Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Mediterranean Recluse Spider Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820): a new invasive for Socotra Island (Yemen)

  • Socotra biodiversity research and nature conservation
  • Published:
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The presence of Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820), commonly known as the Mediterranean recluse spider, is recorded from Socotra Island (Yemen) for the first time. This originally circum-Mediterranean species is potentially harmful to humans, considering the strong cytotoxicity of the venom and the species often inhabiting human settlements. It has been shown that L. rufescens can easily be introduced to non-native areas with transported goods, and is hence an alien invasive species to nearly all other continents and many Islands. From the region, it was recorded from mainland Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We conducted a wide survey and recorded the species across the entire Island of Socotra, in both natural and artificial habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alderweireldt M, van Harten A (2004) A preliminary study of the wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) of the Socotra Archipelago. Fauna Arabia 20:349–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Bangkok Post (2014) First Thai death from Recluse Spider. Bangkok Post 19.07.2014. https://www.bangkokpost.com/print/421283/; 02.06.2020. https://www.bangkokpost.com/archive/1st-thai-death-from-recluse-spider/422905.

  • Bezděk J, Purchart L, Král K, Hula V (2012) List of local Socotran geographical names used in entomological literature. Acta Entomol Mus Natl Prague 52:26–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Binford G (2013) The evolution of a toxic enzyme in sicariid spiders. In: Nentwig W (ed) Spider ecophysiology. Springer, Berlin, pp 229–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaim OM, Trevisan-Silva D, Chaves-Moreira D, Wille CAM, Ferrer VP, Matsubara FH, Mangili OC, da Silveira RB, Gremski LH, Gremski W, Senff-Ribeiro A, Veiga SS (2011) Brown spider (Loxosceles genus) venom toxins: tools for biological purposes. Toxins (Basel) 3(3):309–344

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen XE, Gao JC (1990) The Sichuan farmland spiders in China. Sichuan Science and Technology Publishing House, Chengdu

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen ZF, Zhang ZH (1991) Fauna of Zhejiang: Araneida. Zhejiang Science and Technology Publishing House, Hangzhou

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomphuphuang N, Deowanish S, Songsangchote Ch, Sivayyapram V, Thongprem P, Warrit N (2016) The Mediterranean recluse spider Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Araneae: Sicariidae) established in a natural cave in Thailand. J Arachnol 44:142–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Deeleman-Reinhold CL, van Harten A (2001) Description of some interesting, new or little known Pholcidae (Araneae) from Yemen. In: Prakash I (ed) Ecology of desert environments. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, pp 193–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Desutter-Grandcolas L, Felix R (2012) Socotracris kleukersi n. gen. n. sp., a new troglobitic cricket from Socotra (Yemen) (Orthoptera: Grylloidea, Phalangopsidae). Zootaxa 3252:57–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Dippenaar-Schoeman AS, van Harten A (2007) Crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae) from mainland Yemen and the Socotra Archipelago: Part 1. The genus Thomisus Walckenaer, 1805. Fauna Arabia 23:169–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan RP, Rynerson MR, Ribera C, Binford GJ (2010) Diversity of Loxosceles spiders in northwestern Africa and molecular support for cryptic species in the Loxosceles rufescens lineage. Mol Phylogenet Evol 55:234–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunin PM (1992) The spider family Scytodidae of the USSR fauna. Trudy Zool Inst Akad Nauk SSSR 226:74–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiers F, van Damme K (2017) Thalamocyclops pachypes gen. nov., sp. Nov. (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Cyclopidae), a crevicular cyclopine from Socotra Island (Yemen): tale of a remarkable survival drive. J Nat His 51(41–42):2463–2507

    Google Scholar 

  • Fransen CHJM, Van Damme K (2018) A new stygobiont species of Halocaridinides Fujino and Shokita, 1975 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Caridea, Atyidae) from caves on Socotra Island (Yemen), with notes on the genus. Zootaxa 4442(2):241–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Futrell JM (1992) Loxoscelism. Am J Med Sci 304:261–267

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gertsch WJ, Ennik F (1983) The spider genus Loxosceles in North America, Central America, and the West Indies (Araneae, Loxoscelidae). B Am Mus Nat Hist 175:264–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasshoff M, van Harten A (2007) Orb-weaving spiders of the family Araneidae (Araneae) from mainland Yemen and the Socotra Archipelago. Fauna Arabia 23:151–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene A, Breisch NL, Boardman T, Pagac BB Jr, Kunickis E, Howes RK, Brown PV (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). Am Entomol 55:158–167

    Google Scholar 

  • Horner NV, Stewart KW (1967) Life history of the brown spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik. Texas J Sci 19:333–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Hula V, Niedobová J (2011) Spiders of Socotra Island. In: Lubin et al (ed) 26th European Congress of Arachnology, Israel 2011, Program and Abstract Book, 4–8 September 2011. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, p. 111.

  • Knoflach B, van Harten A (2002) The genus Latrodectus (Araneae: Theridiidae) from mainland Yemen, the Socotra Archipelago and adjacent countries. Fauna Arabia 19:321–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobelt M, Nentwig W (2008) Alien spider introductions to Europe supported by global trade. Divers Distrib 14:273–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Massa E, Planas E, Ribera C (2018) The Mediterranean as a melting pot: phylogeography of Loxosceles rufescens (Sicariidae) in the Mediterranean Basin. PLoS ONE 13(12):e0210093

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCreless EE, Huff DD, Croll DA, Tershy BR, Spatz DR, Holmes ND, Butchart SHM, Wilcox C (2016) Past and estimated future impact of invasive alien mammals on insular threatened vertebrate populations. Nat Commun 7:12488

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Namkung J (2002) The Spiders of Korea. Kyo-Hak Publishing Co., Seoul

    Google Scholar 

  • Nentwig W (2015) Introduction, establishment rate, pathways and impact of spiders alien to Europe. Biol Invasions 17:2757–2778

    Google Scholar 

  • Nentwig W, Pantini P, Vetter RS (2017) Distribution and medical aspects of Loxosceles rufescens, one of the most invasive spiders of the world (Araneae: Sicariidae). Toxicon 132:19–28

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nentwig W, Bacher S, Kumschick S, Pyšek P, Vilà M (2018) More than ‘‘100 worst’’ alien species in Europe. Biol Invas 20:1611–1621

    Google Scholar 

  • Nentwig W, Blick T, Bosmans R, Gloor D, Hänggi A, Kropf C (2019a) Araneae – Spiders of Europe. Version 12.2019. Online at https://www.araneae.nmbe.ch. Accessed on 11.12.2019. https://doi.org/10.24436/1.

  • Nentwig W, Derepas B, Gloor D (2019) Diversity and origin of the spider fauna of the Indian Ocean Islands. Arachnology 18(2):172–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Ono H (2009) The spiders of Japan with keys to the families and genera and illustrations of the species. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa

    Google Scholar 

  • Planas E, Ribera C (2015) Description of six species of Loxosceles (Araneae: sicariidae) endemic to the Canary Islands and the utility of DNA barcoding for their fast and accurate identification. Zool J Linn Soc 174:47–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Planas E, Saupe EE, Lima-Ribeiro MS, Townsend PA, Ribera C (2014) Ecological niche and phylogeography elucidate complex biogeographic patterns in Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae, Sicariidae) in the Mediterranean Basin. BMC Evol Biol 14:195. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-014-0195-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purchart L, Hula V, Faltýnek Fric Z (2020) Comparison of biogeographic origins of three terrestrial arthropod groups in the Socotra archipelago (Yemen). Rend Fis Acc Lincei. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00926-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rheims CA, Brescovit AD, van Harten A (2004) Hersiliidae (Araneae) from Yemen, with description of a new species of Hersilia Audouin, 1826 from Socotra Island. Fauna Arabia 20:335–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell JC, Meyer J-Y, Holmes ND, Pagad S (2017) Invasive alien species on Islands: impacts, distribution, interactions and management. Env Cons. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saaristo MI, van Harten A (2002) The oonopid spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Oonopidae) of Socotra, Yemen. Fauna Arabia 19:311–319

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadeghi S, Dashan M, Malek-Hosseini MJ (2017) Mediterranean Recluse Spider, Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae: Sicariidae) from Charkhab Cave, southern Iran. J Arthropod-Borne Dis 11(1):156–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Song DX, Zhu MS, Chen J (1999) The spiders of China. Hebei University of Science and Technology Publishing House, Shijia-zhuang

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson DL, Vetter RS (2005) Bites of brown recluse spiders and suspected necrotic arachnidism. N Engl J Med 352:700–707

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stefanidou MP, Chatzaki M, Lasithiotakis KG, Ioannidou DJ, Tosca AD (2006) Necrotic arachnidism from Loxosceles rufescens harboured in Crete, Greece. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 20:486–487

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tikader BK (1963) On a new species of spider of the genus Loxosceles (Family Scytodidae) from India. Proc Zool Soc (Calcutta) 16:23–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivedi V, Dal P (2019) Occurrence, distribution and description of Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Araneae: Sicariidae) from western India. J Bomb Nat Hist Soc 116:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Damme K, Banfield L (2011) Past and present human impacts on the biodiversity of Socotra Island (Yemen): implications for future conservation. Zool Middle East 3(Supplement):31–88

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Hammen L (1949) Over levend naar Nederland getransporteerde exotische spinnen. Entomol Ber Amst 12:374

    Google Scholar 

  • Vetter RS (2008) Spiders of the genus Loxosceles (Araneae, Sicariidae): a review of biological, medical and psychological aspects regarding envenomations. J Arachnol 36:150–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Wesolowska W, van Harten A (2002) Contribution to the knowledge of the Salticidae (Araneae) of the Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. Fauna Arabia 19:369–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Weygoldt P, Van Damme K (2004) Charinus stygochtobius nov. spec., a new troglomorphic whip spider (Amblypygi: Charinidae) from Socotra Island (Yemen). Fauna Arabia 20:327–334

    Google Scholar 

  • Witt A, Hula V, Suleiman AS, Van Damme K (2020) First record of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) on Socotra Island (Yemen), an exotic pest with high potential for adverse economic impacts. Rend Fis Acc Lincei. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00918-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Spider Catalog (2019) World Spider Catalog. Version 20.5. Natural History Museum Bern, online at https://wsc.nmbe.ch, Accessed on 8.12.2019. doi:10.24436/2.

  • Wranik W (2003) Fauna of the Socotra archipelago: field guide. Rostock University, Rostock

    Google Scholar 

  • Zamani A, Rafinejad J (2014) First record of the Mediterranean recluse spider Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae: Sicariidae) from Iran. J Arthropod-Borne Di 8:228–231

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Our special thanks are due to our Socotran friends, guides and drivers Ismael and Muhammad Amer. Last but not least we thank Petr Maděra (Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic) who helped us in reaching Socotra Island through the Project of Structural funds of EU “Management of natural resources in tropics and subtropics–innovation of study programmes at Faculty of Forestry and Wood technology, Mendel University in Brno” No.: CZ.1.07/2.2.00/07.0156 which initiated our research on the unique arthropod fauna of this region. Our visits to the Island were also financially supported by the grant of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic No.: LA10036/MSMT and partly by the Research plan of the Czech Ministry of Education MSM 6215648902.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Ecology, Mendel University, Zemědělská 3, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Hula

  2. Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Mendel University, Zemědělská 3, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jana Niedobová

Authors
  1. Vladimír Hula
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jana Niedobová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vladimír Hula.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This paper belongs to a Topical Collection “Twenty years of biodiversity research and nature conservation in the Socotra Archipelago” edited by Fabio Attorre and Kay Van Damme, conceived at the 18th Friends of Socotra Conference, 26–29 September, 2019, Orto Botanico di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hula, V., Niedobová, J. The Mediterranean Recluse Spider Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820): a new invasive for Socotra Island (Yemen). Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 31, 719–723 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00925-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00925-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation