Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour 1820)

Jäger, Peter, 2007, Spiders from Laos with descriptions of new species (Arachnida: Araneae), Acta Arachnologica 56 (1), pp. 29-58 : 34

Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour 1820)

Material examined. 1 male, 3 females, 3 subadult males, 3 juveniles ( SMF 56663 ), L8, cave, by hand . 1 male ( SMF 56658 ), L9, cave, by hand, P. Jäger & V. Vedel leg. 17.XI.2004 .

Specimens were identified after Gertsch & Ennik (1983). The species was found in two caves only (spiders were collected in more than twenty cave systems). The upper cave at Pak Ou (Tham Phun) is a rather dry cave, small and open for tourism due to buddhism relics. Specimens were collected from the soil under stones and in crevices in the cave walls. Tham Sieng Mang, in comparison to other caves, is rather warm and not as rich as other caves in respect of its cave fauna. It is also a touristic cave and close to Luang Prabang, which may explain the presence of a cosmopolitan species which is most likely introduced by man in these habitats.