders from Sumatra, Indonesia are described. Three species are described in the genus Roewer, 1963 and one species in the genus Shear, 1978; (male), (male and female), (male) and (male and female). The female of Lehtinen, 1981 is described here for the first time. Read More

Zookeys 2019 28(820):1-12. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 København Ø, Denmark University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark.

The whip spider genus Simon, 1892 is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia and part of the Indo-Malayan region. The genus is recorded from several Indonesian islands, but no species are known from inside the area that comprises the biogeographical region of Wallacea, despite being recorded from both sides of the area. An expedition to survey the biology of caves in Timor-Leste (formerly East-Timor) discovered populations of amblypygids living underground and including a remarkable new species of , , the first Amblypygi known from the island of Timor. Read More

Oecologia 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University Macdonald Campus, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.

Many ecological assemblages are undergoing rapid changes in composition and diversity, and changes at one trophic level can have direct and cascading effects on other trophic levels. Prey consumption typically increases with predator diversity due to niche complementarity and sampling effects. However, the effect of functional traits and interactions between predator species mean that the relationship is far from simple. Read More

Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, University of Santiago de Chile (USACH), 9170022, Santiago, Chile.

A systematic study for the rational design of porphyrins (P4 spider-shaped derivatives) with potential application in dye-sensitized solar cells is presented. Using density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP/6-31G*) and time-dependent DFT (M06/6-31G*) we show that the UV-vis absorption properties of a spider-shaped Zn(ii) porphyrin, previously synthesized by Stangel et al., may be greatly improved by applying some push-pull strategies in meso positions. Read More

Nanoscale 2019 Feb;11(7):3102-3111

Laboratory of Bio-Inspired and Graphene Nanomechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.

Incorporating nanomaterials in living systems could force the latter to produce "bionicomposites". We report a review of the first attempts with such bionicomposites, e.g. Read More

Food Res Int 2019 Feb 25;116:114-125. Epub 2018 Dec 25.

Departamento de Biotecnología de Alimentos, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Campus Universitario Pablo de Olavide, Edificio 46, Ctra. Utrera km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

A lexicon from the literature has been used for the characterisation of black ripe table olives from Spanish Manzanilla and Hojiblanca cultivars by Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). After confirming the acceptable reproducibility and repeatability of the panel, the descriptors that received the widest range of scores and significantly contributed to sample discrimination were: skin green, flesh green, skin sheen, flesh red, fibrousness, firmness, skin red, moisture release, fishy smell/ocean and flesh yellow. The effects of cultivar, growing area and storage period on the sensory profiles were relevant, as showed by spider graphs and multivariate methods. Read More

Ecology 2019 Feb 3:e02643. Epub 2019 Feb 3.

Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.

The inability of species to adapt to changing climate may cause ecological communities to disassemble and lose ecological functioning. However, theory suggests that communities may be resilient whenever populations within species exhibit variation in thermal plasticity or adaptation whereby thermally tolerant populations replace thermally sensitive ones. But will they maintain the functional roles of the populations being replaced? This study evaluated whether "like replaces like" functionally by measuring how four populations of a grasshopper herbivore and its co-occurring spider predator cope with environmental warming. Read More

Zookeys 2019 24(819):73-75. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Department of Zoology, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80205, USA Denver Museum of Nature & Science Denver United States of America.

The Solfugae fauna of Canada includes three known species: Brookhart and Muma, (Kraepelin), and Muma. It is expected that as many as four additional species may be found in Canada. Only one Barcode Index Number is currently known from Canadian specimens. Read More

Zookeys 2019 24(819):41-56. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Department of Entomology, Natural History Section, Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 9W2, Canada Royal British Columbia Museum Victoria Canada.

In 1979 nearly 1400 spider species in 32 families either had been recorded (1249) or were believed to occur (~140) in Canada. Twenty years later, although significant progress had been made in survey efforts in some regions, Canada's spider inventory had only increased by approximately 7% to roughly 1500 species known or expected to occur. The family count had increased to 38 but only two additions were truly novel (five family additions and one family deletion were the result of advances in family-level systematics). Read More

Infect Dis Clin North Am 2019 Mar;33(1):17-38

Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. Electronic address:

This article discusses the epidemiology, prevention, clinical features, and treatment of venomous bites by snakes, lizards, and spiders; stings by fish, jellyfish, echinoderms, insects, and scorpions; and poisoning by ingestion of fish, turtles, and shellfish. Invertebrate stings cause fatalities by anaphylaxis, secondary to acquired hypersensitivity (Hymenoptera, such as bees, wasps, and ants; and jellyfish), and by direct envenoming (scorpions, spiders, jellyfish, and echinoderms). Simple preventive techniques, such as wearing protective clothing, using a flashlight at night, and excluding venomous animals from sleeping quarters, are of paramount importance to reduce the risk of venomous bites and stings. Read More

R I Med J (2013) 2019 Feb 1;102(1):16-22. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Brown University Department of Dermatology.

Spending time outdoors can be rewarding. However, exposure to the sun, insect bites, and plant exposures may result in a wide range of dermatologic manifestations. In this article, we describe potential cutaneous manifestations of common wilderness exposures in New England including photodermatoses from prolonged sun exposure, phytodermatoses from plant exposures, and arthropod-bite reactions from common insects (mosquitos, spiders, ticks, hymenoptera, mites and chiggers). Read More

Lasers Med Sci 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Fundación Antoni de Gimbernat, Instituto Médico Vilafortuny, Av. Vilafortuny 31, Cambrils, E43850, Tarragona, Spain.

Sclerotherapy continues to be the treatment of choice for varicose veins in the legs. However, isolated treatment using microfoam or lasers requires a high number of sessions to eliminate them. In 2013, we published results about the efficacy and safety 3 years after the combined treatment with microfoam injections and subsequent application of Nd:YAG laser. Read More

Pest Manag Sci 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Sciences; Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, China.

Backgroud: The red spider mite Tetranychus urticae is known as worldwide pest in cassava production which can caused serious economic losses. Because no threshold levels are established for T.urticae in cassava cropping, many growers in China are applying excessive chemical applications per cassava cropping period. Read More

Pestic Biochem Physiol 2018 Oct 6;151:67-72. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan. Electronic address:

Fluxametamide is a novel wide-spectrum insecticide that was discovered and synthesized by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. To identify the mode of action of fluxametamide, we first performed [H]4'-ethynyl-4-n-propylbicycloorthobenzoate (EBOB) binding assays. Fluxametamide potently inhibited the specific binding of [H]EBOB to housefly-head membranes, suggesting that fluxametamide affects insect γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channels (GABACls). Read More

Opt Lett 2019 Feb;44(3):667-670

The photonic nanojet is a highly concentrated beam with low divergence on the shadow side of dielectric microparticles. In this Letter, we first theoretically and experimentally investigate the formation of high-quality photonic nanojets by decorating spider silk. The dragline silks are directly extracted from cellar spiders and capable of efficiently collecting ultraviolet cure adhesive. Read More

Plant Physiol 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization CITY: Tsukuba STATE: Ibaraki POSTAL_CODE: 305-8602 Japan [JP]

Jasmonic acid (JA) plays an important role in the induction of herbivore resistance in many plants. However, JA-independent herbivore resistance has been suggested. An herbivore-resistance-inducing substance was isolated from Tobacco mosaic virus-infected tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves in which a hypersensitive response (HR) was induced and identified as loliolide, which has been identified as a β-carotene metabolite. Read More

Ecology 2019 Jan 29:e02635. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Previous work suggests that animal water balance can influence trophic interactions, with predators increasing their consumption of water-laden prey to meet water demands. But it is unclear how the need for water interacts with the need for energy to drive trophic interactions under shifting conditions. Using manipulative field experiments, we show that water balance influences the effects of top predators on prey with contrasting ratios of water and energy, altering the frequency of intraguild predation. Read More

Zookeys 2019 15(817):95-103. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, China Hubei University Wuhan China.

The taxonomic status of (He & Hu, 2000) is revised based on the re-examination of the type specimen and fresh material collected from the type locality. The cheliceral dentition, with a large denticle field between two anterior and three posterior teeth, the male palps with simple RTA arising distally, narrow, not filiform embolus and sheet-like membranous conductor, and the female epigyne with a visible median septum indicate that the species does not belong to or to the originally assigned genus, . Based on these characters, the species is here transferred to . Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 Jan 24;11(2). Epub 2019 Jan 24.

The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.

() has been recently identified as a new species of spider in China. It lives in the same habitat as various other venomous spiders, including (), (), and (). The venom from these different species of spiders exhibits some similarities and some differences in terms of their biochemical and electrophysiological properties. Read More

Exp Parasitol 2019 Jan 22;198:17-25. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Parasitology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, PR China. Electronic address:

Toxoplasmosis is a widely distributed parasitic protozoan disease, caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). High prevalence of toxoplasmosis and limitations of conventional treatments lead to a search for new therapeutic drugs. Read More

J Ethol 2018 23;36(1):85-91. Epub 2017 Nov 23.

1Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, University of Lorraine, UR AFPA, USC INRA n° 340, BP 239, Bld des Aiguillettes, 54506 Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy, France.

In animals, it is known that age affects the abilities of the brain. In spiders, we showed that aging affects web characteristics due to behavioral alterations during web building. In this study, we investigated the effects of age on the associations between morphological changes to the spider brain and changes in web characteristics. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Jan 23;9(1):397. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory, Department of Organisms and Ecosystems Research, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Island systems provide excellent arenas to test evolutionary hypotheses pertaining to gene flow and diversification of dispersal-limited organisms. Here we focus on an orbweaver spider genus Cyrtognatha (Tetragnathidae) from the Caribbean, with the aims to reconstruct its evolutionary history, examine its biogeographic history in the archipelago, and to estimate the timing and route of Caribbean colonization. Specifically, we test if Cyrtognatha biogeographic history is consistent with an ancient vicariant scenario (the GAARlandia landbridge hypothesis) or overwater dispersal. Read More

PLoS One 2019 23;14(1):e0210494. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America.

We examined photic and ecological factors related to initiation of feeding by four sympatric primates in the rain forest of Amazonian Ecuador. With rare exceptions, morning activities of all taxa began only after the onset of nautical twilight, which occurred 47-48 min before sunrise. The larger spider and woolly monkeys, Ateles belzebuth and Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii, left their sleeping trees before sunrise about half the time, while the smaller sakis and titi monkeys, Pithecia aequatorialis and Plecturocebus (formerly Callicebus) discolor, did not emerge until sunrise or later. Read More

Pediatr Emerg Care 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Background: We report a case of geometrical skin lesions in a teenage patient.

Case: A previously healthy 14-year-old boy presented in our pediatric emergency department with unusual skin lesions on his left forearm. The patient said the lesions started 2 weeks earlier following a spider bite. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Jan 19;172:19-25. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs), encoded by Halloween genes, mediate the biosynthesis of molting hormone, ecdysteroids, in arthropods. In this report, the effect of heavy metal cadmium (Cd) stress on the expression of cytochrome P450 genes in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata was analyzed. The results showed the expression levels of genes encoding for Cd transporters including ABC transporters, zinc transporters, calcium channel proteins and calcium binding proteins were inhibited or induced by Cd stress. Read More