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 Brown recluse spider
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The spider family Sicariidae is a family of venomous spiders known for their necrotic venom. Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Arachnids are a class ( Arachnida) of joint-legged Invertebrate Animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings The Araneomorphae are a Suborder of Spiders They are distinguished by having Chelicerae (fangs that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action The Scytodoidea are a Superfamily of spiders They contain four families of six-eyed spiders Drymusidae Periegopidae Eugen von Keyserling ( 1833 - 1889) was a German Arachnologist. This page lists all described species of the spider family Sicariidae as of Sept A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The recluse spiders (genus Loxosceles) also known as fiddle-back or violin spiders, are a venomous genus of spiders known for Sicarius is a Genus of venomous Spiders the best known being the Six-eyed sand spider of southern Africa. In Biological classification, family ( Latin '''Spiders''' occasionally bite humans Although 98-99% of spider bites are harmless more rarely the symptoms of their bites can include necrotic wounds systemic Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings Necrosis (in Greek Νεκρός = "dead" is the name given to unnatural Death of cells and living tissue. The members of this family, like most Haplogynae, have only six eyes, rather than eight (as is the norm for spiders). The Haplogynae are a series of araneomorph spiders Unlike the Entelegynae, they lack hardened (sclerotized female genitalia ( Epigynes The family consists of two genera, Loxosceles and Sicarius, and 122 species [1]. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Well known spiders in this family include the brown recluse spider and the six-eyed sand spider. The brown recluse Spider, Loxosceles reclusa, is a well-known member of the family Sicariidae (formerly placed in a family "Loxoscelidae" The six-eyed sand spider ( Sicarius hahni) is a medium-sized Spider found in deserts and other sandy places in southern Africa.
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Habitat and appearance
The genus Loxosceles, commonly known as recluse spiders or violin spiders, is distributed nearly worldwide in warmer areas. The genus Sicarius, or six-eyed crab spiders, are desert spiders that live in the Southern Hemisphere, in (South America and Africa), known primarily for their self-burying behavior. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a All have six eyes arranged in three groups of two (diads) and the violin spiders are usually brownish with a darker brown characteristic violin marking on the cephalothorax. Sicarius resembles the crab spiders of the family Thomisidae and lacks this marking. Individual Sicarius can live for as much as 15 years, which makes these among the longest-lived araneomorphae spiders (some tarantulas can live well over 20-30 years. The Araneomorphae are a Suborder of Spiders They are distinguished by having Chelicerae (fangs that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action Tarantula is the common name for a group of hairy and often very large Spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species ) Most Loxosceles can live for one and a half to two years. Members of both genera can live for very long times without food or water.
Medical significance
Both genera have potent tissue-destroying venoms containing the dermonecrotic agent, sphingomyelinase D, which is otherwise found only in a few pathogenic bacteria. This article is about the class of Biotoxins For other uses see Venom (disambiguation and Venomous (disambiguation. Thus, the venom of Sicariidae is highly necrotic in effect, capable of causing lesions (open sores) as large as a US quarter. Necrosis (in Greek Νεκρός = "dead" is the name given to unnatural Death of cells and living tissue. A lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism usually damaged by disease or trauma The wounds take a long time to heal and may require skin grafts. If these open wounds get infected there can be serious consequences. Rarely, the venom is carried by the blood stream to internal organs causing systemic effects. The Chilean recluse (Loxosceles laeta), along with the African species of Sicarius, reportedly have a more potent venom, which results in systemic involvement more often. The Chilean recluse spider is a venomous Spider, Loxosceles laeta, of the family Sicariidae (formerly of the family Loxoscelidae [2]
Genera
- Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832 (worldwide)
- Sicarius Walckenaer, 1847 (South America, Africa, Galapagos)
References
- ^ http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/COUNTS.html World Spider Catalog
- ^ http://www.lclark.edu/~binford/SMDDistribution%20copy.pdf Greta J. The recluse spiders (genus Loxosceles) also known as fiddle-back or violin spiders, are a venomous genus of spiders known for Sicarius is a Genus of venomous Spiders the best known being the Six-eyed sand spider of southern Africa. Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (1771&ndash1852 was a French civil servant and scientist Binford and Michael A. Wells, "The phylogenetic distribution of sphingomyelinase D activity in venoms of Haplogyne spiders", Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B 135 (2003) 25–33
See also
External links
- Arachnology Home Pages: Loxosceles: Recluse spiders
- Biodiversity Explorer: Family Sicariidae (Beautiful photos of Sicarius and Loxosceles!)
- Platnick, N.I. 2003. World Spider Catalog.
- Vetter, R. 2003. Causes of Necrotic Wounds other than Brown Recluse Spider Bites.
- Vetter, R. 2003. Myth of the Brown Recluse Fact, Fear, and Loathing.
- Pictures of the Brown Recluse Spider
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