What spiders live in the Urals: common and rare representatives

If you meet a snake

Not a single snake will pounce and bite a person first: these animals, if they are not chasing prey, are distinguished by a rather peaceful and calm disposition.
If a reptile attacks people, it is only for the purpose of self-defense. When meeting any snake, there is no need to grab it or try to chase it if the reptile itself is in a hurry to hide.

In order to avoid encounters with these reptiles, you need to try to walk in the places where they are supposed to live so that the sound of their steps can be clearly heard. In this case, you need to be especially careful and carefully look around so as not to accidentally step on the snake.

What to do in this case? Do not make noise or make sudden movements so as not to scare the snake. If you don’t harm her, she will try to crawl out of the tent as quickly as possible.

Wolf spider

The largest spiders of Kuban. A relative of the karakurt, but not so poisonous. The bite provokes a local allergic reaction and rarely causes deterioration in health. The color is ashen, brown. The body is covered with dense villi. Females reach sizes of 4 cm, males are half that size.

The wolf spider does not weave hunting nets; it hunts actively. The victims are insects, their larvae, amphibians, and small rodents. In search of prey, it explores new territories and creeps into human possessions. In the house, it doesn’t reveal its presence in any way; it hides in corners, behind furniture, cabinets with dishes, shoes, and things.

Karakurt

The recently appeared spiders of the Urals live in secluded places, choosing rodent burrows, cracks in the walls of houses, buildings, crevices, and depressions in the soil. Open areas are avoided. The entrance to the hole is protected with cobwebs. The size of females reaches 2 cm, males – 10 mm. Cubs differ from adults in being smaller in size and lighter in color.

In June-July, a mass migration of females occurs in the nearby area. They choose a place to build a nest where they will lay a large number of eggs. It is during this period that bites of animals and people occur.

Karakurts are not aggressive in themselves; they bite when their own life is threatened. However, it is very easy not to notice a dangerous spider in the grass due to its small size. Predators often crawl into houses through cracks, open doors, and windows. They hide in shoes, a cupboard with dishes, things, behind furniture.

Initially, after a spider bite, burning pain, redness, swelling, and swelling appear. After 15 minutes, headache, dizziness, weakness, and tremor appear. Body temperature and blood pressure rise, heart rate increases, and breathing becomes difficult. Without qualified medical care, a person dies from cardiac arrest or suffocation.

Society

24.08.2018

00:00

Residents of the Iglinsky district of Bashkortostan shared photographs of a spider they had never seen before on social networks. They are worried about how dangerous it is for human health. On the spider's abdomen there are black transverse stripes on a bright yellow background, like a wasp's. The head and chest are silver, and the legs are light with black wide rings. It is also reported that dozens of such spiders are found near Sterlitamak.

The Bashinform agency asked an expert, the director of the Zoological Museum of Bashkir State University, Mikhail Krivosheev, for comment to find out what kind of spider is captured in the photographs, whether it is typical for the republic and whether it is dangerous for people.

According to him, argiope, like all other spiders, is a poisonous spider, but only large individuals can bite through human skin.

Habitat

According to Wikipedia, in Russia this spider is distributed in the Bryansk, Oryol, Lipetsk, Penza, Voronezh, Rostov, Tambov, Ulyanovsk, Chelyabinsk, Saratov and Kaluga regions. In recent years, it has been observed in the Ryazan, Tula, and Moscow regions, and on the territory of the Rdeisky Nature Reserve in the Novgorod Region. In 2022 it was spotted in the Orenburg region. In 2022, it was discovered in the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Bashkortostan. It is found on the territory of Ukraine in the Kyiv region.

Distributed in North Africa, Southern and Central Europe, Crimea, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Asia Minor, Central Asia, China, Korea, India and Japan.

The wasp spider prefers meadows, roadsides, forest edges and other open sunny areas, and gravitates toward xerophilic vegetation. Settles on shrubs and herbaceous plants.

Argiope bite

The wasp spider “pacifies” its victims with poison - it is fatal to insects. Another thing is the person. Its dimensions are not comparable to those of Argiope. Therefore, the bite of this spider is relatively harmless to people. It can be compared to being stung by a wasp - the spider lives up to its middle name. The sensation is quite painful: swelling and itching may subsequently occur. In general, an argiope bite is not dangerous. Only an allergic person can suffer from it. It is advisable to disinfect the bite site and take an antiallergic drug.

As the Bashinform agency reported, this summer residents of Bashkiria complained not only about poisonous spiders - the yellow sack, but also about the invasion of midges in the Iglinsky district, large caterpillars in Agidel and Uchaly, as well as a large number of "night" butterflies in Ufa - pests many plants.

IA "Bashinform", Ksenia Kalinina. Photo by: Ilya Antonov

Other poisonous spiders of Russia

In the vastness of the Russian Federation, you can meet other representatives of arthropods that are capable, if not of killing a person with their bite, then of causing a lot of painful sensations.

• South Russian tarantula. The venom of this fairly large spider, reaching 30 mm in length, is not fatal to humans. However, the bite site swells very quickly and is very painful. An allergic reaction is possible in the form of rashes and redness of the skin, accompanied by itching and burning in places where the scratch is made.

South Russian tarantula
Heiracanthium. Tops the list of poisonous spiders in central Russia. Unlike the karakurt, it does not specifically attack and can bite only for the purpose of self-defense. The symptoms are quite unpleasant: a strong burning sensation at the site of the bite, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, body aches, weakness. The bite site itself looks quite scary: it turns red, blue, and may even become covered with blisters. This condition can last up to 3 days. Seeing a doctor is mandatory.

Heiracanthium does not specifically attack people, but can bite in self-defense

Phalanx (solfuga). One of the few spiders, after a bite it is recommended to suck the wound. It does not have its own toxic poison, but it will certainly cause an infection, causing the wound to become inflamed. It is active only in the dark, but does not bite on purpose, only as a defense.

Phalanx Web spider. A rather small spider, it is dangerous, like the previous representative of arthropods, not by poison, but by the possibility of introducing infection into the wound.

Web spider

Bagworm (bag spider). This spider is aggressive enough to attack even in the absence of direct danger. The bite is not fatal, but is accompanied by very severe pain, which can spread very quickly throughout almost the entire body.

• False black widow. First of all, it is dangerous because it often gets into living quarters. After the bite, acute, prolonged pain, weakness and fever are felt. Symptoms may last up to two days.

False black widow

• Black fathead. The most peaceful of dangerous spiders. If you don't touch him or pick him up, he prefers to hide. However, if it bites, the wound will hurt for at least a day.

Black fathead Argiope. The bite of this striped spider is very dangerous. An allergic reaction to poison can result in deep and severe abscesses, deterioration of general condition and other unpleasant symptoms.

Argiope

As you can see, poisonous spiders are far from uncommon in Russia, but only the female karakurt should be greatly feared. You can easily cope with the consequences of bites from other arachnids on your own. However, seeing a doctor is highly recommended.

South Russian tarantula

New spiders in the southern Urals are scaring residents of rural areas, as well as lovers of outdoor activities. They belong to wolf spiders. Poisonous spiders in Bashkiria settle in arid areas and build burrows underground. The depth of the labyrinths reaches 50 cm. The entrance to the hole is sealed with a web, which is also a trapping net for prey.

A tarantula or misgir hunts without leaving its own shelter. Eats insects, their larvae, as well as small relatives. Large spiders inspire fear with their appearance and size.

Large spiders are not known for their aggressive nature; they bite to protect their own lives. If you behave carefully with it, there will be no bite.

The consequences depend on the individual characteristics of the organism. Most people get away with a local allergic reaction to the skin. In young children, people prone to allergic reactions, and pathologically weak immunity, their health deteriorates and special treatment is required.

Spiders of the middle Urals are not large in size. Females reach 2 cm, males no more than 70 mm. The most prominent representative of modern Bashkiria is a poisonous creature. It feeds on small insects and their larvae - aphids, mosquitoes, butterflies, flies. Found in dry places.

Description of appearance:

Externally, the sak or yellow spider resembles a scorpion. It builds holes in the ground and lays eggs there. Prefers active hunting. Before an attack, it takes a fighting position - it rises on its hind legs.

It bites a person in defense of its own life. The bite is painful and causes a local allergic reaction - swelling, redness, pain, swelling. Children and people with weak immune systems experience a deterioration in their health. Body temperature rises, nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea. Special therapy is required.

Typical types of spiders in Bashkiria are not poisonous, but they bite painfully. The marks disappear in 7-14 days. In total there are about 24 families, 457 species. Cross spiders, side walkers, house spiders, hay spiders, canopy spiders, wolves, miturgids, grass crab spiders, etc. are often found. Predators bring great benefits to nature - they regulate the number of pests of forests, fields, and agricultural crops. Bites occur rarely, due to negligence on the part of humans or excessive curiosity.

Source

Photos and names of the most prominent representatives

You can meet spiders everywhere among vegetation. They live in holes underground, tree hollows, on the grass, and often enter the house through open windows, doors, and cracks in the wall. A person is not attacked without a threat to his own life. After a spider bite, an allergic reaction of varying degrees of intensity occurs.

Karakurt

Poisonous spiders of the Samara region in the southern regions, a type of black widow. They are large in size - up to 20 mm. Males are always smaller than females. The coloring varies, in Samara it is a bright black predator with red spots all over the abdomen and cephalothorax. The limbs are black, long, powerful, tenacious. The main habitats are wastelands, slopes of ravines, virgin lands, and banks of reservoirs.

Spiders live in burrows that they build underground. Trap nets are formed at the entrance. To lay eggs, a cocoon is constructed from spider webs. In this state, the embryos overwinter and continue to develop in the spring.

The karakurt bites in defense, defending its own life. The poison disrupts the functioning of the nervous system, causing muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and convulsions. Swelling, swelling, redness, and pain remain at the site of the bite. The situation requires immediate medical attention, otherwise the person risks dying. Karakurt bites are especially dangerous for children, the elderly, with an increased tendency to allergies and pathologically weak immunity.

Black fathead and karakurt

Black fathead

Bright spiders in Samara have an unusual color. The male is more attractive, although the female is slightly larger. The body length reaches 2 cm. The cephalothorax and paws are velvety and black.

Lives in a hole that it builds underground; the labyrinths reach up to 50 cm deep. The entrance is protected by cobwebs. Prefers to hunt passively. Sits in a hole, waiting for the victim to fall into the web. It feeds on insects, loves beetles, and does not disdain flies. Found in forests, fields, wastelands, loves sunny glades.

The poison is extremely toxic to insects and causes local irritation in mammals and humans. Bite marks disappear gradually over the course of a week. To accelerate the therapeutic effect, antihistamines are used.

Plant hunter (Dolomedes plantarius)

Common types of spiders in the Samara region. There are 4 species living throughout the region. The striped hunter is listed in the Red Book. The body size of females is about 2 cm, males are half that size. The abdomen is elongated, oval. Colors beige, brown, gray. All over the body there are patterns in the form of stripes and spots.

Hunters live near bodies of water and prefer a humid climate. They run quickly on land, chasing prey on the water, constructing a raft from available materials - leaves, sticks, twigs. The predator stays afloat as long as it needs. It feeds on terrestrial and aquatic insects and larvae. They reproduce rapidly, with one clutch containing 600 eggs.

Plant hunter and tarantula

South Russian tarantula

Spiders dangerous to humans in the Saratov region are listed in the Red Book. They are related to wolf spiders, found in the wild, but often crawl into the house. They lead a nomadic lifestyle and actively hunt at night. They feed on insects, beetles, and small relatives. They run fast and jump 15 cm in height.

Description of appearance - brown, beige, ash, large with powerful long limbs. On the abdomen, cephalothorax, and paws there are patterns that are slightly different in color from the main range.

The bite of a tarantula is compared to the bite of a bee, wasp, or hornet. Instantly pain, swelling, swelling, and redness appear. A deterioration in general well-being occurs with an increased tendency to allergies, as well as in young children.

In addition to these representatives of the family, the Samara region is inhabited by hay spiders, cross spiders, house spiders, side walkers, spitters, canopy spiders, silver spiders, and wall atipus.

Dangerous classes

There are varieties of spiders that secrete a toxic substance. Medical intervention after a bite is required to neutralize the consequences. You need to know the names of the most dangerous spiders in Russia, which live in different regions, in order to protect yourself from bites.

Common crosses

The diet of this arthropod species consists of insects. The cross eats flies, bees, hornets, mosquitoes, butterflies and other flying insects, which it catches with the help of a web. The cross immobilizes prey with poison, then entangles it with threads. He injects liquid digestive enzymes into the victim's body, from which the body softens and turns into a semi-liquid state. After a while, the executioner eats the half-digested contents. The crossfish makes provisions for the future; if it is full, it hangs the prey from the edge of the fishing net.

This species is not one of the largest spiders in Russia; females grow up to 20−25 mm, but males are smaller in size (10−11 mm), as with all arachnids. The white cross lives in all regions of the country and prefers the atmosphere of beech, spruce or pine forests. Individual representatives are found in arable lands, swamps, meadows and orchards with fruit trees.

Characteristic features of the appearance of the cross:

1. Body color depends on external lighting. On the back there is a pattern in the shape of a cross, for which the spider got its name.
2. The representative's carcass is covered with a waxy layer. This substance protects the body from excessive evaporation of moisture on hot days.
3. In front of the head there are 4 paired eyes, and the cephalothorax is covered with a dense and dense shield.
4. At the back of the abdomen there are 3 pairs of arachnoid warts. On the surface of each formation there are hundreds of tiny holes.

Representatives breed in August; for males, mating games often end with eating. The male attracts the female by twitching the signal thread on the web. To lay eggs in the fall, the female makes cocoons from specially spun webs and dies after laying. The eggs overwinter in this cocoon, and the spiders are born in mid-spring. Sexual maturity occurs only after the next wintering.

Harmful chiracantids

Dangerous arthropods are found in grass and shrub thickets. This species belongs to the poisonous spiders of the middle zone. Chiracantids are vagrant individuals and do not weave any web traps. The highest activity occurs at night, hunting from tactile contact with the spider. Usually the victim touches the legs of a hidden hunter, who attacks her in a jump. The diet consists of caterpillars, grasshoppers, moths, aphids, and mites. Spiders of this species avoid contact with wasps and ants.

Characteristic appearance features:

• the body is painted in a light brown, yellowish or greenish color;
• the size of the female ranges from 0.5−1.5 cm;
• the carcass is oval-shaped, the back part is somewhat pointed;
• the front legs are longer than the others and larger than the body.

After a bite, severe pain appears at the site of the lesion, a burning sensation is felt, and the symptoms gradually spread to nearby areas. There is no itching or numbness in the muscles, but the lymph nodes located in the path of the poison begin to swell and ache. Stiffness and swelling develop a little later, sometimes the person cannot breathe freely.

If help arrives in time, the pain subsides within a day, and other symptoms disappear within 2 days.

Poisonous karakurt

This species is recognized as the most poisonous and belongs to the so-called black widows. Representatives live in the southern regions of the Urals, in the Caucasus, in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions. In recent years, the range has shifted to the northern regions, reaching the Moscow region, which scientists explain by climate warming.

The species does not settle in residential buildings and will never live in a multi-story building. Prefers a hot climate and lives in steppe regions. The spider's enemies are hedgehogs and wasps. Near housing, the spider builds burrows in landfills, in piles of firewood, and in cluttered areas of dachas.

Appearance of karakurt:

• the body is black or gray-black, with red spots with white edging;
• The size of the female reaches 1.5−2.0 cm, and the males grow up to 0.7 cm.

The older the spider, the darker its body, and the bright spots become less noticeable over the years. The female's venom is dangerous to humans only after 5-6 molts; before that, the venom is not so poisonous.

The female builds a den in soil depressions, often uses ready-made rodent burrows, drainage pipes, and places nets at the entrance for protection. The eggs spend the winter in a cocoon, and in the spring the young spiders scatter in the wind with their webs.

The karakurt attacks animals and humans if it is disturbed. After a bite, a burning pain quickly spreads throughout the body. Severe pain occurs in the abdomen, chest, lower back, shortness of breath appears, the pulse and heartbeat increase. In later periods, excitement gives way to depression, delirium appears, and consciousness becomes confused. For relief, anti-karakurt serum, novocaine, sodium hydrogen sulfate, and calcium chloride are used. The patient needs urgent medical attention.

South Russian tarantula

A light gray spider with a body length of up to 3 cm lives mainly in dry climates, settling in forest-steppe, semi-desert, steppe. To live, it digs a hole up to 40 cm deep and covers the walls with cobwebs. Looks out for the victim in the shadows as it passes by the entrance. After this, it instantly bites the prey, immobilizing it.

The tarantula attacks only when there is danger; it can jump up to 15 cm in height to attack. Its bite is not too painful, but without medical help it causes nausea, fever, and swelling of the lymph nodes. Deaths are rare, but health problems are common.

Tarantulas mate closer to autumn. To attract a female, the male makes a vibrating sound in the abdomen and actively moves his legs. Males have an ingrained habit of running away after mating to avoid being eaten. The spider bears offspring on herself, for this she weaves a cocoon and attaches it to her body. When the babies hatch and begin to move, she gnaws through the cocoon and helps them leave the shelter. But then the spiders climb onto the mother’s body and remain there for some time.

Tarantulas overwinter in the ground, filling the entrance hole with soil. If representatives remain in a warm place, for example, close to human habitation, then they do not hibernate. But the absence of winter suspended animation shortens the spider’s lifespan, which in nature is about 2 years.

Habitat and biological enemies

The zone of residence of the Karakurts covers the Crimea, southern Russia and Ukraine, the Astrakhan steppes, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. When migrating north, spiders reach the Saratov region, the Southern Urals and even the Moscow region, but they cannot settle in the northern regions; in winter the spiders die. For living, karakurts choose dry steppe areas and arable lands, wastelands, salt marshes, slopes of ravines, ditches, ruins of abandoned villages, cracks in adobe houses. The spider can also be found in populated areas, in summer cottages, and sometimes it penetrates into a person’s home. The peak of activity occurs during the fertilization period - June-August.

The natural enemies of karakurts are:

• sheep and goats, which are not affected by the karakurt bite;
• sphex wasps that inject their venom into spiders, which paralyzes them;
• insect riders that lay their eggs in karakurt cocoons;
• hedgehogs that are not vulnerable to spider attacks.

Flocks of sheep or herds of goats are used to trample down the nests of karakurts; the Crimean peninsula is thus cleared of poisonous creatures during periods of sharply increased reproduction or when clearing pastures for horses, cows and other livestock. During outbreaks of spider births, they can cause significant harm to livestock, so preventive measures are necessary.

Karakurts are distinguished by their fertility; in the southern regions there are periodic surges in the birth rate, which entail an increase in the number of casualties among people and loss of livestock

Poisonous spiders

If we approach the definition of the poisonousness of an arthropod from the position of “how hard the animal bites,” then there are not even 6, but 8 species of poisonous species of spiders in the Astrakhan region. It is necessary to include two more argiopes: Brünnich's argiope and lobulated. This is taking into account the fact that all spiders are actually poisonous. The question is the dose and strength of the poison. Argiopes bite very painfully, but their bite is not dangerous for humans. But the bite of the other 6 can cause serious harm and even lead to death. These 6 include:

• karakurt;
• Heyracantium yellow;
• black eresus;
• Paikulla steatode;
• steathode triangular;
• South Russian tarantula.

Karakurt

The most dangerous spider in the Astrakhan region. Also ranked among the most poisonous arachnids in Russia. This species prefers desert and semi-desert habitats. Found in steppe regions. Due to the high danger of the arthropod, its photo and description are always included in tourist information. The karakurt bite acts very quickly, and opinions differ regarding the folk remedy for neutralizing the poison.

Karakurt

Karakurt is a black spider with a spherical abdomen. The thirteen-spotted karakurt has large red or white spots on its abdomen. Dahl's Karakurt is completely black. In color, the spiders of these two species are similar to their “relatives” steatodes, which are often called false karakurts. The body length of the female is up to 2 cm.

Karakurt makes nests in burrows of other animals or at the foot of bushes. Can live under rocks. Weaves a chaotic web in which it catches small insects.

The karakurt does not attack on its own initiative, but if disturbed, it bites without thinking. During the breeding season, spiders can enter people's homes.

Heiracanthium yellow

The Turkic name for this animal is sak. He received the epithet “yellow” for his color. Yellow Cheiracanthium preys on agricultural pests and usually lives in fields and steppes. Lately it has begun to penetrate into cities.

Thanks to powerful chelicerae, adapted to bite through the chitinous shell of beetles, it easily pierces human skin. A spider bite is not life-threatening, but very painful.

Black Eresus

One of the burrow spiders in Astrakhan. Occupies cracks and voids under stones, and beetle holes. It hunts by attacking from a shelter a prey that approaches it. The female Eresus is completely black and could be confused with the Karakurt, but she never leaves the shelter. Her abdomen is more elongated.

Steatodes

All steatodes are similar in body shape and size to each other and to the karakurt. They differ in the pattern on the abdomen. Steatodes are found in the same area as their more dangerous relatives. The sting of the steatoda is painful and causes swelling of the soft tissues. It takes a relatively long time: from several hours to 3 days. But it does not lead to the death of a healthy person. Death can occur in children or elderly people with weakened immune systems.

Spiders of the Astrakhan region

South Russian tarantula

Belongs to the family of wolf spiders. Lives in dry steppes and semi-deserts. May be found in forest-steppes. Leads an active nocturnal lifestyle. It catches up with prey on its feet. Doesn't build a web. It lives in self-dug vertical burrows up to 60 cm deep. Usually up to 20 cm.

One of the largest Astrakhan spiders. The body length of a female can be up to 3.5 cm. It is also the least poisonous. The bite of a South Russian tarantula can lead to local tissue swelling and itching for several hours.

Reasons for declining spider populations

Arthropods, which, in addition to spiders, include ticks, scorpions and some insects, make up over 75% of all animals. These are the most ancient creatures: the first arachnids lived on Earth back in the Paleozoic era.

The web and the remains of their vital activity are found in amber, which is over 100 million years old. At the same time, the animals' appearance remained almost unchanged.

Spiders live on all continents of the globe with the exception of Antarctica. Being invertebrates, they are not able to control their body temperature depending on the environment, so the cold continent is not suitable for them as a habitat. Nevertheless, in the north of Russia, Canada or Greenland they feel no less comfortable.

Despite such enviable stability, scientists note that the number of arachnids today has greatly decreased.

This is largely due to the consequences of human activity in areas where arthropods traditionally live:

• forests are cut down to make way for growing crops and building housing and industrial enterprises;
• military operations are carried out in desert and semi-desert territories;
• Due to emissions of harmful substances from factories and factories, the climate is changing.

In addition, some species are subject to trade. Adults are caught or larvae are selected, and the animals are resold to collectors.

Due to the commercial demand for tarantulas in certain countries of the 3rd world, some species were almost completely destroyed, and the numbers of others sharply decreased.