Phoneutria depilata

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Phoneutria depilata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Ctenidae
Genus: Phoneutria
Species:
P. depilata
Binomial name
Phoneutria depilata
(Strand , 1909) [1]

Phoneutria depilata is a species of spider in the family Ctenidae, found in Central America. [2]

Contents

Description and behavior

Adult females reach a body length that can be about 4 inches and can have a stride length of more than 10 centimeters. Males are smaller. [3] Carapace brown with a longitudinal black line. Ocular area with brown setae and back oblique band from PLE to anterior dorsal shield of prosoma edge. The chelicerae brown with reddish setae. Sternum endites and labium yellowish-brown dorsally, with yellow dots, ventrally dark brown with four conspicuous series of yellow dots.

P. depilata is an euryphagous predator with a broad diet made up predominantly of arthropods and to a lesser extent of small vertebrates ( Gekkonidae , Hylidae and Sphaerodactylidae ).

The range of eggs per egg sac is 430–1300, and spiderlings emerge 28–34 days after the egg sacs are produced. Sexual maturity occurs after 14–17 molts, and spiders mature 300–465 days after emerging from the egg sac. [4]

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in disturbed habitats associated with both dry and humid tropical forests (0-1700), usually on the ground with sparse litter and low vegetation. It's found in Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. [4]

Bites

There are human bite records of this species reported in Costa Rica and banana plantations in Colombia. All occurred with adults, and most of them have presented mild to moderate symptoms, with only one presenting severe symptoms such as renal failure. [4]

The transcriptome analysis showed a significant number of neurotoxins, which affect mainly sodium and calcium ion channels. Enzymes such as serine proteases, metalloproteases, cholinesterases and hyaluronidases, that could explain some effects during envenomation. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Argiope</i> (spider) Genus of spiders

The genus Argiope includes rather large spiders that often have a strikingly coloured abdomen. These spiders are distributed throughout the world. Most countries in tropical or temperate climates host one or more species that are similar in appearance. The etymology of Argiope is from a Latin word argentum meaning silver. The carapace of Argiope species is typically covered in silvery hairs, and when crawling in the sun, they reflect it in a way that gives them a metallic, white appearance.

<i>Phoneutria</i> Genus of spiders

Phoneutria is a genus of spiders in the family Ctenidae. They are mainly found in northern South America, with one species in Central America. Members of the genus are commonly referred to as Brazilian wandering spiders. Other English names include armed spiders and banana spiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntsman spider</span> Family of spiders (Sparassidae)

Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae, are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometimes are referred to as wood spiders, because of their preference for woody places. In southern Africa the genus Palystes are known as rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders. Commonly, they are confused with baboon spiders from the Mygalomorphae infraorder, which are not closely related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wandering spider</span> Family of spiders

Wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae. They are highly defensive and venomous nocturnal hunters. Wandering spiders are known to hunt large prey, for example hylid species Dendropsophus branneri. Despite their notoriety for being dangerous, only a few members of Phoneutria have venom known to be hazardous to humans, but the venoms of this family are poorly known, so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.

<i>Heteropoda venatoria</i> Species of spider

Heteropoda venatoria is a species of spider in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. It is native to the tropical regions of the world, and it is present in some subtropical areas as an introduced species. Its common names include giant crab spider, banana huntsman spider or cane spider.

<i>Argiope aurantia</i> Species of spider

Argiope aurantia is a species of spider, commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, zipper spider, black and yellow argiope, corn spider, Steeler spider, or McKinley spider. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1833. It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to "gilded silver-face". The body length of males range from 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in); females range from 19–28 mm (0.75–1.10 in). These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is harmless to non-allergic humans, roughly equivalent to a bumblebee sting in intensity.

Phoneutria bahiensis is a species of spider in the family Ctenidae, found in Brazil. It's known in Brazilian Portuguese as Armadeira da Bahia,.

<i>Phoneutria boliviensis</i> Species of spider

Phoneutria boliviensis is a species of a medically important spider in the family Ctenidae found in Central and South America.

<i>Phoneutria nigriventer</i> Species of arachnid

Phoneutria nigriventer is a species of medically significant spider in the family Ctenidae, found in the Southern Cone of South America. Along with other members of the genus, they are often referred to as Brazilian wandering spiders.

Phoneutria reidyi is a species of venomous spiders in the family Ctenidae, found in South America.

<i>Psalmopoeus</i> Genus of spiders

Psalmopoeus is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. All of these tarantulas are arboreal in nature, Psalmopoeus victori being the first arboreal tarantula of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarantula</span> Family of spiders

Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. As of August 2022, 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although many other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas" or "false tarantulas". Some of the more common species have become popular in the exotic pet trade. Many New World species kept as pets have setae known as urticating hairs that can cause irritation to the skin, and in extreme cases, cause damage to the eyes.

Phoneutria pertyi is a species of spiders in the family Ctenidae, found in Brazil.

<i>Cupiennius</i> Genus of spiders

Cupiennius, known by the common name bromeliad spiders or as the often confused name banana spiders, is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Trechaleidae, named by Eugène Simon in 1891. They are found from Mexico to northwestern South America, and on some Caribbean islands. Unlike the dangerously venomous Phoneutria, bites from these spiders typically have only minor effects on humans, and have been compared to a bee sting.

<i>Poecilotheria ornata</i> Species of spider

Poecilotheria ornata, known as the fringed ornamental or ornate tiger spider, is a large arboreal tarantula, which is endemic to Sri Lanka. Their legspan sometimes reaches 10 inches (25 cm) in females, and is probably the second largest of the genus, behind Poecilotheria rufilata.

The pathophysiology of a spider bite is due to the effect of its venom. A spider envenomation occurs whenever a spider injects venom into the skin. Not all spider bites inject venom – a dry bite, and the amount of venom injected can vary based on the type of spider and the circumstances of the encounter. The mechanical injury from a spider bite is not a serious concern for humans. Some spider bites do leave a large enough wound that infection may be a concern. However, it is generally the toxicity of spider venom that poses the most risk to human beings; several spiders are known to have venom that can cause injury to humans in the amounts that a spider will typically inject when biting.

<i>Ctenus</i> Genus of spiders

Ctenus is a genus of wandering spiders first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1805. It is widely distributed, from South America through Africa to East Asia. Little is known about the toxic potential of the genus Ctenus; however, Ctenus medius has been shown to share some toxic properties with Phoneutria nigriventer, such as proteolytic, hyaluronidase and phospholipase activities, in addition to producing hyperalgesia and edema. The venom of C. medius also interferes with the complement system in concentrations in which the venom of P. nigriventer is inactive, indicating that some species in the genus may have a medically significant venom. The venom of C. medius interferes with the complement component 3 (C3) of the complement system; it affects the central factor of the cascades of the complement, and interferes with the lytic activity of this system, which causes stronger activation and consumption of the complement components. Unlike C. medius, the venom of P. nigriventer does not interfere with lytic activity.

Ctenus captiosus, known generally as the Florida false wolf spider or tropical wolf spider, is a species of wandering spider in the family Ctenidae. It is found in the United States., and is one of two species of Ctenidae occurring in Florida. Little is known about the biology of this species.

Kiekie is a genus of wandering spiders first described by D. Polotow and Antônio Domingos Brescovit in 2018. The type species, Kiekie sinuatipes, was originally described under the name "Ctenus sinuatipes".

U24-ctenitoxin-Pn1a is a neurotoxin that is naturally found in the venom of Latrodectus geometricus (L.geometricus). It reduces the inactivation of insect voltage-gated sodium channels. It is also thought to be a cysteine proteinase inhibitor.

References

  1. Bern, Natural History Museum. "NMBE – World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  2. "Phoneutria depilata (Strand, 1909)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  3. "Phoneutria depilata". iNaturalist Guatemala. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. 1 2 3 Hazzi, N. A.; Hormiga, G. (2021). "Morphological and molecular evidence support the taxonomic separation of the medically important Neotropical spiders Phoneutria depilata (Strand, 1909) and P. Boliviensis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) (Araneae, Ctenidae)". ZooKeys (1022): 13–50. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1022.60571 . PMC   7960689 . PMID   33762866.
  5. Vásquez-Escobar, Julieta; Romero-Gutiérrez, Teresa; Morales, José Alejandro; Clement, Herlinda C.; Corzo, Gerardo A.; Benjumea, Dora M.; Corrales-García, Ligia Luz (May 2022). "Transcriptomic Analysis of the Venom Gland and Enzymatic Characterization of the Venom of Phoneutria depilata (Ctenidae) from Colombia". Toxins. 14 (5): 295. doi: 10.3390/toxins14050295 . ISSN   2072-6651. PMC   9144723 . PMID   35622542.