Arthropod Venoms (handbook Of Experimental Pharmacology)

Arthropod venoms have received much attention and have played an important role in folklore and medicine since ancient times. Scorpion envenomation, "tarant­ ism," bee and wasp stings are among those subjects about which most has been speculated and written in the past. In the last 50 years or so, a great number of scientific papers have been devoted to arthropod venoms, but only a few volumes have been designed to collect this rapidly increasing material, and these are not recent. Of late, the chemistry and mode of action of several arthropod venoms have been thoroughly studied, and some of these substances will probably be used as pharmacological tools and also as therapeutic agents. The aim of the present volume is to collect in manual form new information as well as the old notions on arthropod venoms. Even though it was our intention to present a volume on arthropod venoms, and not on venomous arthropods, inevitably we were forced to include information on venom-producing organisms as well. We assumed, in fact, that those scientists for whom the present manual is primarily intended (biochemists, particularly com­ parative biochemists, and pharmacologists) should be familiar with the biologic elements concerning the venom-producing species; which should show them how important it is to operate in close collaboration with biologists specialized in venomous arthropod systematics and biology. Front Matter....Pages I-XXXIII Introduction to Venomous Arthropod Systematics....Pages 1-12 Venoms of Crustacea and Merostomata....Pages 13-39 Defensive Secretions of Millipeds....Pages 41-72 Secretions of Centipedes....Pages 73-85 Secretions of Opilionids, Whip Scorpions and Pseudoscorpions....Pages 87-99 Review of the Spider Families, with Notes on the Lesser-Known Poisonous Forms....Pages 101-120 Venoms of Dipluridae....Pages 121-148 Venoms of Theridiidae, Genus Latrodectus....Pages 149-212 Venoms of Theridiidae, Genus Steatoda....Pages 213-216 Venoms of Ctenidae....Pages 217-245 Venoms of Scytodidae. Genus Loxosceles....Pages 247-275 The Genus Centruroides (Buthidae) and Its Venom....Pages 277-307 Venoms of Buthinae....Pages 309-369 Venoms of Tityinae....Pages 371-394 Chactoid Venoms....Pages 395-418 Tick Paralysis....Pages 419-464 Toxins of Blattaria....Pages 465-487 Venoms of Rhyncota (Hemiptera)....Pages 489-509 Venoms of Coleoptera....Pages 511-554 Venoms of Lepidoptera....Pages 555-611 Venoms of Apidae....Pages 613-659 Venoms of Sphecidae, Pompilidae, Mutillidae, and Bethylidae....Pages 661-690 Venoms of Vespidae....Pages 691-771 Venoms of Braconidae....Pages 773-800 Venoms and Venom Apparatuses of the Formicidae: Myrmeciinae, Ponerinae, Dorylinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, Myrmicinae, and Formicinae....Pages 801-869 Venoms and Venom Apparatuses of the Formicidae: Dolichoderinae and Aneuretinae....Pages 871-894 Back Matter....Pages 895-980