In this article you will learn more about the spider spider , what are its characteristics and curiosities about this species. Also check out photos and care that should be taken to avoid attacks.
Spiders are animals that belong to the Phylum Arthropoda (artropoda), which is the phylum with the largest number of known species. The animals in this group receive this name due to the presence of articulated legs, in addition to other appendages, such as antennae and mouthpieces. Within this phylum is the class of spiders, the class Arachnida (arachnids). This class mainly covers spiders, scorpions and mites, including ticks.
Spiders are arthropods that have an external support structure, that is, the exoskeleton. The exoskeleton covers the entire body of the animal externally and through articulated plates, allows full movement of the body. Spiders can be found in different environments, such as holes, cracks in the soil, in the treetops, deserts, in preserved ecosystems and even in large urban centers.
Characteristics of the spider spider
Weaving spiders belong to the Phoneutria genus, they are the largest venomous spiders on the planet , as they measure up to approximately 20 cm in wingspan with their legs open. When the spider feels threatened and cannot escape, it does not back down.
The spider spider is an arthropod and can reach 20 cm in wingspan (Photo: depositphotos)
It supports the body on the back legs and raises its front part, making movements from side to side. Thus, the spider bites very easily and inoculates its poison to defend itself. It is due to this type of behavior that it is popularly known as the spider spider.
See also: Black widow spider: curiosities, characteristics and photos
Habitat
The curious fact of the spider spider is that it does not live in webs . During the day they usually hide in shady places like holes in the ground, under pieces of wood, between large leaves of vegetables, mainly in banana leaves. This spider can be found throughout South America, but it has already spread around the world when being “exported” in bunches of bananas.
Visually these spiders are gray (covered by short, close-fitting, gray-brown hairs). The female’s belly is black and the male’s may be orange or yellowish. The legs also have black spines (usually implanted in light spots).
This spider lives among large leaves of vegetables, mainly on banana leaves (Photo: depositphotos)
Habits and reproduction
Also known as the monkey spider or the banana spider, armadeira spiders feed on various insects, small amphibians, reptiles, mice and small geckos. Despite being Brazilian , the bottle is exported to Europe and North America in banana loads. They mate in March and April and are therefore more active in this period.
They are oviparous. As with most spiders, female weaners are larger than males. And this one performs the mating dance to perform the copulation. It is estimated that the female can lay up to a thousand eggs and the life span of these animals is around one to two years.
Attack of the spider spider
Accidents with these animals usually occur at dusk or in the early hours of the day. People come into contact with spiders when they enter homes looking for food at night and hide in places like shoes, bedding, towels, drawers, under furniture, etc. Another common accident situation is when handling fruits and vegetables that have been harvested without removing these animals.
If threatened, the spider spider supports the body on its back legs and raises its front part (Photo: Reproduction João Burini)
Scavenger spiders use their venom to catch other spiders, insects and small vertebrates such as lizards, baby birds and mice. However, the chemical composition of its poison causes the action on our organism to be very severe, causing intense and immediate pain at the site of the bite, which can radiate through the affected limb. The bite site is red, sweaty and swollen, and may present numbness.
See also: Spider web threads can be as strong as steel
Sting symptoms
The injured may have an increase in heart rate, high blood pressure and psycho-motor agitation. The serious accidents occurring especially in children, are characterized by: generalized sweating, salivation, frequent vomiting, diarrhea, muscle stiffness, shock and acute pulmonary edema, which can lead to rare deaths.
Human poisonings by spiders are called araneism!
Poison action
The scientific name of the spider spider is Phoneutria spp and is considered the most aggressive species in the world. Its poison has a neurotoxic action, is extremely painful and can lead the victim to a “shocked state”. Your sting can lead to death when it comes to young children and elderly people. Adults who endure pain receive local treatment with anesthetics and antihistamines. More severe cases require serotherapy and medical monitoring.
These spiders have nocturnal habits and do not have a permanent home and can enter houses and at dawn, take shelter in shoes and boots, causing accidents when they are dressed. Research says that only 0.006 mg of poison is enough to kill a rat. Weaners are the second spiders that most cause accidents in Brazil, second only to brown spiders.
Its poison tends to act faster than most snakes. There is a record of death from asphyxiation in children (mainly) and even adults. Weavers are quite aggressive, attacking of their own free will. More than 7 thousand cases have already been registered in Brazil, however, few deaths have occurred, since antidotes are quite common and efficient.
Antidote
The serum used against Phoneutria ‘s poison is the anti-arachnid. This serum is made by mixing the poisons of the following species: Tytys serrulatus (scorpion) Loxoceles gaucho (brown spider) and Phoneutria nigriventer (spider spider).
Recent studies link spider venom and its relationship to erection. Compounds present in the poison would help erectile dysfunction, since erections resulting from the bite last for hours. The poison increases the concentration of nitric oxide, a chemical that increases blood flow. The component of the poison in question is Tx2-6.
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