Plectreurys tristis

Plectreurys tristis (synonym Plectreurys bispinosus Chamberlin) is a species of venomous spiders commonly known as primitive hunting spiders belonging to a family of plectreurid spiders. They produce a venom that contains a group of insecticidal peptides called plectoxins.[1] They are found in western North America, Central America and Mexico.

Plectreurys tristis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Arachnida
Order:
Araneae
Suborder:
Opisthothelae
Family:
Plectreuridae
Genus:
Plectreurys
Species:
P. tristis
Binomial name
Plectreurys tristis
Simon, 1893

Description

Plectreurys tristis are large spiders. The adult male can be 12 mm long on its main body, and about 25 mm with legs stretched. The females are still larger in all proportions. The cephalothorax and legs are dark-brown in colour, and have no markings. Unlike other closely related species, the legs are stout and densely hairy, but devoid of the long spines.[2] The body covering, carapace is rough (granulated) and lacks setae. The abdomen is almost rounded and yellowish-grey in colour. The abdominal setae are also similarly coloured. They have eight eyes arranged in two rows.[3]

Ecology and behavior

Plectreurys tristis are the inhabitants of arid and semi-arid regions of south-western North America including California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona and Utah. Some are also reported from Central America and Mexico. They are found in deserts, dry woodlands, and coniferous forests up to 2,000 m. They make webs under rocks, woods and other materials available on the dry lands of their natural habitats. They also spread to urban areas building webs at all convenient places. Generally, only females and immature ones remain in the web, and adult males wander around especially at night.[2] The spiders are quite visually weak even during hunting, but the venom is powerful for killing or paralysing other arachnids.[4]

Venom

The venom of Plectreurys tristis contains a number of complex compounds. The venom is a calcium channel blocker, specifically inhibiting N-type Ca2+ channels, and other unidentified calcium channels.[5] The first novel compound detected was N, N'-bis(4-guanidinobutyl)oxalamide, the major component, but of unknown effects.[6] In addition, there are about 50 different peptide toxins. The most biologically active peptides are collectively called plectoxins, and they show high insecticidal activities on lepidopteran insects.[1]

Clinical case

The first clinical case of P. tristis bite was reported in 1991. A 15-year-old boy was bitten on the calf of the leg in Kern County, California. He initially experienced severe pain, oedema, and pallor at the site of the wound. After 15 to 30 minutes, his leg became numb which lasted for about an hour. Then the numbness gradually subsided. After 2 hours, all symptoms were gone without any medical intervention.[7][8]

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References
  1. Quistad GB, Skinner WS (1994). "Isolation and sequencing of insecticidal peptides from the primitive hunting spider, Plectreurys tristis (Simon)". J Biol Chem. 269 (15): 11098–11101. PMID 8157635.
  2. Richard A. Bradley (2012). Common Spiders of North America. University of California Press. p. 183. ISBN 9780520954502.
  3. William H. Robinson (2005). Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology. Cambridge University Press. p. 415. ISBN 9780521812535.
  4. Minch EW (1977). "Predatory behaviour in Plectreurys tristis (Araneae: Plectreuridae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society. 4 (2): 77–79.
  5. Lundy PM, Frew R (1993). "Evidence of mammalian Ca2+ channel inhibitors in venom of the spider Plectreurys tristis". Toxicon. 31 (10): 1249–1256. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(93)90398-3. PMID 8303719.
  6. Quistad GB, Lam WW, Casida JE (1993). "Identification of bis(agmatine)oxalamide in venom from the primitive hunting spider, Plectreurys tristis (Simon)". Toxicon. 31 (7): 920–940. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(93)90229-c. PMID 8212038.
  7. Carpenter TL, Bernacky BJ, Stabell EE (1991). "Human envenomization by Plectreurys tristis Simon (Araneae: Plectreuridae): a case report". J Med Entomol. 28 (3): 477–478. doi:10.1093/jmedent/28.3.477. PMID 1875380.
  8. Jerome Goddard (2002). Physician's Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance (4 ed.). CRC Press. p. 310. ISBN 9781420040258.
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