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1 September 2005 Microhabitats Occupied by Loxosceles intermedia and Loxosceles laeta (Araneae: Sicariidae) in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Marta Luciane Fischer, João Vasconcellos-Neto
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Abstract

A survey was done of the environments and substrata occupied by Loxosceles intermedia Mello-Leitão, 1934 and Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) (Araneae: Sicariidae) in urban woods and anthropic constructions in Curitiba. In total, 2,099 trees, 364 decaying logs as well as stones and roots, built-up areas, and wasteland in six urban parks and 60 residences were inspected. In total, 1,775 m2 of vegetation was inspected, but spiders and their vestiges were collected only in and around buildings in urban parks and residences. L. intermedia was more common than L. laeta and occurred both indoors and outdoors, whereas L. laeta was more common indoors in wooden houses. The two species did not occur in the same microhabitats, although both preferred paper, wood, and construction materials. Spiders collected in urban parks were heavier than those collected in residences, although only males collected in urban parks were larger than those from residences. The lack of vestiges indicative of a previous occupation in the urban parks suggested that both species occupied primarily the anthropic environment where they found numerous substrata that offered thermal isolation and suitable conditions for web fixation, ecdysis, and reproduction.

Marta Luciane Fischer and João Vasconcellos-Neto "Microhabitats Occupied by Loxosceles intermedia and Loxosceles laeta (Araneae: Sicariidae) in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil," Journal of Medical Entomology 42(5), 756-765, (1 September 2005). https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-2585(2005)042[0756:MOBLIA]2.0.CO;2
Received: 15 March 2005; Accepted: 15 May 2005; Published: 1 September 2005
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KEYWORDS
anthropic environment
habitat selection
loxoscelism
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