OUR VENOMOUS KATIPO

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 147, 22 June 1940, Page 2 (Supplement)

OUR VENOMOUS KATIPO

NEW ZEALAND is fortunate in having only one veno- ' mous land creature—the notorious "katipo" spider. It is by no means common, however, for very few New Zealanders have ever seen one. In my own case I had to go to Australia to see a living one in the Sydney ''red-back''— merely another name for the same spider. The distribution of the katipo in New Zealand is haphazard, but these occurrences are invariably in sand-dune regions, where they are to be found living under driftwood above high tide mark. Most records have come from the Cook Strait area, particularly from the sand dunes at Foxton. Some years ago they became troublesome to employment relief workers camped along the Muriwai Beach on the Auckland West Coast, but otherwise" there have been few records from the vicinity of Auckland.

The katipo is not a large spider, nor is it formidable in appearance, merely a globular bd9ied little spider with long thin legs, being barely one inch and a half in length when the legs are fully extended. The coloiir is dark brown to velvet black with a bright red etripe on the abdomen. Well Known In Sydney My first experience of this creature was at Killara, a suburb of Sydney, where most of the residences are in a delightful setting of native bush. Upon inquiring of my host as to the prevalence of the "red back" in the district, he said that they were only too common. "There will be one at least, under that stone," he declared, pointing to a block of sandstone that had become dislodged from the garden border. Sure enough, upon turning over the stone, I found two "red backs" in crevicea on the under side. Being winter, they were not active, and made no attempt to escape. Formerly the Australian "red back" waa considered to occur only in the dry and dusty 'inland areas, but within recent years it has invaded the Sydney suburbs and become quite troublesome. Deaths have occurred in New Zealand from the effects of the bite of the katipo, but I have been unable to find any summary of local cases. In Australia, however, medical literature refers to 08 instances of attack among which six deaths are recorded.

By--A. W. B. Powell

Known deaths in Australia from the "red back" are as follows: — Time elapSlng from Sex. Age. bite to death. Male 3 months 6 hours Male 3 years 36 hours Male 17 years 3 days Male adult 7 days Male adult 14 days Female adult 30 days Medical experts are now agreed that the -chief constituent of the katipo venom is neurotoxin, but a haemolysin substance destructive to the red blood corpsucles has also been found. Little Danger Here However, danger from katipo bites in New Zealand should cause no alarm, for, as already stated, the species is far from being common, and so long as people do not recline among driftwood or growth on sand dunes they will be in no danger. The genus Latrodectus, to which the katipo belongs, is widely distributed in most- tropical and sub-tropical countries. It includes the dread malmignatte of Corsica and Southern Europe, the karakurte of south-eastern Russia, the vancoho of Madagascar and the Californian black widow.

This group of spiders ranks as the most venomous known, greatly exceeding the actual poisonous qualities of the dreaded tarantuia. In the case of the

tarantula, large size, loathsome appearance and a background of strange legend and superstition has credited the creature with far greater venomous powers than it actually possesses. Certainly no tarantula or near relative has ever been found in New Zealand, and the large black spider which is sometimes mistaken for . one is actually harmless. Tarantula "Tarantella" The extreme to which unreasonable fear of the bites of spiders influenced the popular mind was evidenced by the accepted explanation of the remarkable dancing mania, or tarantism, of Italy during the Middle Ages. This was a nervous disorder supposed to be due to the bite of a tarantula. In. its typical form it was characterised by so great a sensibility to music that under its influence the victims indulged in the wildest and most frenzied dancing until they sank to the ground utterly exhausted and almost lifeless. The profuse perspiring resulting from these exertions was supposed to be the only efficacious remedy for the disease. Certain forms of music were regarded as of special value in treating tarantism, and hence the name tarantella was applied to them. Tarantism \cag actually * a form of mass hysteria, spreading by sympathy until whole communities were involved, and actually a great contributing factor was in the depleted physical and mental condition of the people resulting from wars and the frightful plagues which devastated all Hurope previous to and during these times. If. there was really a connection between tarantism and certain forms of music, one is prompted to inquire facetiously if modern "swing" can be traced to a similar origin.

this century and did not go to their graves until 1925 and 1931 respectively. How well they must have been built! The problem before the companies in the Home trade was to design ships that would carry cargo and passengers and bunker coal on the longest of runs. The cargo space proved the greatest disappointment in the first Arawa and rainui, but tlieir passenger accommodation was astonishing. Of only 5000 tons, they had accommodation for nearly 150 first and second-class passengers, and on the outward run for 070 in the third class. And tnose single-screw ships were fast. The Arawa averaged fourteen knots on her second voyage, and, helped by her sails, maintained a mean of sixteen knots for twelve hours. It is a Vo r n« ry t0 the frei S bter Waimarama of 13,000 tons and eighteen knots (she did over twenty on her trial), and the 27,000 ton Dominion Monarch, but those early ships and their sisters and rivals richly deserve to be remembered.

The Human Element Many will be interested in reading the ui lef official history of the Union Company, and comparing the pictures of old ships and new. One fact may be mentioned that probably is not well known. A staff of naval architects at head office in Wellington designs the company s ships, "from oil barges up to great transpacific liners in aN their infinitesimal details." This book, like the others, points to the need for a comprehensive history of New Zealand shipping. A concern like the Northern Company of Auckland, for instance, ■ihould have its story told, and it should l>e put in hand (if this has not been done already), while there are still many survivors of the pre-railway and pre-motor times, when those little vessels were indispensable links with the outlistricts.

The human element should be studied. 11 the books I have mentioned there is omething of this, but consideration of pace has restricted the writers. Think )f the many "characters" there have .<en in our sea services, like the captain who was reputed to sing hymns as he :ook the Manukau bar. Kipling took McAndrew from one of the Shaw Savill ngineers. Meanwhile someone might reprint and perhaps bring up to date that admirable little book, "Below and \bove the Waterline," which the late Captain" Walter Manning, one of the best known of the Union Company's captains, wrote under the name of "Seafarer J' In it he describes all ranks on ■shipboard from the trimmer in the bunkers to the officers on the bridge, and makes them live.