Patrones de coloración presentes en hembras adultas de la especie Latrodectus garbae y su relación con las variables microclimáticas

Abstract

The spiders known as black widows belong to the genus Latrodectus (Walckenaer, 1805). They are recognized as spiders of medical importance because their venom contains a mammal-specific neurotoxin called $\alpha$-latrotoxin, which affects the nervous system. They belong to the family Theridiidae and are distributed worldwide.Currently, there are records of four species in Colombia: L. curacaviensis (Müller, 1776), L. geometricus (Koch, 1841), L. hurtadoi (Rueda & Realpe, 2021), and L. garbae (Rueda & Realpe, 2021). L. garbae is found in the Magdalena Valley and is considered an umbrella species for the Tatacoa Desert, located in the Huila department. Although described in 2021, records date back to 1538 in the diaries of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, as several members of his army died from the bite of this red spider.It is currently known that this species displays different coloration patterns which have not yet been studied in depth; furthermore, it is known that within the genus Latrodectus, coloration patterns are not a valid character for species identification, as they present continuous intraspecific variations that may even be linked to ontogeny.Therefore, this degree project determined the variations in dorsal abdominal coloration patterns in mature females of the species L. garbae and their relationship with microclimatic variables. To achieve this, dorsal coloration patterns present in adult females found in the C.J. Marinkelle Natural History Collection at the Universidad de los Andes were initially identified, photographed, and described. Subsequently, two field trips were conducted to the Tatacoa Desert, where photographs of the dorsal patterns of mature females were taken to include them with those previously described. Six coloration patterns were identified, four of which were new records not previously described, and it was determined that yellow rings do not indicate sexual maturity.