Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
4-4__.__.__
Loxosceles reclusa
Family: Sicariidae; Areanea; Arachnida; Chelicerata; Arthropoda; Animalia.
Zoology
It is a real terror of American people, Mexicans and Europeans. In the USA this spider is also known as Brown recluse spider or Violin spider. This species are usually 6-20 mm long, although the longer individuals can be found as well. Typical colors are from light to brown (white, light brown and black grey). This spider got spot on the cephalthorax in the dorsal part in the shape of violin. This is the reason of its nicknames, which are Fiddleback spider, Brown fiddler. It has 3 pairs of eyes, which are unusually arranged. Abdomen is covered with soft tiny fuzz. Joints on the legs are slightly light colored. Length of life is estimated on 1 or 2 years. Female lays eggs during 2nd to 3rd month of life from May to July. Approximately 50 eggs in one laying. These are hatched in 1 month. This spider looks for dry and warm places, mostly human dwellings (shacks, sheds, garages, wardrobes, cellars, cupboards). It was also found in shoes, dresses, blankets, inside working gloves, on the toilette and close to the sources of warm. Its preys are usually cockroaches, crickets and silverfishes, which are mostly caught in the sticky ambushes. If these traps are disturbed, the spider moves fast and stings the prey, so the enzyme decomposed the animal from inside. Then he falls back and lets the toxins prepare its dinner. .
Spiders from class Arachnida are nocturnal ones, lonely, shy and biting only in case of potential danger. Brown recluse spider’s bite also known as loxoscelism does not hurt or causes any pain, because human mostly does not notice anything biting him. After 8-24 hours the skin around wound starts turning red, when the human can actually feel pain. Gradually the blisters appear near the wound, which can transform to ulcers or even bearings of necrotic tissue. This necrosis can expand up to 10-15cm big wound. Symptoms are high temperature, vomiting, rashes and joint and muscle soreness. This can outgrow to systematic character: DIC, hemolytic anaemia, acute kidney failure or even end up with death. Reason of all this is venom called Sphingomyelinase D, which causes dermonecrosis and leads to death. Healing is very slow, leaving scars which are often needed to be surgically operated. However the antidote exists. Venoms are garnered from about thousands of spiders, and then they are injected intravenously to the horses. In the horse’s body the antidote is crafted in 40 days. In contrary of making antidote, the lengths of horses‘ lives are significantly shortened.