Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820)
Description
Male
Pedipalp male: with thickened tibia. Embolus curved, about as long as width of bulbus. Prosoma orange-brown. Prosoma 3 mm long. Clypeus narrower than in female. Legs yellow to orange. Opisthosoma grey to yellowish brown
Body length male: 7.0-7.5 mmFemale
Vulva with receptacula close together, produced into rounded lobes projecting to inner side. Prosoma 3.2 mm long. Prosoma reddish yellow, darker in the front, with sparse hairs. Clypeus wide, almost 3 diameters of median eyes. Legs uniformly reddish yellow. Opisthosoma greyish to reddish yellow.
Body length female: 7.0-7.5 mmAdditional information
In dry habitats, under stones, rock crevices. Often in and around houses and buildings.
This species can bite humans, as also all other Loxosceles species in the world. In contrast to all other spider bites, this bite does not cause pain but could cause necrotic lesions. Most bites cause moderate local itchiness and redness, self-healing without complications within short time. Severer cases are rare and may include necrotic injuries, sometimes healing only after months. However, such cases are rare for this European species.
Since a few decades, this species shows some spreading tendencies within Europe. Nevertheless, it shall not be listed as alien or invasive because it is native for Europe.
Troglophile species (Mammola et al. 2018b)
Distribution
Phenology
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Figures
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, dorsal view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Naumova & Deltshev 2021)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Naumova & Deltshev 2021)
Bulbus and embolus
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Palpal tibia, dorsal view
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Epigyne
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Vulva
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Vulva
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Vulva
(Crespo et al. 2009b)
Vulva, ventral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, ventral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, aboral view
(Taberlet unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Naumova & Deltshev 2021)
Vulva, ventral view
(Naumova & Deltshev 2021)
Habitus
(Gertsch & Ennik 1983)
Distribution List
References
Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Hadjiconstantis M, Komnenov M, Bosselaers J, Huber S, McCowan D, Snazell R, Decae A, Zoumides C, Kielhorn K-H, Oger P (2019c) Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 34, Suppl. 1: 1-173 
Bosmans R. (unpubl.) Provisional list of spiders of North Africa. Database excerpt Aug. 2019
Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254
Crespo L C, Cardoso P, Henriques S, Gaspar C (2009b) Spiders (Araneae) from Porto Santo (Madeira, Portgal): Additions to the current knowledge. Boletín de la Sociedad Entomologica Aragonesa 45: 471-475
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S (2021a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2021 [last updated 1 January 2021], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Gertsch W J, Ennik F (1983) The spider genus Loxosceles in North America, Central America, and the West Indies (Araneae, Loxoscelidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 175: 264-360
Hänggi A, Stäubli A (2012) Nachträge zum „Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen“: 4. Neunachweise von 2002 bis 2011. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 44: 59-76
Logunov D V (2013b) On a small spider collection from Cyprus (Arachnida: Araneae). Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society 127: 4-5
Mammola S, Cardoso P, Ribera C, Pavlek M, Isaia M (2018b) A synthesis on cave-dwelling spiders in Europe. Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 56: 301-316
Naumova M, Deltshev C (2021) New faunistic and taxonomic notes on the haplogyne and cribellate spiders (Araneae: Dictynidae, Dysderidae, Eresidae, Filistatidae, Sicariidae) from three Balkan countries. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 67: 63-76
Nentwig W, Gnädinger M, Fuchs J, Ceschi A (2013) A two year study of verified spider bites in Switzerland and a review of the European spider bite literature. Toxicon 73: 104-110
Pantini P, Isaia M (2019) Araneae.it: the online catalog of Italian spiders, with addenda on other arachnid orders occurring in Italy (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpionida, Scorpiones, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 51: 127-152
Pfliegler W A, Schönhofer A, Niedbała W, Vella P, Sciberras A, Vella A (2017) New records of mites (Acari) and harvestmen (Opiliones) from Malta with a preliminary checklist of Maltese Arachnida. Soil Organisms 89: 85-110
Řezáč M, Růžička V, Hula V, Dolanský J, Machač O, Roušar A (2021) Spiders newly observed in Czechia in recent years – overlooked or invasive species? BioInvasions Records 10: 555-566
Růžička V, Dolanský J (2018) Pavouci České republiky [Spiders of the Czech Republic]. Pavouk 45: 2-3
Taberlet J-P (unpubl.)
WSC (2022) World Spider Catalog. Version 23.5. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (21.07.2022) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 05-08-2021 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 22-02-2021 | Image insert | |
| 22-02-2021 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 13-01-2021 | Image insert | |
| 13-01-2021 | Gallery image insert | |
| 07-11-2019 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 04-06-2019 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 02-02-2017 | Image insert | |
| 29-12-2016 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 22-06-2016 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 26-11-2013 | Datasheet update | Detail |