Desert Loxosceles

[xanadu1015]

Has anyone heard of this spider? Is there anyone that can give me some valid info? All the "supposed experts" don't seem to know anything. I could really use some help here. I see them around my house more and more now and I'd like to know if their venom is significant or if I should just let them have free range.



Laura

 

[xanadu1015]

Okay,

I have a book here called The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. This book was basically published back in the 80's. Now in this book, the spider I'm talking about, a desert loxosceles, is picture number 659. The info, what there is of it, is on page 875. They say that its venom isn't as dangerous as the brown recluse, but I look at other sites and experts and they say they don't know. Can anyone give me better info?



Laura

 

[Wade]

What it comes down to is the venoms of other members of the genus Loxosceles have not been intensly studied because there doesn't appear to be a problem with them. This does NOT nescesarily mean that the venom is less potent than L. reclusa's. It COULD also simply mean that the danger posed by L. reclusa is blown far out of perportion to the reality.

The problem is that doctors diagnose various bites and wounds as being caused by L. reclusa because of the symptoms. Without an actual spider, however, making such an ID is impossible as many other spiders, insects and even plants can produce similar reactions. Subsequently, the brown recluse is blamed for thousands of bites when in reality they are likley resposible for only a fraction of them.

Wade

 

[xanadu1015]

I try calling people about the desert loxosceles and saying I have found them in my area, they say I must be mistaken. What? Because I don't have a degree, masters or phd I must be an idiot? Also, there's no real place to take one if I found it, I'd have to do some serious traveling.




Laura

 

[Wade]

Well, where are you? There are more than just those 2 Loxoceles in the US.

I've taken the liberty of sniping a portion of an e-mail from another list that may be helpful. The poster is Robert G. Breene (known as "Spider Bob" or sb on the boards) , an ecologist and college professor. He is the editor of the ATS Forum Magazine and has been fighting against the misinformation about these spiders for years. I hope it's useful.

Wade

Start quote:

We have 13 species of recluse spiders in the US (2
imports) 7 species live in S CA alone. In Carlsbad, we have L. blanda, not L.
reclusa but it has the same venom.
They have a neurotoxin (which causes a rash in rare cases) a cytotoxin and a
hemotoxin. Symptoms can continue up to a year in some cases.
For some reason (not enough venom injected?) only 10% of people bitten
potentially get serious problems. I've seen necrotic pieces the size of small steaks
cut out of some bite victims. In the other 90%, the bite heals on its own,
leaving only a small scar.
The kicker is there's a cure (nitroglycerin patch 0.1 mg/hr) unless you wait
too long, and you have days, even weeks to apply the patch.
In 19 years, there has not been a reported failure of the patch.
The problem is the MD. Most are unaware of the patch, the rest are skeptical
since it hasn't been scientifically demonstrated. I don't believe it can be,
since you'd need humans, a known amount of venom injected, and a control group
not getting the treatment, don't see that happening.
I've been putting out this information in the medical community since it was
first published in 1995. Not a lot of success.
The take home message is recluse spiders are not a problem, the MDs are.

sb

End Quote

 

[xanadu1015]

I live in Southern New Jersey



I know the effect of a bite can depend on a person's health and tolerance. I just wanted to be sure if I need to get rid of them or give them free range. I want to do whats best, and figured the best way to do that was find out more about them. I'd also like to know why I'm getting treated like an idiot when I inquire about the possibility they are in my area. I'm getting things like, " Thats impossible, they are only found in desert regions in the southwest", which makes me think they don't know anything at all. Its pathetic.


Laura

 

[cricket54]

Thanks for responding with the information Wade. I'm not surprised about there being other relatives of the recluse out there. We live in South NJ on the edge of the sandhills like
part of Jersey. These spiders do not get as big as a bfown recluse. I work in a pharmacy and last year there was a lady who had gotten some kind of bite on her leg that looked so much like a brown recluse wound that her Dr. just called it a spider bite.
It had a nuercrotic area with the typical deep hole almost as big as a nickel. Took her a long time to heal. She said she had done some gardening and didn't feel any bite, but next day the area hurt and was red. The rest came over a couple days. Its just a very rare type of thing to happen to somone here in NJ.
I'm wondering what other kind of insects could do this sort of thing, but a "violin" spider of some sort.

Sharon

 

[Wade]

Numerous spiders and insects can cause these types of injuries under the right conditions. All people don't respond the same way to bites and stings, so ID ing a spider based on a bite is impossible. I applaud the doctor for at least not calling it a recluse bite, but he really doesn't have any evidence that it was a spider at all. Could have been a blood-feeding assassin bug, deer fly, or even the spine of a plant etc. Unless the spider was pressed into the leg by clothing, a recluse would not even be able to bite a person on the leg. Secondary infections are often a problem with many bites, further confusing the issue.

Wade