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First record of Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour) in California
Toslron, 1970, Vol. 8, pp . 91-92. Per~amon Press. Printed iu Groat Britain
FIRST RECORD OF LOXOSCELES RUFESCENS (DUFOUR) IN CALIFORNIA MINGO B. MADON arid RONALD E. HALL California State Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California and Orange County Health Department, Santa Ana, California, U.S .A .
7,1969, a mature female specimen of Loxosceles rufescens was killed by a resident of Laguna Beach, California . Coincidentally, next day the news media publicized the discovery of the South American species, Loxosceles laeta, in Sierra Madre, California . Out of curiosity, the woman got interested in the spider she had killed the day before and submitted it to the Orange County Health Department . The specimen was examined by the authors and was subsequently mailed to Dr. Willis J. Gertsch in Portal, Arizona. Dr. Gertsch identified the specimen as Loxosceles rufescens . The specimen was observed while the woman was unwrapping some articles stored in a cedar chest that had been recently shipped, along with other belongings, from Kansas City, Missouri . This family had recently moved from Kansas City, Missouri, to Laguna Beach, California. The authors conducted a thorough search of the packed and unpacked belongings within the home and in the garage, but failed to recover any additional specimens of Loxosceles. There is no doubt that this specimen was imported into California from Kansas City, Missouri .* This is the third species of Loxosceles that has been transported in some way into Southern California. The first species being two separate introductions of L. reclusa (WALDRON and RUSSELL, 1967 ; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1969) and the second, the occurrence of the South American species L. laeta (WALDRON, 1969). Dr. Gertsch (personal communication, June 28, 1969) mentioned that there are only a few records of L, rufescens from the United States, and most of these cited localities were from specimens that had been recently introduced . According to GERTSCH (1958) this is a sporadically cosmopolitan species. Their distribution ranges from the Mediterranean region, islands of the Atlantic, to Madagascar, Japan, along the east coast and Gulf states (from Alabama to Texas) of North America ; and most probably Central and South America. SMITH and MICKS (1968) in their experimental studies on rabbits, reported that the venom apparatus, the quantity of venom injected, and the reactions to the bite of the males and females of L. rufescens, L. reclusa and L, laeta, were similar. The venom and extracts of these three species produced necrotic lesions, erythema, induration, edema and death when ON JUNE
"An interesting sídenote was later revealed daring an interview with the woman, that a shipment of furniture from Florida was transported in the moving van, just prior to the transportation of furniture from Missouri to California . There is no doubt that this specimen was imported into California ; but this poses the question as to whether the spider was in the moving van or ín the furniture from Kansas City, Missouri, prior to its being moved. The distribution of Loxosceles rgfescens within the United States allows the possibility of transportation through the moving van; however, the facts more clearly point to the cedar chest and importation from Kansas City, Missouri . 91
92
MINGO B. MADON and RONALD HALL
injected subcutaneously into rabbits. They could not, however, explain the greater hemolytic activity of L. rufescens extracts . Of the several cases of spider venom poisoning in Southern California, so far no bites have yet been recorded by any of these three introduced species here . RUSSHLL et al. (1969), however, have reported known and probable cases of L. unicolor envenomation . This species is a native of the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern California . Acknowledgments-The authors acknowledge with thanks Dr, FINDLAY E. Russsi.i, for his criticisms and his continuous encouragement in having public health biologists report occurrences of venomous arthropods . Appreciation is also due Dr, Wn,tis J. GER73CH, who identified the specimen . REFERENCES WALDBON, W. G. and RusseLt, F. E. (1967) . Loxosceles reclusa in Southern California. Toxicon 5, 57. U.S . Department of Agriculture (1969) . Cooperative Economic Insect Report . Reported for the week of November 14,1969. CEIR . Vo1.19. W~nox, W. G. (1969) . Loxosceles hela. Nicolet, An introduced species in Los Angeles County . Bull. ent . Soc. Am.1S, 377 . Grß~racx, W. J. (1958). The spider genusLoxosceles in North America, Central America and theWest Indies . Am . Mus. Novlt . (1907) pp . 1-46. Srurx, C. W. and Mtcxs, D. W. (1968). A comparative study of the venom and other components of three species of Loxosceles . Am . J. trop . Med. Hyg.17, 651 . RUSSSLL, F. E., WALDBON, W. G. and M.~nox, M. B. (1969) . Bites by the brown spiders Loxosceles unlcolor and I:oxosceles arizonica in California and Arizona. Toxicon 7, 109 .
FIRST RECORD OF LOXOSCELES RUFESCENS (DUFOUR) IN CALIFORNIA MINGO B. MADON arid RONALD E. HALL California State Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California and Orange County Health Department, Santa Ana, California, U.S .A .
7,1969, a mature female specimen of Loxosceles rufescens was killed by a resident of Laguna Beach, California . Coincidentally, next day the news media publicized the discovery of the South American species, Loxosceles laeta, in Sierra Madre, California . Out of curiosity, the woman got interested in the spider she had killed the day before and submitted it to the Orange County Health Department . The specimen was examined by the authors and was subsequently mailed to Dr. Willis J. Gertsch in Portal, Arizona. Dr. Gertsch identified the specimen as Loxosceles rufescens . The specimen was observed while the woman was unwrapping some articles stored in a cedar chest that had been recently shipped, along with other belongings, from Kansas City, Missouri . This family had recently moved from Kansas City, Missouri, to Laguna Beach, California. The authors conducted a thorough search of the packed and unpacked belongings within the home and in the garage, but failed to recover any additional specimens of Loxosceles. There is no doubt that this specimen was imported into California from Kansas City, Missouri .* This is the third species of Loxosceles that has been transported in some way into Southern California. The first species being two separate introductions of L. reclusa (WALDRON and RUSSELL, 1967 ; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1969) and the second, the occurrence of the South American species L. laeta (WALDRON, 1969). Dr. Gertsch (personal communication, June 28, 1969) mentioned that there are only a few records of L, rufescens from the United States, and most of these cited localities were from specimens that had been recently introduced . According to GERTSCH (1958) this is a sporadically cosmopolitan species. Their distribution ranges from the Mediterranean region, islands of the Atlantic, to Madagascar, Japan, along the east coast and Gulf states (from Alabama to Texas) of North America ; and most probably Central and South America. SMITH and MICKS (1968) in their experimental studies on rabbits, reported that the venom apparatus, the quantity of venom injected, and the reactions to the bite of the males and females of L. rufescens, L. reclusa and L, laeta, were similar. The venom and extracts of these three species produced necrotic lesions, erythema, induration, edema and death when ON JUNE
"An interesting sídenote was later revealed daring an interview with the woman, that a shipment of furniture from Florida was transported in the moving van, just prior to the transportation of furniture from Missouri to California . There is no doubt that this specimen was imported into California ; but this poses the question as to whether the spider was in the moving van or ín the furniture from Kansas City, Missouri, prior to its being moved. The distribution of Loxosceles rgfescens within the United States allows the possibility of transportation through the moving van; however, the facts more clearly point to the cedar chest and importation from Kansas City, Missouri . 91
92
MINGO B. MADON and RONALD HALL
injected subcutaneously into rabbits. They could not, however, explain the greater hemolytic activity of L. rufescens extracts . Of the several cases of spider venom poisoning in Southern California, so far no bites have yet been recorded by any of these three introduced species here . RUSSHLL et al. (1969), however, have reported known and probable cases of L. unicolor envenomation . This species is a native of the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern California . Acknowledgments-The authors acknowledge with thanks Dr, FINDLAY E. Russsi.i, for his criticisms and his continuous encouragement in having public health biologists report occurrences of venomous arthropods . Appreciation is also due Dr, Wn,tis J. GER73CH, who identified the specimen . REFERENCES WALDBON, W. G. and RusseLt, F. E. (1967) . Loxosceles reclusa in Southern California. Toxicon 5, 57. U.S . Department of Agriculture (1969) . Cooperative Economic Insect Report . Reported for the week of November 14,1969. CEIR . Vo1.19. W~nox, W. G. (1969) . Loxosceles hela. Nicolet, An introduced species in Los Angeles County . Bull. ent . Soc. Am.1S, 377 . Grß~racx, W. J. (1958). The spider genusLoxosceles in North America, Central America and theWest Indies . Am . Mus. Novlt . (1907) pp . 1-46. Srurx, C. W. and Mtcxs, D. W. (1968). A comparative study of the venom and other components of three species of Loxosceles . Am . J. trop . Med. Hyg.17, 651 . RUSSSLL, F. E., WALDBON, W. G. and M.~nox, M. B. (1969) . Bites by the brown spiders Loxosceles unlcolor and I:oxosceles arizonica in California and Arizona. Toxicon 7, 109 .