Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq

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  Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq Abstract This study presents new distributional data for three wolf spider species (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Diyala Province in eastern Iraq. Specimens were gathered from different districts and habitats between July 2025 and June 2026. The species Arctosa tbilisiensis Mcheidze, 1946, Lycosa piochardi Simon, 1876, and Wadicosa fidelis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) are recorded for the first time in Diyala, extending their known ranges within Iraq. The paper describes key diagnostic morphological features and includes information about the examined specimens and their local distributions. These findings improve knowledge of the distribution of Iraqi Lycosidae and reveal that Diyala Province, despite its habitat variety, remains insufficiently studied. The records serve as a valuable baseline for future taxonomic, faunistic, and ecological research on spiders i...

Efficacy of oxygen-ozone therapy against the pro-necrotic action of Loxosceles rufescens toxic bite

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Efficacy of oxygen-ozone therapy against the pro-necrotic action of Loxosceles rufescens toxic bite

The bite of the Mediterranean recluse spider (Loxosceles rufescens Dufour, 1820, Araneae, Sicaridae) (Fig. 1A) has recently appeared in Italian news as the cause of fatal injuries that have led at least four people to death due to severe necrotic-inflammatory complications following exposure to the spider's toxic venom [1]. Following Loxosceles spiders’ bite, unless the victim has realized that the spider was close to him and due to the frequent absence of a verified culprit, a dramatic skin inflammatory and necrotic reaction can occur in rapid times, dumbfounding the victim. The reaction is known as loxoscelism and often involving phospholipases D as major components of the spider’s venom [2]. These ubiquitous group of enzymes, producing phosphatidic acid as a signaling molecule from degrading membrane phospholipids, induces an oxidative stress-mediated necrosis of tissues, for example vascular tissues [3]. Blocking the oxidative stress might be a possible therapeutical approach to halting the inflammatory necrotizing response caused by spiders of the Loxosceles genus.

Valdenassi, L., Franzini, M., Ricevuti, G., Tirelli, U., Carlo Galoforo, A., Vaiano, F., & Chirumbolo, S. (2024). Efficacy of oxygen-ozone therapy against the pro-necrotic action of Loxosceles rufescens toxic bite. International Immunopharmacology, 142, 113112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113112