CLOSED: Scary!

Hey, bug people, do you want to see something really scary? I'm not asking for an ID here - just passing along information I saw in today's news.

Most Dangerous Spider in the World Found in Tulsa

3/18/2009

(Tulsa, OK) -- Very nearly a deadly surprise in Tulsa. A Brazilian Wandering Spider, also known as a banana spider was found in a bunch of bananas at a Whole Foods Store in Tulsa. A worker scooped it up in a container and took it to an expert at the University of Tulsa. Turns out the banana spider is the world's most deadly spider. If you're bitten you can die within half an hour. It's believed the spider hitched a ride on the banana shipment from Honduras. There is an antidote for the spider's venom but it's only available in south and central America where the spider is common.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry on this guy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_wandering_spider

If this spider originated from the Honduras, it would not be a Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria fera, P. bahiensis, or P. nigriventer). However, it is possible that it was a Phoneutria spp, as two other species (P. boliviensis and P. reidyi) are known to occur in southern Central America. Also, unless the identification was confirmed by a spider expert, it may have been another member of the same family (Ctenidae); some Cupiennius spp. can superficially resemble Phoneutria - see http://tinyurl.com/djvx6l for an example.

The spider was identified by an expert
http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0309/604940.html

Mr. Childs appears to be an expert in zoology and herpetology, not arachnology. My statement that the spider simply could not be a Brazilian wandering spider if indeed it originated in Honduras stands. This does not mean that the spider would not be dangerous, all members of the genus Phoneutria need to be treated with extreme caution. Just for the record, bites by Phoneutria spp. spiders are common in Brazil, although only 0.5-1% result in severe envenomation, with most of these occurring in children. Antivenom reportedly is used only in two to three percent of bites. Also, there appear to be no confirmed human deaths from Phoneutria bites since antivenom has been available ( a total of 14 fatalities were recorded during the years 1926-1996 in Brazil, a far cry from the 5 deaths a year claimed by Mr. Childs). I really wonder what sources the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records used for their article on this spider.

Well, whatever the exact type of spider is, it is a little concerning to find that dangerous spiders, or anything else for that matter, can be riding in on bananas or any other thing.

I once had a customer bring an eyelash viper that came in with some bananas from Costa Rica, he worked at a food terminal. He would occasionaly bring me spiders and scorpions as well, so I don't believe this is uncommon.

Kinda makes you think twice about taking a part-time job at the corner market, doesn't it?

Here's a follow-up. Probably suunto is correct about the spider ID. This does make me feel a little better about what may or may not show up at the grocery store:

http://www.kfsm.com/news/kfsm-nwa-tulsa-spider,0,1841886.story

but, still, we may want to be careful about what shows up in our grocery stores.