Arachnids belong to the arthropod animals of the Arachnida class, which differ from insects in the number of legs (8, not 6). They are widespread throughout the world, more than 42 thousand species of spiders are known, and some species live in the central European part of Russia, including the Moscow region. Spiders in the Moscow region live both indoors with people and in the wilderness.
On a note!
Arachnids are predators because they feed on insects. They first catch them using a web or other means, and then immobilize them by injecting special saliva, which is produced by the glands. Some species are poisonous, while others are completely harmless to humans. Below are photos and names of various species of spiders living in the Moscow region.
Dangerous and harmless species of large spiders in Russia
Each type has distinctive characteristics, appearance, and lifestyle in accordance with its habitat. The range of arthropods may change due to climate change. Species that occupied certain regions migrate and colonize new territories.
Features
These arthropods have 4 pairs of legs. On the front there are poisonous claws - chelicerae. There are 6 spider warts at the bottom of the body, paired eyes on the head. Their number depends on the species (8 or 6, sometimes 2 eyes).
Food is digested outside the intestines. The spider injects liquefying enzymes into the victim, and then sucks out its insides.
Note! Spiders do not attack animals or people first, but bite only in case of danger. This is their defensive reaction.
On the forelimbs there are bulbs containing sperm for fertilizing the female. After mating, the spider kills the male, and therefore the life expectancy of the latter is much shorter than the female. Sometimes the spider manages to escape. For the safe growth and development of newborns, the mother places them in a cocoon she has woven.
How to behave if you meet a snake?
The main rule when meeting any wild animal is not to disturb it, watch it from afar and under no circumstances try to catch it. Snakes never attack first. Even in case of danger, they try to crawl or hide as quickly as possible.
If you do get bitten, try to calm down - this will allow the poison to spread throughout the body more slowly. It is important to seek medical help as quickly as possible. It is worth drinking plenty of fluids and taking anti-allergy medications. However, most often the viper’s venom does not pose a mortal danger to an adult. The greatest risk of bites is for children and allergy sufferers.
Karakurt
House spiders
A class of arthropods that lives in commercial and residential buildings. It has a yellow-brown body with a brownish or bright orange pattern on the back. The legs are darker and almost twice as long as the body. The size of the individual is from 70 to 12 mm.
The shape of the web resembles a funnel, in the center of which sits a spider waiting for its victim. It feeds on small insects (flies, moths, cockroaches). This species is found throughout Russia.
Orb weaver in nature
Lives under the layer of bark of the upper part of trees. The arthropod weaves a web around their branches. Poisonous saliva poses a danger not only to insects, but also affects small vertebrates (mice, rats, frogs, rabbits). For large animals and humans, the amount of poison is considered insufficient.
Orb weavers are quite voracious creatures. They can eat about 8 insects in one go. He cleans the web of inappropriate prey or debris by cutting off the contaminated section of the web.
Argiope arthropods
Spiders in central Russia have recently been found in the Ryazan, Tula, and Moscow regions) are not capable of harming large animals and people. They are found near roads with abundant vegetation. Their black and yellow striped coloring is similar to that of a wasp. The abdomen and head are covered with short hairs. Males are small in size up to 5 mm, and females reach 25-30 mm. They hunt at night using webs.
The sting of an arthropod resembles that of a bee. The poison is not particularly dangerous. Among the consequences, there is mildly noticeable pain and swelling of the affected area, lasting up to 3 days.
Trudoviks knitters
The favorite delicacy of the individual is the centipede mosquito. To catch it, the arthropod weaves a round net with large rectangular cells. Females grow up to 30 mm, males are much smaller.
The elongated body with long legs helps to camouflage in case of danger. The knitter extends his legs along the length of his body, resembling a dry branch in appearance. If threatened, he falls down and instantly disappears from view.
The individual is an outdoor spider that lives in natural conditions and does not live indoors. They are more common on Russian territory than in other countries.
White karakurt
In Russian it is known as the white steppe spider. In English - white widow. Unlike the black widow, the white karakurt does not have bright red spots on its abdomen.
It is found in the deserts of Central Asia, as well as in the Middle East, North Africa and southern Russia. Human encounters with this representative of the spider kingdom are very rare.
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Like all Latrodectus, the white karakurt bites painfully, but not fatally. The venom is described as moderately poisonous. Therefore, the white widow poses a greater danger to children or elderly people whose bodies are weakened than to an adult man.
Dangerous classes
Species of arthropods that inject toxic substances with their bite. The consequences of such sabotage must be eliminated by resorting to medical assistance. To protect yourself from danger, you need to know the names and description of the appearance of this type of spider.
Common crosses
These are spiders from central Russia. They eat small insects that get caught in the web (flies, bees, hornets, butterflies). The specimen's venom contains liquid digestive enzymes that paralyze the victim and soften its body. In a well-fed state, the spider leaves its prey for later, hanging it on the edge of the web.
The spider is considered a forest spider; individuals can be observed in watery areas, meadows and orchards.
The body color fully justifies the name of the arthropod. On his back there is an ornament in the form of a cross.
Additional Information! During the hot season, the body of this arachnid acquires a waxy coating, which serves as a barrier to the abundant evaporation of fluid in its body.
The spider has 2 pairs of eyes. The transition from the head to the abdomen is equipped with an armor-like cover, on which 6 arachnoid warts with many microscopic pores are located.
The mating season occurs in August. The male pulls the signal web on the net, calling the chosen one to the act. At the end of the mating, the female eats it. After laying eggs, she also dies. The eggs spend the winter in a cocoon prepared by the mother. Spiders are born in mid-spring. The young reach maturity after the end of the next winter.
Harmful chiracantids
The habitat of this poisonous representative of arthropods is grass and shrub thickets in the middle zone. The variety is called stray because it does not weave web traps. The spider hunts mainly at night, hiding in the dark. It attacks in a jump as soon as it feels the victim's touch. It feeds on caterpillars, grasshoppers, moths, aphids, and is wary of wasps and ants.
The oval body, tapering towards the bottom, is colored yellow or green. The front legs are longer than all the others. The female can reach sizes from 5 to 15 mm.
Symptoms and consequences of a bite:
- acute pain in the affected area;
- burning;
- spread of symptoms over the skin;
- swelling and dull pain of the lymph nodes;
- labored breathing.
There is no itching or paralysis of muscles, provided that assistance is provided in a timely manner. Other symptoms weaken and disappear within 48 hours.
Poisonous karakurt
This species of arachnid is considered to be extremely poisonous and inhabits the southern regions of the Urals and the Caucasus. With climate warming, the habitat boundaries are expanding to the northern regions, Siberia.
An outdoor species of arthropods that do not live inside houses and buildings, but build burrows near dwellings, mainly in cluttered areas. They quarrel with wasps and hedgehogs.
The body of the spider is black or gray with red spots. With age, the body darkens and the striking spots become dull.
The greatest danger is the female after several molts. The young specimen is not very poisonous.
The female builds a den in depressions in the soil and often inhabits rodent burrows, placing a web barrier at the entrance. The eggs overwinter in a cocoon; in the spring, the young are scattered by the wind along with the cobwebs.
Additional Information! The enemies of this spider are repelled by its protective coloring, or rather by the striking red spots on its abdomen. Predators avoid arthropods.
The karakurt attacks animals and humans if it is disturbed.
Symptoms:
- rapid burning pain;
- acute spasms in the abdomen, chest, lower back;
- difficulty breathing, shortness of breath;
- increased heart rate and pulse.
If help is not provided in a timely manner, consciousness becomes confused, accompanied by a delusional state. To neutralize the poison, an antikarakurt solution, novocaine, sodium bisulfate, and calcium chloride are used. The infected person needs immediate medical attention.
South Russian tarantula
The largest spiders in Russia are light gray in color, up to 30 mm in size, with a lifespan of up to 2 years. Lives in areas with a dry climate (forest-steppe, semi-desert, steppe). Among the most common places are Tambov, Lipetsk, and Astrakhan regions. Lives in a deep hole, which he digs himself, covering its walls with cobwebs. It detects the prey by the shadow when it moves near the predator's lair. Instantly pounces and bites. The prey becomes completely paralyzed.
It catches prey by jumping on it from a height of 15 cm. An arthropod bite does not cause acute pain, but without medical intervention it can cause the following symptoms:
- nausea;
- fever;
- swelling of the lymph nodes.
Death is unlikely, but health problems are common.
Individuals copulate closer to autumn. The female tarantula is attracted by the sound of vibrations from the abdomen, while vigorously jerking its legs. After mating, the male runs away. The spider bears her offspring in a woven cocoon, which she attaches to her body. After the children hatch, the mother breaks through it and releases the babies, puts them on her body and carries them until they get stronger.
The spider spends the winter in a hole, clogging the entrance with soil.
Important! The presence of hypersensitive hairs on its paws allows the tarantula to hear human footsteps at a distance of several kilometers.
False black widow (steatoda)
The name "false black widow" indicates that its bearer is similar to the said spider. The false widow has a rounded abdomen of a dark color - from brown to black. Only the spots are not red, but pale light brown or another shade.
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Steatoda grossa is harmless to humans. They weave nets 1.5 m above the ground to hunt insects. Closer to cold weather, spiders move to warm rooms - to home kitchens, greenhouses or greenhouses, and rarely to city apartments. As for its distribution area, the false black widow is cosmopolitan. Lives in North America, Australia, Europe. In recent years it has also been found in Russia.
The only consequence of the bite is pain, which goes away after 1-12 hours. Muscle discomfort and muscle spasms are very rarely experienced. Spiders bite if they are accidentally pressed against the skin.
Families
In Russia the following families of arthropods are represented:
- wolves;
- hunters;
- funnel;
- horses;
- cibeids;
- diggers;
- black widows;
- steatodes;
- side walkers;
- knitting spiders;
- orb weavers.
These are not all species of spiders living in Russia, but a significant part of them. Most arthropods are able to live in any conditions. Photos and names of cosmopolitan spiders can be found in the description of the fauna of any of the regions of Russia. Some prefer a dry, hot climate and live in the southern part with an abundance of steppes. Others need water or damp places; such arthropods are usually found in the central part, where there are many forests with lakes and swamps.
Features of reproduction
During the process of active growth, spiders from time to time shed their tight shell, which consists of a chitinous structure. They gradually acquire a new, stronger one.
Over the course of their entire life, they can molt up to 10 times. Spiders are heterosexual individuals, with the female being much larger than the male.
The mating period lasts quite a long time, its season begins in mid-autumn and lasts until early spring. At this time, the male fills the bulbs, which are located at the ends of the pedipalps, with sperm, then he goes in search of the female.
As soon as 2.5 months have passed, the female lays eggs. After 35 days, spiderlings hatch from them and live in the web until the first molt. Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 3-5 years.
Mizgir
The South Russian tarantula, or Mizgir, is a representative of the genus of wolf spiders. They are called wolves for the peculiarities of their hunting technique: a fast chase ends with an attack on the prey.
But Mizgir is apparently lazy by nature. The spider lives in earthen burrows in arid regions. The entrance is covered with cobwebs, which protect it from uninvited guests and at the same time act as a trap for insects. A couple of times a day he collects prey from the web and does not run anywhere after it. For the winter, the entrance to the hole is covered with earth.
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For humans, a Mizgir bite is non-lethal. Causes redness of the skin and inflammation at the point where the poison enters the skin. It feels very painful, like a hornet sting. The pain goes away after a week, the spot at the site of the bite disappears after 2 months.
It is found everywhere in Russia - from Siberia and the Far East to the countries of Eastern Europe. Even in ancient times, shepherds noticed that wolf spiders were sensitive to vibration. Therefore, loud sounds and shaking of the ground in a desert area force the hunter to hide and save a person or large mammal from an accidental bite.
