1. Padil Species Factsheet Scientific Name: Common Name Image

1. PaDIL Species Factsheet

Scientific Name: Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sicariidae)

Common Name Chilean recluse spider Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseases/Pest/Main/141561

Image Library Australian Biosecurity Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseases/

Partners for Australian Biosecurity image library

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment https://www.awe.gov.au/ Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia https://dpird.wa.gov.au/ Plant Health Australia https://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/ Museums Victoria https://museumsvictoria.com.au/ 2. Species Information

2.1. Details Specimen Contact: Museum Victoria - [email protected] Author: Ken Walker Citation: Ken Walker (2011) Chilean recluse spider(Loxosceles laeta)Updated on 8/25/2011 Available online: PaDIL - http://www.padil.gov.au Image Use: Free for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY- NC 4.0)

2.2. URL Live link: http://www.padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseases/Pest/Main/141561

2.3. Facets Commodity Overview: Medical & Veterinary Commodity Type: Animal Distribution: Central and South America, USA and Canada Group: Spiders Status: Exotic species - absent from Australia

2.4. Other Names araña de rincón aranha-marrom brown spider corner spider Loxosceles longipalpis - Loxosceles nesophila - Loxosceles rufipes - Loxosceles similis -- Loxosceles yura - Loxoscelidae - Omosita bicolor -- Scytodes laeta -- Scytodes nigella -- Scytodes rufipes -- violin spider

2.5. Diagnostic Notes This spider is considered to be the most dangerous of the recluse spiders, and its bite is known to frequently result in severe systemic reactions, including death.

The Chilean recluse is one of the larger species of recluse spiders, generally ranging from 8–40 mm in size (including legs). Like most recluses, it is light brown and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its cephalothorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider resulting in the nickname "fiddleback spider" or "violin spider". Colouring varies from light tan to brown and the violin marking may not be visible. Since the "violin pattern" is not diagnostic to any particular species, only an arachnology expert can correctly determine the species.

The Chilean recluse spider is native to South America (it is common in Chile, and can be found throughout South America), and can now be found in North and Central America.

Occurrence of _Loxosceles_ in Australia. Taken from:

Australasian Arachnological Society website:

**The facts on fiddleback-hobo spiders (_Loxosceles_ spp.) in Australia by Julianne Waldock, Western Australian Museum.**

For URL: See weblinks.

"In 1974 Mike Gray (Australian Museum) reported the discovery of _L. rufescens_ in Adelaide (specimens of _L. rufescens_ had been in the South Australian Museum collection for more than 40 years) and _L. rufipes_ in Sydney (based on only 3 specimens). The specimens from Sydney were subsequently identified as _L. laeta_ (Harvey, 1996). No further specimens of _L. rufipes/L. laeta_ have been found in Australia (Sutherland, 1983). In 1996 Mark Harvey reported the discovery of a single specimen of _L. rufescens_ in the collection of the Western Australian Museum. This specimen had recently been donated to the collection and was originally collected in Nedlands "amongst packing boxes from Singapore" in 1957. No other specimens of _Loxosceles_ have been recorded in New South Wales or Western Australia and no bites by these spiders have been recorded in Australia."

2.6. References Willis John Gertsch (1967). "The spider genus Loxosceles in South America (Araneae: Scytodidae)" Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 136 (3): 119–183. Willis John Gertsch & Franklin Ennik (1983). "The spider genus Loxosceles in North America, Central America, and the West Indies (Araneae, Loxoscelidae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 175: 264–360. D. C. Lowrie (1983). "Starvation longevity of Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet) (Araneae)". Entomology News 91 (4): 130–132. Greta J. Binford & Michael A. Wells (2003). "The phylogenetic distribution of sphingomyelinase D activity in venoms of haplogyne spiders" (PDF). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B 135: 25–33. H. Schenone, T. Saavedra, A. Rojas & F. Villarroel (1989). "Loxoscelism in Chile. Epidemiologic, clinical and experimental studies". Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 31: 403–415. PMID 2577020.

2.7. Web Links The facts on fiddleback/hobo spiders (Loxosceles spp.) in Australia by Julianne Waldock, Western Australian Museum: http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/myths/loxosceles/ 3. Diagnostic Images

South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado Cephalothorax dorsal female: Ken Walker Dorsal eye pattern - female: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Museums Victoria

South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado Epigynum: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Frontal eye pattern: Ken Walker Museums Victoria

South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado Labrum: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Spinnerets: Ken Walker Museums Victoria 4. Other Images

South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat South America: Chile Santiago, Curavat June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado June, 2011. Det Roberto Trincado Live adult: Ken Walker Museums Victoria Live adult: Ken Walker Museums Victoria

Results Generated: Saturday, September 25, 2021