Records of the Western Australian Museum 18: 223-224 (1996). 
Short communication 
The first record of the Fiddle-back Spider Loxosceles rufescens 
(Araneae: Sicariidae) from Western Australia 
Mark S. Harvey 
Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, Western Australia 6000, Australia 
The venom of several species of Loxosceles (often 
termed Fiddle-back Spiders due to the distinctive 
markings on the carapace) are reported to have 
deleterious effects upon humans and several 
species are capable of forming severe necrotic 
lesions and occasionally death (Schenone and 
Suarez 1978). 
These spiders, previously placed in their own 
family, Loxoscelidae (e.g., Gertsch 1949; Gertsch 
and Ennik 1983) or in the Scytodidae (e.g., Gertsch 
1967), are now placed in the subfamily 
Loxoscelinae, in the Sicariidae (e.g. Simon 1893; 
Platnick el al. 1991). Numerous species have been 
described from Africa, southern Europe and the 
Americas, which appears to represent the full 
natural distribution of the genus. 
Two Loxosceles species are reported to have been 
transported to various parts of the world through 
indirect human agency. The most widely 
distributed is L. rufescens (Dufour), a species with a 
natural circum-Mediterranean distribution, now 
reported from many other regions including 
U.S.A., east Asia, Australia, Madagascar, many 
islands of the Pacific and Atlantic (such as Hawaii) 
(see references in Bonnet 1957; Gertsch and Ennik 
1983; Platnick 1989, 1993). The sole Australian 
records of this species are from Adelaide and other 
regions of South Australia (Gray 1974; Southcott 
1976, 1978), where the species seems to have been 
established for some time. Southcott (1978) 
reported that specimens in museum collections 
dated back some 'forty years'. 
The second is L. laela (Nicolet) from western 
South America, which has been introduced into 
other areas of South and central America (e.g., 
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Belize), 
U.S.A., Canada, Australia and Finland (Gertsch 
and Ennik 1983). The sole Australian record was of 
a single male from the central city area of Sydney, 
New South Wales [Gray 1974; under the name L. 
rufipes (Lucas) - see Gertsch and Ennik (1983) for a 
clarification of this nomenclatural problem). 
An examination of some spider material donated 
to the Western Australian Museum by Dr B.Y. 
Main uncovered a previously unrecognised 
specimen of L. rufescens collected in Nedlands, an 
inner suburban area of Perth, in early 1957. The 
identification of this specimen, an adult female, 
was confirmed by examination of the internal 
genitalia which conform to that described for the 
species by Gertsch and Ennik (1983, figures 349- 
351). The specimen was found amongst packing 
cases which had been delivered from Singapore. 
However, it may well prove impossible to ascertain 
the exact provenance of the specimen, as the 
association with packing cases from Singapore may 
be fortuitous. 
No other specimens of Loxosceles has been found 
amongst the collections of the Western Australian 
Museum or any similar repository (such as the 
Department of Agriculture, Perth), and none has 
ever been reported from Western Australia. 
Therefore, it seems likely that the species has not 
become established in Perth, and that the sole 
specimen reported here was a chance introduction. 
Despite the long presence of L. rufescens in 
Australia, it seems that bites from these spiders are 
either very infrequent or are misdiagnosed. 
Sutherland (1983) reported that no bites by this 
spider have occurred in Australia. 
Material Examined 
Australia: Western Australia: 1 $, Nedlands, 
Perth, 'found amongst packing cases from 
Singapore', April 1957, S. Barker (WAM 96/854, 
BYM 1957/A8). 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
I wish to thank Barbara York Main for access to 
this specimen and for her detailed comments upon 
an early draft of the manuscript; Julianne Waldock 
for sorting the specimen from the collection; and 
Peter Davis for access to the Department of 
Agriculture collection. 
REFERENCES 
Bonnet, P. (1957). Bibliographia Araneorum, vol. 2(3). 
Douladoure, Toulouse. 
Gertsch, W.J. (1949). American Spiders. D. Van Nostrand, 
New York. 
