Dangerous Violin Spider

[amanda]

Warning:
Infromation Source: GIS Officer from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

The Violin Spider is very dangerous and is flourishing in the Western Cape.

Read more... http://www.gardenroute.com/article/view/3584/


Extract from The Spider Club of South Africa's website on the Violin Spider.

Clinical features:

* Initial bite may be painless, although pain might manifest after several hours.
* No anti-venom is available for violin spider bites in South Africa, and treatment of the bites is directed at preventing or limiting secondary infection and promoting healing.
* Violin Spider bites may require surgical debridement and even skin grafts.
* These bites require tetanus toxoid booster.

For more information go to http://www.spiderclub.co.za/medical.html

[charlvn]

Thanks for the warning! I do indeed dislike spiders in general and I'm even a bit scared of these little "daddy long-legs" spiders as they are super-poisonous as well. Thank goodness they can't bite us but I'm scared of killing one with my bare hands, I rather use toilet paper. But the less spiders in my house, the better. Although they can be handy to control insects...

[kilos]

Went to the Baviaanskloof and we came across this Huge spider
not sure what species he was, reminds me of the big spiders we use to
get at Saasveld
http://bp3.blogger.com/_ynbbkSdpi7E/...l+resident.JPG

[Logan]

A picture is probably worth a thousand words in this instance.

[kilos]

Ouch Whew that is one hellva damage to the hand

[Victor Timothy]

I caught a violin spider in Victoria Wes a week ago (along with some scorpions), it seemed quite timid and not agressive at all. I wonder if these spider's deserve this reputation. This bite looks like a severe reaction to the poison, very uncommon (probably allergic or left untreated) I doubt that violin spiders are found in the western cape, I have never seen one and have stayed here all my life. No worries, love spiders.

[HandMade]

It does seem like its kinda extreme reaction and there have been questions as to the "truth" of the pics. Perhaps someone with experience can comment.

[charlvn]

The reactions don't look too extreme to me in comparison to what some people say our common "daddy long-legs" spiders can do. But perhaps that's just rumours too, I don't know.

[Joan Faiola]

Hi all in the Garden Route forum:
I have joined the forum because I am concerned at misinformation being innocently disseminated in the forum, concerning spiders. Violin spiders have undisputedly toxic venom, but unfortunately e-mails are being used to spread sensationalist misinformation. Please visit the Agricultural Research Council link
http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=5480
for refutation of violin spider stories. There are a lot of other links, including the Spider Club of Southern Africa. If you wish to obtain the right information concerning arachnids, please contact the Spider Club at info@spiderclub.co.za. Please remember that in South Africa we have only a handful of species of spiders of medical importance. The rest of the nearly 3000 species of spiders are harmless and interesting, and worthy of study. I am prepared to receive any queries you may have on our interesting spider genera. (I am a member of the Spider Club). Remember that South Africa is a hotspot of biodiversity of all manner of creatures and plants, and very few of those warrant our fear!

Please note: the violin spider is ABSENT from the Western Cape, so all the stories you may receive regarding Violin spiders in that area are untrue!!!

[Joan Faiola]

I should also mention that the stories about Daddy Long Legs spiders are also untrue. Although they CAN pierce human skin, their bite is of no significance.
I can forward further information on request.

[zac]

Didn't Mythbusters cover this already? :P

[C Kotze]

Hi all in the Garden Route forum:
I have joined the forum because I am concerned at misinformation being innocently disseminated in the forum, concerning spiders. Violin spiders have undisputedly toxic venom, but unfortunately e-mails are being used to spread sensationalist misinformation. Please visit the Agricultural Research Council link
http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=5480
for refutation of violin spider stories. There are a lot of other links, including the Spider Club of Southern Africa. If you wish to obtain the right information concerning arachnids, please contact the Spider Club at info@spiderclub.co.za. Please remember that in South Africa we have only a handful of species of spiders of medical importance. The rest of the nearly 3000 species of spiders are harmless and interesting, and worthy of study. I am prepared to receive any queries you may have on our interesting spider genera. (I am a member of the Spider Club). Remember that South Africa is a hotspot of biodiversity of all manner of creatures and plants, and very few of those warrant our fear!

Please note: the violin spider is ABSENT from the Western Cape, so all the stories you may receive regarding Violin spiders in that area are untrue!!!

Dear Ms Fiola, I so much disagree with you when you quote that the violin spider is absent from the Western Cape. It is so not true. I lived in Gordons Bay and was bitten by a violin spider. Fortunately for me, I reacted immediately to this bite as my friend, living in Pretoria, had a horrible experience being bitten by this spider on her leg. I went to my GP immediately telling him that I suspected I was bitten by a violin spider as the "wound" went quite black. He looked up some spiders, symptons, etc and confirmed that it was a violin spider's bite. Eventually a specialist treated me and it healed without any serious complications. My Pharmacist also confirmed that during the holiday season he gets a lot of patients complaining from spider bites, and that the violin spider could make nests in, say for example underneath caravans which do net get used a lot during the year. The spider then has a "free ride" to the Cape where they start moving around for food, making new nests.

I am sure that there could be other people out there agreeing with me.

Your sincerely
C Kotze

[HandMade]

Thanks for the post C Kotze. Its good to know that the spider can be found in the Western Cape. I am sure your post will serve to ensure people are extremely wary of spiders in our area. Also glad to hear you managed to avoid the same horror the above pics show someone did not.

[vic]

This is the bite from a brown recluse spider found in America. Violin spiders can give a nasty bity but the venom is mostly neurotoxic. I have treated a lot of spiderbites and this is not a violin spider bite

[HandMade]

Thanks very much for this information Vic. Although, I must add that the brown recluse, according to hoax-slayer.com, in this particular instance is claimed to be false. See: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/brown-recluse.html Notice the exact same images. Hmmm makes one wonder if the entire story isn't a hoax. The only thing that is probably factual is that given the pics, the poor guy definitely had a sore hand .

[HandMade]

Last week a woman in Cape Town died of a spider bite and it appears to have been the same type of spider:

A Western Cape businesswoman died on Tuesday morning, two weeks after being bitten by a poisonous spider, according to a report on Wednesday.

Sandra Carpenter, 53, was the sole proprietor of the accounting firm Sandra Carpenter and Co, in the Strand, Beeld reported.

Her sister Nila Nel told the newspaper she initially did not realise she had been bitten by a spider.

“She was a diabetic, and after the bite, her sugar levels shot through the roof. We started looking for the cause of the infection, and eventually found the spider bite in her groin area,” she said.

Doctors began treating Carpenter, but the area surrounding the bite soon developed into a festering hole the size of a large coin.

Tests then revealed that the source of the infection was a spider bite.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-afri...1#.UCzV6aP_lek

[Logan]

I now believe the rumor was started by the Daddy Longlegs themselves, in order to deflect some of the bad press they have been getting

[HandMade]

Hmmm and they couldn't press charges cos they don't have the long arm of the law .

[Tina]

I was bitten over a month ago and the liver is packing up. I feel terrible, have no energy, cannot eat. Please, check your clothing! Remember, there is no anti- venom

[HandMade]

Thanks for your post Tina. I am distressed to hear that you have been bitten. Have you any idea what type of spider it was?