Morphological and molecular evidence support the taxonomic separation of the medically important Neotropical spiders Phoneutria depilata (Strand, 1909) and P. boliviensis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) (Araneae, Ctenidae)

Abstract

The species of the genus Phoneutria (Ctenidae), also called banana spiders, are considered amongst the most venomous spiders in the world. In this study we revalidate P. depilata (Strand, 1909), which had been synonymized with P. boliviensisis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897), using morphological and nucleotide sequence data (COI and ITS-2) together with species delimitation methods. We synonymized Ctenus peregrinoides, Strand, 1910 and Phoneutria colombiana Schmidt, 1956 with P. depilata. Furthermore, we designated Ctenus signativenter Strand, 1910 as a nomen dubium because the exact identity of this species cannot be ascertained with immature specimens, but we note that the type locality suggests that the C. signativenter syntypes belong to P. depilata. We also provide species distribution models for both species of Phoneutria and test hypotheses of niche conservatism under an allopatric speciation model. Our phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of the genus Phoneutria and recover P. boliviensis and P. depilata as sister species, although with low nodal support. In addition, the tree-based species delimitation methods also supported the separate identities of these two species. Phoneutria boliviensis and P. depilata present allopatric distributions separated by the Andean mountain system. Species distribution models indicate lowland tropical rain forest ecosystems as the most suitable habitat for these two Phoneutria species. In addition, we demonstrate the value of citizen science platforms like iNaturalist in improving species distribution knowledge based on occurrence records. Phoneutria depilata and P. boliviensis present niche conservatism following the expected neutral model of allopatric speciation. The compiled occurrence records and distribution maps for these two species, together with the morphological diagnosis of both species, will help to identify risk areas of accidental bites and assist health professionals to determine the identity of the species involved in bites, especially for P. depilata.

Thermal preferences of two spider species: an orb-web weaver and a synanthropic funnel-web weaver

“…Such models have been created for some spider species (e.g. Dias et al 2011;Krehenwinkel & Tautz 2013;Canals et al 2016;Mammola 2017;Wang et al 2018;Hazzi & Hormiga 2021). Nevertheless, our results emphasise that the models may perform poorly when only wide scale geographical temperature data are considered.…”

Aracnidismo: Caracteres diferenciales y manifestaciones clínicas. Revisión Sistemática

“…Se trata de arañas de gran tamaño, de 3-5 cm de diámetro. Las patas pueden llegar alcanzar 15 cm (24) . Se caracterizan por tener los quelíceros cubiertos de pelos rosados (Figura 5).…”

Transcriptomic Analysis of the Venom Gland and Enzymatic Characterization of the Venom of Phoneutria depilata (Ctenidae) from Colombia

“…Currently, the Phoneutria genus comprises nine large (17–48 mm) nocturnal wandering spider species, and they are widely distributed in Central America (Costa Rica) and South America (from the East of the Andes Mountains to North of Argentina) [ 6 , 7 ]. In Colombia, the reported species are P. depilata , P. reidyi , P. fera and P. boliviensis [ 8 , 9 ]. These spiders possess a potent neurotoxic venom that makes them among the most medically important spiders globally.…”

“…The purified reported peptides refer to venoms from P. nigriventer , P. reidyi , P. keyserlingi , and P. salei . There is only one available venom characterization from P. depilata (formerly synonymized as P. boliviensis ) [ 3 , 9 ]. The peptides of these species represent a rich source of neurotoxins acting on different receptors and ion channels of the central nervous system.…”