Spider Photos - Southern House
Spiders
Here's some photos sent in by
viewers. Many people are confused by the 5 similar looking spiders - the harmless
Huntsman, Wolf Spider, Southern House Spider (Kukulcania), Fishing
Spider and
Brown Recluse which of course is not harmless.
The Southern House
Spider, Kukulcania (Filistata) hibernalis Hentz, is a conspicuous
arachnid in Florida due to its relatively large size and distinctive
flat, tangled web. It is common throughout Florida and much of the
southern United States in human populated areas. Males of this species
are often mistaken for the notorious Brown Recluse Spider, Loxosceles
reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, because of their colour and general shape.
Southern House Spiders are not known to have a dangerous bite. However,
two bite cases caused the victims pain and
swelling for a few days. Occasionally, the Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda
venatoria (Linnaeus), is misidentified as a brown recluse. However, the
colour pattern on the carapace of this species is reversed, with a light
median mark on a dark background, and adults of this spider are much
larger than a brown recluse.
All photos are copyright to their
owners and may not be reproduced without permission.
Please choose a
section.
|
