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June 20, 2014

South American brown spider (Loxosceles laeta)

A South American brown spider (Loxosceles laeta).

L. laeta is one of three species whose venom was tested by a University of Arizona (UA)-led research team that discovered the venom of spiders in the genus Loxosceles produces a different chemical product in the human body than scientists believed. The genus Loxosceles contains about 100 spider species including the brown recluse. This discovery has implications for understanding how these spider bites affect humans and for the development of possible treatments.

The collection of venom for this study was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. To learn more, see the UA news story Spider Venom Reveals New Secret. (Date of Image: September 2005)

Credit: Jonathan Coddington, Smithsonian Institution

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