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Linothele

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Linothele
L. fallax
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Dipluridae
Genus: Linothele
Karsch, 1879[1]
Type species
L. curvitarsis
Karsch, 1879
Species

66, see text

Synonyms[1][2]

Linothele is a genus of curtain web spiders that was first described by Ferdinand Karsch in 1879.[3] All but one of the described species are from South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela). The exception is L. septentrionalis from the far-away Bahamas, although it has certain features that suggest it may belong in another genus.[4] Additionally, an undescribed species of Linothele is known from Panama.[5]

Linothele females are stouter and tend to be more conspicuously colored than males.[4] They make relatively complex webs that in most species are on or near the ground, mudbanks or rock walls (a few are arboreal), with females spending most of their life in a tunnel-like retreat. The male may wander and often inhabits a smaller web near a female's.[4] The webs of Linothele are commonly co-inhabited by tiny kleptoparasitic spiders of the genus Mysmenopsis.[4]

Venom

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In humans, bites from Linothele typically cause mild pain and a numbness/tingling feeling that can last for a few days.[4] They are generally reluctant to bite and will attempt to flee, but some species, especially those from dry regions, tend to be more defensive.[4]

The venom of Linothele sp has a LD-50 dose of 0.6 mg/kg in laboratory mice. Two toxins, both of low molecular weight, were isolated in the venom, Ls1 and Ls2. These two toxins have been shown to be quite lethal to laboratory mice by injection into the cerebroventricular region. The lethal dose of Ls1 and Ls2 is 24 and 19 μg/kg respectively, both toxins represent 0.21% and 0.43% of the weight of the whole venom.[6]

Species

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As of November 2024 it contains 66 species:[1]

Linothele megatheloides

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Gen. Linothele Karsch, 1879". World Spider Catalog Version 25.5. Natural History Museum Bern. 2024. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  2. ^ Raven, R. J. (1985). "The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): Cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 182: 74–75.
  3. ^ Karsch, F. (1879). "Arachnologische Beitrage". Zeitschrift für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften. 52: 534–562.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dupérré, N.; Tapia, E.; Bond, J.E. (2023). "Review of the Spider Genus Linothele (Mygalomorphae, Dipluridae) from Ecuador—An Exceptional Case of Speciation in the Andes". Arthropoda. 1 (3): 68–341. doi:10.3390/arthropoda1030010.
  5. ^ Paz, N.S. (1988). "Ecologia y aspectos del comportamiento en Linothele sp . (Araneae, Dipluridae)". Arachnol. 16: 5–22.
  6. ^ Atakuziev, B. U.; Yukel'son, L. Ya. (1996-03-01). "Investigation of the toxins of the venom of the spiderLinothele sp". Chemistry of Natural Compounds. 32 (2): 201–204. doi:10.1007/BF01373859. ISSN 1573-8388. S2CID 32911907.


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