ANIMAL SPECIES:White-tailed Spider
White-tailed Spider bites have been controversially implicated in causing severe skin ulceration in humans.
Identification
White-tailed Spiders have a dark reddish to grey, cigar-shaped body and dark orange-brown banded legs. The grey dorsal abdomen bears two pairs of faint white spots (less distinct in adults) with a white spot at the tip; the male has a hard, narrow plate or scute on the front of the abdomen. The two common species in southern Australia, Lampona cylindrata and L. murina, are similar in appearance and have overlapping distributions in the south-east. Their bites have been controversially implicated in causing severe skin ulceration in humans.
Size range
Males 12 mm, Females 18 mmDistribution
Lampona cylindrata is found across southern Australia (south east Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia). Lampona murina is present in eastern Australia from north-east Queensland to Victoria (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria,).
Habitat
White-tailed Spiders are vagrant hunters that live beneath bark and rocks, in leaf litter, logs and detritus in bush, gardens and houses.
Behaviour and adaptations
Feeding and Diet
They are most active at night when they wander about hunting for other spiders, their preferred food. They have been recorded eating curtain-web spiders (Dipluridae), daddy-long-legs spiders (Pholcidae), Redback Spiders (Theridiidae) and black house spiders (Desidae) During summer and autumn White-tailed Spiders are often seen in and around houses where they find both sheltered nooks and crannies and plenty of their favoured black house spider prey.
Life cycle
Tufts of specialised scopulate hairs on the ends of their legs allow them to walk easily on smooth or sloping surfaces. They make temporary silk retreats and spin disc-shaped egg sacs, each containing up to 90 eggs.
Living with us
Management
White-tailed Spiders around your house can be controlled by catching and removing any that you see and by clearing away the webs of the house spiders upon which they feed.
Danger to humans and first aid
White-tailed Spider bites can cause initial burning pain followed by swelling and itchiness at the bitten area. Occasionally, weals, blistering or local ulceration have been reported - conditions known medically as necrotising arachnidism. As well as the spider's venom, minor bacterial infection of the wound may be a contributory factor in such cases.
A debate continues about the involvement of White-tailed Spider bite in cases of severe ulcerative skin lesions seen in patients diagnosed as probable spider bite victims. Typically, in such cases no direct evidence of spider bite is available. Sensational media reporting of supposed cases of severe "necrotising arachnidism" has given the White-tailed Spider a bad reputation. However, a recent study has monitored the medical outcomes of over 100 verified White-tailed Spider bites and found not a single case of ulceration (confirming the results of an earlier study). The available evidence suggests that skin ulceration is not a common outcome of White-tailed Spider bite.
Classification
- Genus:
- Lampona
- Family:
- Lamponidae
- Suborder:
- Araneomorphae
- Order:
- Araneida
- Class:
- Arachnida
- Phylum:
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Isbister, G.K. & Gray, M.R. 2003. White-tail Spider bite: a prospective study of 130 definite bites by Lampona species. Medical Journal of Australia 179: 199-202.
- Isbister, G. & Gray, M. 2000. Acute and recurrent skin ulceration after spider bite Medical Journal of Australia 172: 303-304
- Platnick, N.I. (2000). A relimitation and revision of the Australasian ground spider family Lamponidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 245: 330 pp.
- Sutherland, S. & Sutherland, J. 1999. Venomous Creatures of Australia. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne Vic.
- White, J. 1998. Response to Chan, S.W. 1998. Recurrent necrotising arachnidism. Medical Journal of Australia 169: 642-643
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White-tailed Spider View full size
Mike Gray
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3 comments
Martyn Robinson
3.03 PM, 15 March 2010
Hello Razputin,
If you either bring us in a specimen of your spiders or, if this is inconvenient, please send in an image to us (j'peg file - not too large please) then we can let you know whether your spiders are White-tails or another species. Like IB Christie (above) we usually just remove ours from inside the house and place them outside. Ours have never caused any trouble and a studty of many verified White-tailed Spider bites involving the museum failed to find any which produced necrotic wounds.
Sincerely
Martyn Robinson
IBChristie
2.02 PM, 04 February 2010
I have just removed a white tail from my work place. I caught it in a glass and released it outside. Given the lack of scientific evidence, as distinct from anecdote, on ulcerating lesions caused by these spiders I have no hesitation in letting them live. I removed this particular spider because a colleague has a slight phobia for spiders.
Razputin
1.01 PM, 07 January 2010
Hi There. Just a question regarding the sizes of the white-tailed spider. I reside in Sydney's South West, and this summer the white-tails have been unusually active in our household. The ones we are seeing are obviously female due to their size but they are HUGE! Most averaging around 15mm body length but some as large as 25-30mm. Very distinctive white-tailed markings, not just the white tip but the dual bands of white as well, cigar-shaped body. Could these be a different species? We are worried with our 10yo daughter here, as we have heard stories of flesh-eating disorders after a white-tailed bite, but have since researched that these are possible unconfirmed species or alternative factors contributing to these cases. We find that the "window spiders", daddy-long-legs and white tails are living together quite happily in our home. We will shortly be getting the house sprayed but are worried due to the large number we have been seeing this summer that there may be a large infestation. Is it possible that the white-tailed spider may "nest"? Thanks.
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