Spider expert Phil Sirvid gives Senior Digital Editor Daniel Crichton-Rouse the low-down on the most popular spiders of the s, as searched for by our online audiences maybe even you.
The black tunnelweb spider came out on top by some distance: twice as many searches as the spider in 10th spot, and a fair way ahead of second-placed slater spider. Based on the photo above… unsurprising. Typical prey includes beetles and other ground-living insects. There are also accounts of these spiders capturing snails and mice. These spiders dry out and die rather easily, and so they may seek out a source of moisture when trapped inside.
While we have a lot of endemic i. Endemic families are very uncommon. Read more about the black tunnelweb spider. Rather, it seizes its victim in its very large chelicerae. Chelicerae are one of the defining features of arachnids, and spider chelicerae are like pocket knives.
Imagine the fang is like the blade part and the basal segment is like the handle it folds back against. At night, the spider will hang from the underside of the sheetweb, waiting for insects to fall in. This is her egg sac and she carries it everywhere in her fangs until her young are ready to emerge. The mother stays close, and during the day can often be found near the base of the plant where she has deposited her young. They are also more than capable of going underwater.
The hairs on the abdomen trap air, allowing the water spider to carry its own oxygen supply when it submerges. Read more about nurseryweb spiders and water spiders.
The black-headed jumping spider can jump about half a metre. The large front legs of species like Trite planiceps are actually used to grab prey, rather than for jumping.
The hind legs give the spider its ability to leap. However, the jumping spider is an exception. It has two big central eyes to help it identify targets and estimate distance — important abilities for an animal that pounces on its prey.
They have not spread widely, possibly because of a lack of suitable habitat. Instead, they wait for a potential victim to come close enough to capture with their front pair of legs and pull into their fangs. Bites from both species are extremely rare and there is a safe and effective antivenom for both redback and katipo bites.
If you suspect you have been bitten by a katipo or redback spider you need to seek urgent medical attention at your nearest hospital, medical centre or doctor. Do not panic as serious reactions are uncommon and unlikely to develop in less than three hours.
Hospitals can provide safe and effective treatment. Venom is not always introduced with the bite. If it is, most reactions to the venom are moderate. If you suspect you have been bitten by a white-tailed spider only simple first aid is necessary, as with any puncturing of the skin, as these spiders do not cause skin damage or ulcers:. For any suspected spider bite, see a doctor if the bite area becomes very red or painful, blisters, appears infected, or forms an ulcer.
With all suspected spider bites it is important to know which spider may have been responsible. Try to capture the spider without endangering anybody and take it to the doctor or hospital with you, or describe it carefully for identification.
With suspect spiders:. Katipo females Latrodectus katipo have black rounded bodies with slender legs and a white-bordered red stripe on their back and a red hourglass mark underneath. Adult males and juveniles are black and white and smaller than the females. It makes its webs on warm sandy beaches and sand dunes under:. Katipo are found in coastal areas in both the North and South Islands as far south as Karitane and Greymouth.
Typical symptoms of katipo bites include pain at the bite site, which may spread to other areas, becoming more intense over the next few hours.
People may also experience sweating, difficulty in breathing and abdominal cramps. To avoid contact with the katipo wear footwear when walking on the beach and sand dunes where the spiders live. Take care when moving debris and plants on beaches. Avoid draping clothing or towels over driftwood. Female Redback Spiders Latrodectus hasselti have black rounded bodies with slender legs and a white-bordered orange to red jagged stripe on their back and a red hourglass mark underneath.
Adult males are slender with a cream abdomen with brown stripes and juveniles have additional white markings on the abdomen. Both the males and the juveniles are smaller than the females. Redback spiders are originally from Australia.
They have been established in limited areas in New Zealand since the early s and continue to arrive in cargo such as motor vehicles, machinery, fruit and containers, usually those imported from Australia. They make their thimble-shaped webs on the undersides of ledges, stone overhangs and vegetation.
They are more likely than katipo to make their homes around houses to take advantage of the warm environment. Redbacks will only bite when disturbed or trapped in clothing, and bites are rare. The bite feels like a sharp pain similar to a pinprick. Black cobweb spiders are actually native to South Africa. Be warned: These guys do bite. All wolf spiders are thought to be venomous in some shape or form. More research is needed into how severe their bites can be.
Some reports indicate that wolf spiders can cause seriously painful necrotic wounds that might require hospitalization. However, most evidence indicates that bites are usually more in line with a bee sting, causing local inflammation and redness.
There are two species of white-tailed spiders in New Zealand, and both of them are among the most commonly spotted spider in the country.
Much like the slater spider, the white-tailed spider does not spin a web to catch its prey. In addition, the white-tailed spider is particularly robust and strong, because they most frequently prey on other spiders. While the white-tails are known to bite, their venom is not considered poisonous to humans. That is not to say that they are harmless.
If you do get bitten by a white-tailed spider in New Zealand, you will almost certainly know about it. Incidents are known to be painful and can lead to soreness, redness, and even infection. Sheetweb spiders get their name from the huge, sheet-like webs they spin.
Luckily for globetrotting arachnophobes in New Zealand, spotting a web is far more likely than spotting the spider itself. While they are most common in wooded areas and parts of the New Zealand bush, they have been found inside homes.
Just keep your eyes peeled for any strange new silken building project that might be going on! There are now thought to be as many as four different species of so-called fishing spiders in New Zealand.
These are arachnids that have evolved to hunt on open water. The most common of them is the Dolomedes aquaticus. These sorts of fishing spider are capable of striking fear into the hearts of any arachnophobe who passes their way. All fishing spiders will spend most of their lives within easy reach of the water. There, they hunt for small insects, using special adaptations to pluck them from the surface of the H2O without falling in. The only time a fishing spider will leave its aquatic feeding ground is when the female is pregnant.
There are only two species of spider in New Zealand that are thought to be seriously dangerous to humans: The katipo spider and the redback spider. While their bites are poisonous, there is effective anti-venom available to treat them.
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