Lycosa tarantula
| Tarantula | |
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| Species: | L. tarentula
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| Binomial name | |
| Lycosa tarentula | |
The "Tarantula" spider whose scientific name is Lycosa tarentula (or, more recently, Hogna tarentula) is a wolf spider from the area around a city in Italy now called Taranto but called Tarentum in Roman times. This spider has an entirely undeserved reputation due to historical and cultural reasons, the development of a belief that the bite of this spider produces severe symptoms called tarantism. According to this belief, a person bitten by one of these spiders must be treated by indulging in a special kind of dancing. The dance, or some version of it, is now known as the tarantella. In fact, however, the bites of this spider are not known to cause severe symptoms in humans, much less endanger human life.[1] Despite their fearsome reputation, they are not particularly hairy and visually quite attractive.[2]
These spiders are rather large, the females being around 27 mm. (1 inch) in body length and the males around 19 mm. (.75 inch). After leaving their mother's protection, the young spiders disperse and dig burrows. Females live in their burrows all their lives, but the mature males leave the protection of burrows and wander about looking for mates. The males can live for two years, and they die some time after reaching sexual maturity. The females can live for four years or more. During the winter these spiders hibernate in their burrows.
They are a nocturnal species and generally lurk at the mouths of their burrows waiting for prey, so it is unlikely that people would encounter them. Unlike the Salticidae (Jumping spiders), which may exhibit curiosity about humans and may be content to wander around on one's hand, the Lycosidae (wolf spiders) have a very strong tendency to flee at the approach of any large animal. They have quite good eyesight, so it is unlikely that a human could approach them unseen, and it is relatively difficult to capture them because they keep moving and can run very fast. So it is unlikely that humans could come in unintentional contact with them. When wolf spiders are cornered, they show no inclination to make threat displays, much less to advance on a human's hand with the intention of biting.
All but one genus of spiders have venom. The venom is important to the spider as a way to kill prey, and, secondarily, to protect itself. Evolutionarily, the venoms were tailored to subduing insect prey, and mammal species can have vastly different reactions to the same spider venom. The venom of the Lycosidae is not particularly toxic to human beings, and is no more painful than the sting of a bee.
Given the low toxicity of wolf spider bites and the small likelihood of actually being bitten, it is not surprising that medical research efforts have not been directed toward the bites of Lycosa tarentula.
For more information
John Compton, The Life of the Spider, Mentor, 1954. Pp. 56-57.