Cheiracanthium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| yellow sac spider | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 C. punctorium
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Diversity | ||||||||||||
| 194 species | ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
|
C. inclusum |
Cheiracanthium is a genus of spiders in the Miturgidae family. Certain species are commonly called "yellow sac spider". They are usually pale in colour, and have an abdomen that can range from yellow to beige. Both sexes range from 5 to 10 mm.
The venom is necrotic and can cause a small lesion in humans. Because of the necrotic nature of the wound, MRSA infection is a real danger and victims are advised to seek medical treatment. There are no studies that can link dermonecrosis with a bite from one of these spiders. Studies that have verified bites from Cheiracanthium show no necrosis. Painful bites, such as C. punctorium in Europe, C. mildei in Europe and North America, C. inclusum in the Americas, C. lawrencei in South Africa and C. japonicum in Japan[1].Most commonly found in Colorado
[edit] Distribution
Cheiracanthium is mainly an Old World genus, with many species found from northern Europe to Japan, from Southern Africa to India and Australia. The only species to occur in the New World are C. inclusum and C. mildei. While the former also occurs in Africa and Réunion, the latter is found in the Holarctic region and Argentina.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Natural History Museum: Exotic sac spider, Cheiracanthium
- ^ Platnick 2007
- Howell, W. Mike & Jenkins, Ronald L. (2004): Spiders of the US: A photographic guide. ISBN 0-536-75853-0
- Platnick, Norman I. (2007): The world spider catalog, version 8.0. American Museum of Natural History.
