KATIPO SPIDERS

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33083, 25 November 1972, Page 11

KATIPO SPIDERS

(By

J. C. WATT,

Entomology Division, D.5.1.R.)

New Zealand is fortunate in having very few animals which . are . venomous to mati. Snakes, scorpions and hornets, which are encountered frequently in Australia, are not found here at all.

The stinging insects most often encountered (the German wasp and the honey bee) are foreigners. We have a few native spider wasps whose sting is painful, but not dangerous. A spider incapacitates its

prey by injecting a toxic venom into it. The constituents of the venom are intended to incapacitate the spider’s normal prey (usually insects or other small arthropods), but in some cases the venom may be poisonous also to man. No New Zealand spider normally attacks vertebrates, but most spiders will try to defend themselves if cornered and molested (e.g. if sat upon). If the bite penetrates the skin, it may

cause a sharp pain which quickly wears off, or it may cause more severe symptoms. The katipo is the only spider in New Zealand which has been known to cause death in man. The few recorded deaths from katipo bites have been to children, or adults in poor health. Bites by this spider always require treatment, and sometimes hospital care. Symptoms include pain and swelling at the bite, nausea, vomiting, fever, and in extreme cases paralysis. The katipo is found only on sandy beaches or sand dunes near the coast, usually in clumps of marram grass, spinifex and similar vegetation, and more rarely amongst driftwood. It is quite common on many ocean beaches, but is rarely seen because of its retiring habits. The katipo is a .relatively small (span up to lin) black spider with slender legs, and a jagged red stripe running down the back of the abdomen, and a red hourglass shaped mark underneath the abdomen. In some specimens the red marks are small or discontinuous. A few other spiders in New Zealand have been known to cause more or less severe symptoms in man. It is not advisable to handle spiders with bare hands. Most spiders are probably harmless, but the price of a mistake can be several weeks of discomfort and inconvenience.