''Phoneutria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species d ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Ctenidae Wandering spiders (''Ctenidae'') are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae. They are hig ...

. Phoneutria

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...

is potentially medically significant to humans. They are mainly found in northern South America, with one species in Central America. Members of the genus are commonly referred to as Brazilian wandering spiders. Other English names include armed spiders (''armadeiras'' in

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

) and banana spiders (a name shared with several others).

Description

The spiders in the genus can grow to have a leg span of . Their body length ranges from . While some other araneomorph spiders have a longer leg span, the largest ''Phoneutria'' species have the longest body and the greatest body weight in this group. The genus is distinguished from other related genera such as '' Ctenus'' by the presence of dense prolateral scopulae (a dense brush of fine hairs) on the

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") a ...

tibiae and tarsi in both sexes. ''Phoneutria'' are easily confused with several other non-medically significant ctenids, especially '' Cupiennius'', in which the recently described ''C. chiapanensis'' also has bright red hairs on the

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or simila ...

. Additionally, some ''Phoneutria'' species lack red hairs on the chelicerae, making it an unreliable identification feature. The presence of a dark linear stripe or stripes on the frontal (dorsal) palps and presence of a single thin black line running anterior-posterior along the dorsal carapace may help identify ''Phoneutria''. Other features are the strong ventral marking on the underside of the legs with contrasting dark mid-segments and lighter joints, and the pattern on the ventral (underside) of the abdomen with several rows of black dots, or an overall reddish colour. The characteristic defensive posture with frontal legs held high is an especially good indicator to confirm a specimen is ''Phoneutria'', especially alongside correct colour patterns. During the defensive display the body is lifted up into an erect position, the first two pairs of legs are lifted high (revealing the conspicuous black/light-banded pattern on the leg underside), while the spider sways from side to side with hind legs in a cocked position.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Phoneutria'' was started by

Maximilian Perty Josef Anton Maximilian Perty (17 September 1804, Ornbau – 8 August 1884, Bern) was a German naturalist and entomologist. He was a professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at the University of Bern. Perty placed two species in the genus: ''Phoneutria rufibarbis'' and ''Phoneutria fera''. The former is treated as a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

''; the latter is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

of the genus.

Species

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepted the following species: *''

Phoneutria bahiensis ''Phoneutria bahiensis'' is a species of spiders in the family Ctenidae, found in Brazil. It's known in Brazilian Portuguese as Armadeira da Bahia, (Bahia armed spider). Description and Behavior ''Phoneutria bahiensis'' can reach 3.5 cm in bod ...

'' Simó & Brescovit, 2001 – Brazil *''

Phoneutria boliviensis ''Phoneutria boliviensis'' is a species of a medically important spider in the family Ctenidae found in Central and South America. Characteristics Male Males have a varied color. The prosoma, legs and sternum are brown, and the opisthosoma i ...

'' ( F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) – Central, South America *''

Phoneutria depilata ''Phoneutria depilata'' is a species of spider in the family Ctenidae, found in Central America. Description and Behavior Adult females reach a body length that can be about 4 inches and can have a stride length of more than 10 centimeters. Male ...

'' (Strand, 1909) – Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador *''

Phoneutria eickstedtae ''Phoneutria eickstedtae'' is a species of spider in the family Ctenidae Wandering spiders (''Ctenidae'') are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-re ...

'' Martins & Bertani, 2007 – Brazil *'' Phoneutria fera'' Perty, 1833 (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, Guyana *''

Phoneutria keyserlingi ''Phoneutria keyserlingi'' is a species of spiders in the family Ctenidae, found in Brazil. ''P. keyserlingi'' is venomous and should be treated with caution, studies on the other ''Phoneutria'' are scarce, however, a recent characterization of ...

'' (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) – Brazil *''

Phoneutria nigriventer ''Phoneutria nigriventer'' is a species of medically significant spider in the family Ctenidae, found in the Southern Cone of South America (Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina). Along with other members of the genus, they are often ref ...

'' (

Keyserling Keyserling is the surname of several members of the noble House of Keyserlingk: * Alexander Keyserling (1815–1891), Russian geologist, paleontologist, botanist and zoologist * Eugen von Keyserling (1833–1889), German arachnologist * Hermann ...

, 1891) – Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina *'' Phoneutria pertyi'' (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) – Brazil *''

Phoneutria reidyi ''Phoneutria reidyi'' is a species of venomous spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the lar ...

'' (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) – Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Guyana

Behaviour

Wandering spiders are so-called because they wander the jungle floor at night, rather than residing in a lair or maintaining a web. During the day they hide inside

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes ( eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blat ...

mounds, under fallen logs and rocks, in

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry (botany), berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, Cooking banana, bananas used for ...

plants (hence the "banana spider" nickname), and

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa ...

s. ''P. nigriventer'' is known to hide in dark and moist places in or near human dwellings. ''P. nigriventer'' mates during the dry season from April to June, which leads to frequent observations of the species during this time.

Distribution

''Phoneutria'' are found in forests from Costa Rica southwards throughout South America east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

including Colombia,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

, the

Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and into northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

. Three species (''P. reidyi, P. boliviensis and P. fera'') are found in the

Amazon region The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

, one species (''P. fera'') is restricted to the Amazon, and one (''P. boliviensis'') ranges into Central America in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and Costa Rica. The remaining species are restricted to

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and t ...

of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, including forest fragments in the

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are ...

savanna. In Brazil, ''Phoneutria'' is only absent in the northeastern region north of

Salvador, Bahia Salvador ( English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisi ...

. ''Phoneutria'' has been introduced to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Banana shipments

These spiders acquired their other common name, "banana spider", because it is claimed that they are occasionally found in shipments of

s, though the number of reports is exaggerated due to common misidentifications of unrelated spiders. A survey of spiders found in international shipments to North America revealed that only 7 of 135 spiders were ''Phoneutria'' species, six being ''

'' from bananas and one ''

'' from a shipment of electrical parts. Spiders from genera such as '' Cupiennius'' had been misidentified by experienced arachnologists. Cases continue to be reported but without evidence of expert identification. In 2005, a man was bitten in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

, England by a spider in a shipment of bananas and, in 2014, a south London family photographed a spider that they claim was in a bunch of bananas delivered to their home.

Medical significance

The genus ''Phoneutria'' includes some of the relatively few species of spiders known to present a threat to humans. Danger to humans is not merely a question of

toxicity Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

, but requires the capacity to deliver the venom, a sufficient quantity of

, a disposition that makes a bite likely and proximity to human habitation. The actual incidence of death or serious injury must also be considered. These spiders' wandering nature is another reason they are considered so dangerous. In densely populated areas, ''Phoneutria'' species usually search for cover and dark places to hide during daytime, leading them to hide in houses, clothes, cars, boots, boxes and log piles, where they may bite if accidentally disturbed. Spider mouthparts are adapted to envenomate very small prey; they are not well-adapted to attacking large mammals such as humans. Some believe that various spiders like ''Phoneutria'', that use venom mainly to kill prey, can deliver a "dry" bite in defense to purposely conserve their venom, as opposed to a more primitive spider like ''

Atrax ''Atrax'' is a genus of venomous Australian funnel web spiders that was first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1877 from the type species '' Atrax robustus''. it contains only three species: ''A. robustus'', '' A. sutherlandi'', and '' A. ...

'' that usually delivers a full load. A study in March 2009 suggests that ''Phoneutria'' inject venom in approximately one-third of their bites, and only a small quantity in one-third of those cases. Another study similarly suggested that only 2.3% of bites (mainly in children) were serious enough to require

antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if ...

. Other studies, as cited in the Wolfgang Bücherl studies, showed that the toxicity of ''Phoneutria'' venom was clearly more potent than both ''

Latrodectus ''Latrodectus'' is a broadly distributed genus of spiders with several species that are commonly known as the true widows. This group is composed of those often loosely called black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders. Howeve ...

'' and ''Atrax''. Research in this area is hindered by the difficulty of identifying particular species. Nevertheless, there are a few well-attested instances of death. In one case, a single spider killed two children in São Sebastião. The spider was positively identified as a ''Phoneutria'' by Wolfgang Bücherl. Fatalities are usually attributed to respiratory arrest, secondary to systemic effects, or directly to envenoming. Systemic effects occur in 9% to 27% of cases; symptoms at the sites are more frequent, occurring from 83% to 96% of cases. The severity of the cases can be related to the sex of the spider, since the male produces less venom and is less lethal than the females, except for ''P. boliviensis'', where the male is more toxic. Symptoms may appear within 10 to 20 minutes after the bite, and death within two to six hours, where severe pain radiates to the rest of the limb, systemic effects include tachycardia, increased blood pressure, vertigo, fever, sweating, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing and paralysis. Death is usually caused by respiratory arrest. These spiders seem to produce a smaller amount during cold months (June to September) a minimum amount of 0.03 mg, an average of 0.44 mg and a maximum of 1.84 mg, during the summer months. The maximum amount among individuals was 3.10 mg (October 26), 4 mg (November 3), 5 mg (November 4) and 8 mg (October 31); 7 mg of dried venom is enough to kill 500 mice

subcutaneously The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and ma ...

and 1,000

intravenously Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutrie ...

. ''P. nigriventer'' is the species responsible for most cases of envenomation in Brazil because it is commonly found in highly populated areas of southeastern

, such as the states of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literall ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

and

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist att ...

. The species ''P. fera'' is native to the northern portion of South America in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

of Brazil,

and the

Guyanas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

Reported cases

A 45-year-old man, with no nervous background, employed in the agricultural section of the Butantan Institute, working barefoot, was bitten at 10:40 AM on the small toe of his left foot by a medium-sized ''Phoneutria''. Immediately he felt intense pain that radiated to his foot and leg. He also reports visual disturbances, and when he tried to enter the house, he fell, without strength, he was supported by two men to the laboratory, where he was examined, he could not stand, had difficulty seeing, difficulty talking (he could not answer questions), and complained of severe general pain and intense cold. He was sweating profusely, there was hyper nasal secretion and salivation, which made him blow his nose and spit constantly. He was agitated, with generalized tremors and continuous cramps in his left foot and leg, and an irregular pulse with 112 beats per minute. An hour after the accident, the serum was injected into the left buttock. During the next hour, the pulse became faster, thready, almost uncountable, and the temperature decreased, with a worsening of the general condition. At 12 o'clock, a new injection of serum and at 13 o'clock, there was an improvement in the state. In another case, a 22-year-old woman, four months pregnant, was bitten on the hand. She experienced severe generalized pain with

paroxysm Paroxysmal attacks or paroxysms (from Greek παροξυσμός) are a sudden recurrence or intensification of symptoms, such as a spasm or seizure. These short, frequent symptoms can be observed in various clinical conditions. They are usually ...

, had difficulty keeping up and talking, moaned, had cramps, generalized tremors, excessive sweating, and rapid pulse (140–150 beats per minute); after receiving the antidote the victim stabilized. In another case, a 16-year-old boy was bitten on his left hand. The victim had severe general pain, visual disturbance, generalized tremors, cramps, profuse sweating, and a weak, irregular to rapid pulse. A 23-year-old market worker moving a bunch of bananas was bitten on his hand by ''P. nigriventer'' in São Paulo, Brazil. The specimen measured 3.5 cm long and 6 cm with his legs. It was reported that the wound was extremely painful, with the victim noticing that the bite area was sweating and the hair on his skin stood on end. He also reported that the pain radiated to his chest, and that his heart began to race. The victim was dizzy and nauseated, felt cold, began to drool and vomit, and exhibited

priapism Priapism is a condition in which a penis remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation or after stimulation has ended. There are three types: ischemic (low-flow), nonischemic (high-flow), and recurrent ischemic (intermittent). Most cases ...

. He was later treated with anesthetics, tetanus prophylaxis and anti-venom, and recovered 36 hours after the bite. Another case occurred with a 52-year-old man, bitten by an adult female ''P. nigriventer''. Immediately after the bite he experienced severe local pain, blurred vision, profuse sweating and vomiting. From one to two hours after the bite he presented agitation and high blood pressure; at four hours after the heart rate was high at 150 beats per minute, mild tachypnea, cold extremities, profuse sweating, generalized tremors and priapism. He was treated with anesthetics, anti-venom and fluid replacement. In 2005, an English man was bitten twice by a spider identified as a ''Phoneutria'', which was hidden in a box of bananas. It was reported that his hand became swollen, he felt dizzy, and that when he got home he collapsed. He was taken to the hospital and received treatment, but his condition continued to deteriorate. He reported chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and both his blood pressure and heart rate were high. He was treated with increased saline to release toxins from the body, and was discharged the next day. He took almost a week to recover. A 70-year-old man, bitten by a spider with a legspan of 5 to 6 cm, he was cutting sugarcane at the residence of São Pedro de Alcantara, in the countryside, when a spider jumped on his shoulder, and came "walking" by the right arm to the back where it bit his hand (bled at the time), he felt intense pain at the time. The spider had several young in the abdomen. The patient evolved with agitation,

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil Turmoil may refer to: * ''Turmoil'' (1984 video game), a 1984 video game released by Bug-Byte * ''Turmoil'' (2016 video game), a 2016 indie oil tycoon video ...

, blood pressure 200x110 mmHg, heart rate with 62 beats per minute, respiratory rate 36 breathing movements per minute,

respiratory distress Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing di ...

hyperemia Hyperaemia (also hyperemia) is the increase of blood flow to different tissues in the body. It can have medical implications but is also a regulatory response, allowing change in blood supply to different tissues through vasodilation. Clinically, ...

, edema and radiating pain. After 50 minutes, the patient was admitted to the emergency department of the HU with blood pressure 150x90 (after

captopril Captopril, sold under the brand name Capoten among others, is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used for the treatment of hypertension and some types of congestive heart failure. Captopril was the first oral ACE inhibitor found ...

), mild dyspnea (patient pneumectomized by TU), with

paresthesias Paresthesia is an abnormal sensation of the skin (tingling, pricking, chilling, burning, numbness) with no apparent physical cause. Paresthesia may be transient or chronic, and may have any of dozens of possible underlying causes. Paresthesias ar ...

and local condition as previously reported. He received anesthetic infiltration,

dipyrone Metamizole, or dipyrone, is a painkiller, spasm reliever, and fever reliever that also has anti-inflammatory effects. It is most commonly given by mouth or by intravenous infusion. Although it is available over-the-counter in some countries ...

and two vials of serum, the right hand remained red and swollen, with improvement in anxiety symptoms and controlled blood pressure. Another case occurred in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where a man bitten by a ''Phoneutria'' developed numbness in his legs, redness, headache and loss of sense of time and space.

Some reports of deaths

Case that occurred in Itanhaém, São Paulo, 40-year-old man bitten in the foot, presented significant pain and generalized contractures, dying 6 hours after the accident. A 7-year-old child, bitten in the ear, presented convulsions, opisthotonos and progressive paralysis, dying 17 hours after the accident. Case that occurred in Franca, SP, a 10-year-old child bitten on the middle finger of the right hand, presented severe pain, trismus, tremors in the right arm and face, evolving to permanent contracture, respiratory paralysis, cyanosis and convulsions, dying in 30–40 minutes after the accident. Case occurred in São Sebastião, São Paulo, two brothers, 6 months and 18 months old, the children woke up during the night crying and screaming, dying soon after (time of death is not described). The father removed the sheets and found the spider, which was referred to the Butantan Institute, identified as a large female Phoneutria nigriventer. A 3-year-old girl, bitten on the third finger of her right hand, presented immediate local pain, periods of alternating prostration, cold sweating, chest and abdomen pains and 3 episodes of vomiting, was admitted to UNICAMP 3 hours after the accident, with the same symptoms. 5 vials of AV (Antivenom) and local anesthetic infiltration were administered, and there was improvement in symptoms, with decrease in sweating, but still agitated, 2–3 hours after AV, there was a picture of significant diarrhea (semi-liquid stools) evolving to 2nd degree dehydration. Parenteral hydration was started, 3h30 min post AV, her heart rate was 160 beats per minute, and respiratory rate was 72 at 4 hours post AV. Between 4h15min and 4h30min after AV, she had peripheral cyanosis, a heart rate of 150 beats per minute and dyspnea, and loss of peripheral venous access. Afterwards, there was disseminated pulmonary stortoration, and worsening of agitation, dyspnea and bradycardia, while being performed orotracheal intubation, manual ventilation, adrenaline and external cardiac massage, she later died.

Footnotes

External links

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* ttps://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/mother-finds-dozens-of-worlds-deadliest-spiders-on-sainsburys-bananas-8920292.html Mother finds dozens of world's deadliest spiders on Sainsbury's bananas

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, 4 November 2013. {{Taxonbar, from=Q312038 Priapism Ctenidae Araneomorphae genera Taxa named by Maximilian Perty