The History of Venomous Spider Identification, Venom Extraction Methods and Antivenom Production: a Long Journey at the Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil

The article provides a historical report on venomous spider identification, venom obtainment methods and serum production at the Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil. It is based on literature and personnal experience during the last 50 years. This result is the discovery that the real species causing potential severe human accidents were the spiders of the genus Loxosceles and Phoneutria.(AU)

The history of venomous spider identification, venom extraction methods and antivenom production: a long journey at the Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil

The article provides a historical report on venomous spider identification, venom obtainment methods and serum production at the Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil. It is based on literature and personnal experience during the last 50 years. This result is the discovery that the real species causing potential severe human accidents were the spiders of the genus Loxosceles and Phoneutria.

Redescrição de Prorachias bristowei Mello-Leitão, 1924 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Nemesiidae) / x

Prorachias Mello-Leitão, 1924 é conhecido apenas pela espécie-tipo P. bristowei Mello-Leitão, 1924, descrita com base em uma fêmea do estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. A descrição é sumária e incompleta, sendo omitidos caracteres importantes como o formato da espermateca. O exemplar-tipo, que deveria estar depositado no Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, não foi localizado e está provavelmente perdido. O estudo de material coletado pelo Projeto "Biodiversidade de Arachnida e Myriapoda do Estado de São Paulo" e de material depositado na coleção do Instituto Butantan permitiu complementar a diagnose do gênero, redescrever a fêmea e descrever pela primeira vez o macho desta espécie. Além disto, dados sobre biologia são apresentados e a distribuição geográfica da espécie é ampliada para os estados de Goiás, Minas Gerais e São Paulo.

Prorachias Mello-Leitão, 1924 is known only from its type-species Prorachiasbristowei Mello-Leitão, described based on a female from the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The description is very short and incomplete and some important characters, such as the shape of the spermathecae, are omitted. The type specimen, that should be deposited in the collection of the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, was not located and is probably lost. Nevertheless, specimens collected by the project "Biodiversity of Arachnida and Myriapoda of the State of São Paulo" and deposited in the collection of the Butantan Institute enabled to improve the diagnosis of the genus as well as describe the species' male. In addition, notes on the biology are presented and the distribution range is extended to the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo.