Cheiracanthium punctorium
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| Cheiracanthium punctorium (Villers, 1789) |
Cheiracanthium punctorium, commonly known as the yellow sack spider, is a spider found from central Europe to Central Asia. They reach a length of about 15mm, and can penetrate human skin; the bite is similar to a wasp sting, perhaps a bit more severe, although susceptible persons can have stronger reactions, like nausea.
Females build an eggsac of about 4cm in high grass. It opens below and is aggressively defended.
In Germany, where it is the only "seriously" toxic spider, it is a rare species, only known to occur in notable numbers in the Kaiserstuhl region, the hottest part of the country. Due to changing weather patterns, leading to increased aridity and less precipitation in some areas, this species spreads to more northern parts of Europe, e.g. Brandenburg, Germany, where the present trend is towards a climate more similar to the Central Asian steppes where C. punctorium is most numerous.
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