Sicarius tropicus is a species of six-eyed sand spider (Sicarius) endemic in South American caatinga in Brazil.[1] Like related spiders, it is venomous, but only one medically-significant bite has been recorded, causing dermonecrotic lesions in a 17-year-old boy.[2]
| Sicarius tropicus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Sicarius |
| Species: | S. tropicus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sicarius tropicus (Mello-Leitao, 1936)
| |
Venom
editA 2021 study compared the venom with that of Loxosceles laeta, considered the most toxic species in the genus. The venom of S. tropicus contains Sphingomyelinase D, capable of causing dependent hemolysis; the hemolysis mechanisms were found to differ between the two species.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Oldstyle id: 5850bf52974321d7ce7a182813997c37". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands.
- ^ Dos-Santos MC, Cardoso JLC (1992) Lesão dermonecrótica por Sicarius tropicus, simulando loxoscelismo cutâneo. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 25: 115–123.
- ^ Lopes, Priscila Hess; Fukushima, Caroline Sayuri; Shoji, Rosana de Fátima; Bertani, Rogerio; Tambourgi, Denise Vilarinho (2021). "Sphingomyelinase D activity in Sicarius Tropicus Venom: toxic potential and clues to the evolution of SMases D in the Sicariidae family". Toxins. 13 (4): 256. doi:10.3390/toxins13040256. hdl:10138/330132. PMC 8066738. PMID 33916208.