ARPHA Preprints, doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e117085
Integrative taxonomy reveals first record of invasive Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Araneae, Sicariidae) in the Philippines
expand article infoAimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo‡, Ireneo, Jr. L. Lit§|, Camille Faith D. Duran§, Ma. Francia Kyla M. Cammayo§, Marnelli S. Alviola§|, Sheila Mae Q. Mercado|, Cecille Ann L. Osio|, Orlando L. Eusebio§, Cristian C. Lucañas§, Alberto T. Barrion
‡ UP Los Banos, Los Banos, Philippines§ Entomology Section, Museum of Natural History, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines| Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines¶ Department of Biology, College of Science, De La Salle University, Taft, Manila, Philippines

Corresponding author: Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo ( abdupo@up.edu.ph )

© Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, Ireneo, Jr. Lit, Camille Faith Duran, Ma. Francia Kyla Cammayo, Marnelli Alviola, Sheila Mae Mercado, Cecille Ann Osio, Orlando Eusebio, Cristian Lucañas, Alberto Barrion.
This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Barrion-Dupo AL, Lit IJL, Duran CFD, Cammayo MaFKM, Alviola MS, Mercado SMQ, Osio CAL, Eusebio OL, Lucañas CC, Barrion AT (2023) Integrative taxonomy reveals first record of invasive Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Araneae, Sicariidae) in the Philippines. ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e117085
Open Access
Abstract

The spider family Sicariidae Keyserling, 1880, and the synanthropic Mediterranean recluse spider, Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820), is reported in the Philippines for the first time based on morphological and molecular data. The introduced spider was observed in a small cave (Kamantigue Cave) in Lobo, Batangas Province. Considering the medical importance of this spider, the proximity of its habitat to human habitation and tourist sites poses a potential public health concern.

This study reports on the first record of the family Sicariidae in the Philippines and the third recorded occurrence of L. rufescens in Southeast Asia. 

Keywords
caves, Loxosceles rufescens, loxoscelism, Mediterranean recluse