Fanged creatures with ‘medically significant’ venom found in China. See the new species
Researchers in China recently discovered two new species of venomous spiders that could be of interest to the medical community.
The arachnids were located in villages and along roadsides in the Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, according to a study published on April 23 in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
Upon genetic analysis, they were revealed to belong to the genus Macrothele, a family of spiders found throughout Asia, Africa and Europe.
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One of the species — which is black and brown in color — was named Macrothele auriculata after the female spiders’ “auricle-like” or ear-shaped genitalia.
Measuring around three-quarters of an inch long, they have hairy legs and dozens of small teeth within their fang furrows.
“The spiders mainly reside in existing stone crevices or caves along highways, soil slopes, gaps in tree bark, and under fallen leaves,” said the researchers, who are affiliated with various research centers and universities in China.
The second species, named Macrothele nullispine, is brown in color and measures only about one-third of an inch long.
It also has hairy legs, dozens of tiny teeth and dwells in similar locations to Macrothele auriculata.
As members of the genus Macrothele — which is composed of 49 known species — both spiders have venom that is regarded as “medically significant,” researchers said.
Another member of the genus was found to have venom containing 194 identifiable toxins, according to an April study published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.
Several of the discovered compounds “may have applications in biomedicine and agricultural chemistry,” according to the study.
Another study, published in 2019, found that spider venom could be used as a potential cancer combatant since some of the venom components have been demonstrated to “produce lethal effects on tumor cells.”
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