There are more than 1000 species of arachnids living in Russia. This is a lot, considering that more than 42 thousand species of spiders are known all over the world. Due to the size of the country, stretching in a temperate climate zone across almost the entire Eurasia, almost all species of Eurasian arthropods, except tropical ones, are represented in Russia. Spiders in Russia are usually not particularly venomous, with the exception of several southern species and the silver spider. Sometimes arthropods brought there by humans are found in a region atypical for the species.
The most famous and dangerous spiders in Russia
Over 1 thousand species of spiders live in Russia. Some are quite often found in residential areas and their proximity does not pose a threat, others can be seen exclusively in the wild, but it is advisable to avoid contact with them. The full list of them is quite large and therefore today we will focus only on a few - we will talk about those who really deserve attention. What are they - the most famous, large and dangerous spiders in Russia?
Cerbal Arabian
Despite its large size, this species of spider was discovered only a few years ago and is one of the newest among arachnids. Official sources record a maximum paw span of about 14 cm, but the few who have met it talk about larger individuals.
Its silver body and black-striped legs allow it to remain undetected in the deserts of Jordan and Israel. During the day, the arthropod prefers to bury itself in the sand, going out to hunt when the destructive sun disappears behind the horizon.
Cerbal Arabian
Much in the life of this giant has not yet been studied, and arachnologists are only speculating about its habits and taste preferences.
Safe types
House spiders
These are perhaps the most famous and most common spiders living in Russia. They got their name because they love to be neighbors with people - they can be found in a private house, in a city apartment, and in outbuildings. This spider usually weaves a funnel-shaped web in dark corners under the ceiling or in more secluded places, for example, somewhere behind a closet. The owner himself usually sits in the center of the fishing net and patiently waits for the prey to fall into it. And as soon as the victim is in the web, the spider runs up to her with lightning speed and immediately straightens out.
You can recognize a house spider by the following signs:
Knitting spiders
There are quite a few species of crocheters, and these spiders are found in Russia more often than others. They are distributed throughout the country and live exclusively in natural conditions. Their trapping nets are circular in shape and have very large meshes. Because of them, at first glance, it may seem that such a web is not suitable for hunting. However, it is not. The net is designed for a specific victim, namely long-legged mosquitoes, which are a favorite delicacy for knitters.
The knitting spider has the following description:
This is interesting! When in danger, the knitting spider extends its legs along its body and becomes like a tiny straw. If you disturb him, he will immediately throw himself down like a stone and try to hide!
Goliath tarantula
The first place in the ranking of the largest spiders on the planet is occupied by the Goliath tarantula, which lives in South America. The weight of a large individual can reach 200 g, and the size including legs can reach 30 cm or more. Brown hairs covering the entire body contain a strong allergen. It is thanks to his shaggy coat that he protects himself from enemies, shaking off his hair at the slightest danger.
Goliath tarantula
The legs have characteristic white stripes. Although it is classified as a tarantula, its main diet consists of rodents, insects, lizards and frogs. At night, the spider sees well and ambushes its prey, killing it with its large fangs.
It is considered a delicacy by local residents, and therefore the arthropod population is constantly declining.
Who should you be wary of?
So, next we propose to find out the names, and also consider the description of poisonous spiders living in Russia.
Cross spiders
The diet of spiders of this species includes mainly flying insects: hornets, flies, butterflies, mosquitoes, bumblebees and bees. Hunting occurs with the help of a web. The crossfish immobilizes caught prey with poison, entangles it in a web and injects digestive juices into the wound. After some time, it eats the partially digested contents of its victim. If the spider is not hungry at the moment, then it hangs the prey on the edge of the trapping net in reserve.
These spiders are distributed throughout central Russia. They are often found in spruce, beech and pine forests, as well as in raised bogs, less often in gardens, arable lands and meadows.
As a result of a bite from a cross, an infection can occur in the wound, so it is imperative to seek medical help as soon as possible.
Hyracantidae
Chiracantids belonging to the species Cheiracanthium punctorium are dangerous for humans. They can be found in grass and bushes. These creatures have won the title of the most poisonous spiders in central Russia.
This is interesting! Some species of chiracandids are characterized by matrifagy - hatched spiderlings eat the female who protects them!
Chiracantids do not weave trapping nets, as they are wandering hunters. They are active exclusively at night. They react to the prey tactilely - when the insect touches the spider’s legs, it attacks it with one sharp jump. The diet usually includes leafhoppers, caterpillars, moths, aphids, grasshoppers and some types of mites.
This is interesting! When studying chiracantids in laboratory conditions, it was noticed that they avoid any contact with ants and parasitic wasps!
After a bite from a Hyracantida spider, intense burning pain occurs in the affected area, which soon spreads over almost the entire corresponding segment of the limb. In this case, there is no itching or “locking” of the muscles. After a few minutes, the lymph nodes located on the way from the bite site begin to “ache” and swell. A little later, swelling develops in the affected area and mobility is impaired. Sometimes there is difficulty breathing. The pain goes away after about 10-20 hours, local symptoms - after 1-2 days.
Internal structure
Spiders have a complex internal structure. They have circulatory, excretory, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems.
Digestive system
The intestinal canal runs directly from the mouth to the anus. Consists of 3 parts. Divided into the esophagus, stomach with five pairs of blind tubes, and intestines. Processing and absorption of nutrients occur in the stomach. The intestines include two branched urinary canals. Liver juice has an effect similar to that of the pancreas of higher vertebrates.
Foregut
Consists of the pharynx, sucking stomach, and esophagus. Covered with chitin. Equipped with powerful muscles. The esophagus is thin and tubular. Forms a right angle with the pharynx. The sucking stomach has the shape of a pyramid with 4 sides. It absorbs part of the food. It also helps with swallowing as it has strong muscles.
Stomach
The stomach of spiders is the anterior section of the midgut. It does not have an internal cuticle. Represents large branched protrusions. It happens: simple, intermediate, classic, complex. Connects to the intestine, which extends through the stalk into the abdomen.
Liver
Large bulge on the intestine at the beginning of the abdomen. Gray or brown. Consists of many blades (lobes). Surrounds all organs except the pulmonary sacs. Releases digestive enzymes and destroys semi-digested food particles.
Cloaca
A voluminous pouch at the end of the intestine. This is where excrement accumulates. The Malpighian vessels flow into it. It continues with the chitinous hindgut. Followed by the anus. Spiders defecate droplets of liquid. After drying, the stains from them become white with a dark center.
Respiratory system
The respiratory organs are unique. The hemolymph of many spiders contains the respiratory pigment hemocyanin. It speeds up metabolic processes. The number of spiracles corresponds to the number of respiratory organs.
Lungs
Consist of many plates. Their appearance resembles a stack of paper. Primitive groups of spiders have 4 lungs. In most spiders, the posterior pair of lungs is transformed into trachea. There are representatives who do not have this body. That is, according to the way they breathe, spiders are divided into:
- Quadruple lungs;
- bipulmonary;
- lungless.
Trachea
Oxygen enters them through air holes. According to development and location, there are local and general significance. The second ones extend into the cephalothorax and limbs. The first ones do not extend beyond the abdomen.
The trachea is more efficient for breathing than the lungs. This has been confirmed by experiment. The stigmata of spider lungs were covered with Vaseline. After 4-7 hours, blood circulation stopped. Then the spider died. Representatives of species with developed tracheae lived significantly longer during the experiment.
Interesting fact. The water spider has predominantly cutaneous respiration. With completely covered spiracles, it lives 4-15 days. Underwater it breathes oxygen, which collects between the hairs on the body.
Circulatory system
The circulatory system is not closed. Heart pulsating. Located in the abdominal cavity. It has lateral stomata that help pump hemolymph (the equivalent of white blood). When the heart contracts, blood enters the artery and the lateral stomata close like valves. Flows through the arteries to the extremities. It rotates around the lung sacs, then returns through the lateral stomata into the posterior vessel.
central nervous system
Consists of the brain and subpharyngeal nerve mass. Concentrated in the cephalothorax. It consists of paired ganglia that act as local control centers for all segments. The brain is created by the fusion of ganglia. Spiders have a centralized nervous system, characteristic of arachnids. There are two visual centers in the brain. One is responsible for the main eyes, the other for the others.
Despite having a relatively small central nervous system, some representatives exhibit complex behavior. For example, the ability to use trial and error.
The most dangerous and poisonous spiders in Russia
Almost all spiders are predators. There is only one species that prefers plant foods. Other arachnids hunt other living creatures for food.
Most of them have poisonous glands attached to their fangs. Almost all spiders are poisonous.
That is why, of all the variety of species inhabiting Russia, it is important to know which spiders can pose a danger to humans. Let's look at which spider is the most poisonous in Russia.
Karakurt or black widow
First, let's look at which spiders in Russia are the most poisonous. Scientists believe that these are karakurts, which are also sometimes called black widows. A karakurt bite can lead to human death.
How to deal with karakurts
An ordinary match can prevent the effects of poison on the body. The karakurt poison is destroyed at high temperatures; in the first seconds of the bite, it is enough to light a match and extinguish it at the site of the bite. The poison will be destroyed and the burn will heal quickly.
But if suddenly the bite was noticed only after some time, then you urgently need to contact the nearest medical center for qualified help. Since the poison has already begun to spread, no one except medical workers can help. They are the ones who will be able to prescribe the correct treatment. If therapy is not started in time, death is quite possible.
General morphology
An ordinary spider is an animal with 6 pairs of limbs. But a person notices only 4 pairs of legs, since the first 4 limbs of a spider are transformed into organs of nutrition and touch. The body of the arthropod is divided into 2 sections: the cephalothorax and abdomen. Both parts are connected by a short jumper. In the close-up photo of the spider you can see that the cephalothorax is divided by a groove into two parts: the thoracic and cephalic. On the chest there are limbs that provide the spider with movement and help weave a web.
On the head section there are:
- the first pair of limbs transformed into chelicerae;
- the second pair of limbs are pedipalps, which perform the functions of touch and help the spider catch and hold prey;
- eyes;
- mouth opening.
The number of eyes spiders have varies. The majority of arthropods have 8 eyes. Some species have fewer eyes, even their complete absence in spiders living in the eternal darkness of caves.
Skilled braiders
Like all web spiders, Argiope Brünnich prepares traps stretched between blades of grass and low branches of bushes. The networks of this species of arachnids are circular, in the center they have a zigzag-like pattern, characteristic of the weaving of all brothers in the genus Argiope and called stabilimentum. Despite the small size of the hunter, his traps are very durable, capable of holding a grasshopper, which is 2-3 times larger than the predator. Argiope Brünnich spends only an hour creating nets that are woven at sunset, in the approaching twilight.
Hornets
Hornets are considered the largest wasps in Europe. The working individual of the common hornet reaches a length of 20-25 mm, and the uterus reaches up to 35 mm. Again, only female hornets are dangerous to humans; males do not even have a sting.
Hornet venom has a strong allergenic effect. It contains histamine and some toxins that promote the additional release of this substance from the cells of the affected tissue. Histamine accelerates allergic reactions, so even for people who are insensitive to the components of the poison, a hornet bite will be painful. Hornet venom contains a large amount of acetylcholine, which causes severe irritation of nerve endings and acute pain at the site of the bite.
The reaction to a hornet attack varies greatly from person to person. For some, the allergy manifests itself only as swelling, while for others the temperature may rise, headache and heart rate increase. In rare cases, anaphylactic shock and even death can occur.
Reproduction of Argiope
The mating period occurs immediately after the female moults, which precedes puberty. At this time, the covers of its chelicerae are still soft. Everyone knows the sad fate of the male karakurt spider (black widow). It is simply eaten by the female immediately after mating, thereby increasing the chances of survival of her offspring. In the case of agriope, we observe a similar situation.
In July, at the edges of the web, as a rule, you can see a male waiting for the last moult of the female. As mentioned above, one pair of its limbs is transformed into bulbs. During the fertilization process, one of them falls off. If the male manages to hide from the female, then he can mate with another female.
Argiope Brünnich lays its eggs in a large cocoon (pictured above), which resembles the structure of a plant capsule. It is located near the web. The spider is fertile, the number of eggs laid at one time reaches several hundred. At the beginning of autumn, young spiders are born. They leave their cocoon in a rather peculiar way. Young individuals climb to heights, then release a long thread and, with a gust of wind, are carried away with it. Thus, the species spreads across natural biotopes. The full life cycle of this type of spider is one year.
In the next photo you can see spiders just emerging from the cocoon.
Karakurt
Although karakurt is translated from Turkic as “black insect,” it is, of course, not an insect, but a spider, one of the most dangerous in the world. The traditional habitat of karakurts is the southern regions of Russia, but recently cases of karakurt bites have also been recorded in the Saratov, Volgograd regions and even in the Moscow region. It is also found in more northern latitudes, but only in the summer - these spiders do not survive cold winters.
Karakurts are also called “steppe widows”, since it is the females that pose a threat to animals and humans; the males of these spiders are smaller and simply cannot bite through the skin. The female bites the skin with her chelicerae to a depth of 0.5 mm, so one of the emergency methods to prevent infection is to cauterize the bitten area with a lit match, but no later than two minutes after the bite. The main method of treatment for spider venom is the use of anti-karakurt serum and intravenous administration of novocaine, magnesium hydrogen sulfate and calcium chloride.
