Deadly and venomous Lonomia caterpillars are more than the two usual suspects

Abstract

Caterpillars of the Neotropical genus Lonomia (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) are responsible for some fatal envenomation of humans in South America inducing hemostatic disturbances in patients upon skin contact with the caterpillars’ spines. Currently, only two species have been reported to cause hemorrhagic syndromes in humans: Lonomia achelous and Lonomia obliqua. However, species identifications have remained largely unchallenged despite improved knowledge of venom diversity and growing evidence that the taxonomy used over past decades misrepresents and underestimates species diversity. Here, we revisit the taxonomic diversity and distribution of Lonomia species using the most extensive dataset assembled to date, combining DNA barcodes, morphological comparisons, and geographical information. Considering new evidence for seven undescribed species as well as three newly proposed nomenclatural changes, our integrative approach leads to the recognition of 60 species, of which seven are known or strongly suspected to cause severe envenomation in humans. From a newly compiled synthesis of epidemiological data, we also examine the consequences of our results for understanding Lonomia envenomation risks and call for further investigations of other species’ venom activities. This is required and necessary to improve alertness in areas at risk, and to define adequate treatment strategies for envenomed patients, including performing species identification and assessing the efficacy of anti-Lonomia serums against a broader diversity of species.

Characterization of morphological and biological aspects of venomous caterpillars of the genus Lonomia Walker (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in Colombia

“…This species is distributed in Ecuador, Perú, and the Orinoquía and Amazonas regions of Colombia [ 1 ]. Colonies of 6th instar caterpillars were found on Stylogyne sp (Primulaceae).…”

“…This species is distributed in Ecuador, Perú, and the Orinoquía region of Colombia [ 1 ]. The colonies were found at the transition phase between the 4th and 5th instars.…”

“…The DNA barcode sequence of the holotype of L . orientoandensis (sample identifier: BC-RBP 4175) is publicly available in BOLD within dataset DS-LONO2 ([ 1 ]; dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-LONO2 ).…”

“…The Lepidopteran genus Lonomia (Saturniidae) Walker, 1855 is distributed from Mexico to Argentina and comprises 60 species of medium-sized saturniids [ 1 ]. Their wings, viewed dorsally, range from yellow to orange and brown, sometimes with a reddish appearance.…”

“…casanarensis and Lonomia rengifoi Brechlin & Käch, 2017. However, a complementary study in which the authors participate [ 1 ] excluded L . madrediosiana , from the list of Colombian species and reported three additional species for Colombia: Lonomia vanschaycki Brechlin, Käch & Meister, 2013, Lonomia cayennensis Brechlin & Meister 2019, and an unidentified species, provisionally named as Lonomia CGR01.…”