Latrodectans hasselti Anhang

 

[Marks Bronwyn/Julia Twohig]

Description of Latrodectus hasseltii

The spider belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, the order of Araneae and the family of Theridiidae.

The female approximately 6 - 11mm long with a characteristically globular satin black abdomen which bears on the dorsal aspect a bright red or orange longitudinal stripe.

The coloured marking may vary in shape and can be fragmented. The markings can also be, although deemed rare, coloured pink or light grey. The ventral abdomen depicts

a red hourglass marking. The abdomen is large compared to the cephalothorax.

The legs are thin and long. Ventrally and distally on tarsus IV is a "comb" consisting of serrated bristles used for combing out silk from the spinnerets to wrap the prey.

The male redback is rarely seen. It is approximately one third of the size of a fullgrown female, the abdomen is oblong rather than spherical and the colourings are creamy brown to brown. The characteristic stripe is paler than that exhibited by the female. The male is considered relatively harmless.

Habitat and distribution

Latrodectus hasseltii is primarily a ground dwelling, web building spider. They prefer dark, dry places, storage areas and outbuildings rather than permanently occupied

rooms. Redback spiders arc commonly found near human habitation: under houses, in boxes, including letter and pas boxes, sheds und around metallic objects such as tins
and machinery. When outdoor toilets are common in Australia, the redback would frequently he seen there. In the bush they are found in logs, under hark or rocks, and in foliage of dense shrubs. The spider is distributed widely throughout Australia with the denser populations being found in the warmer areas.

Lat-h. has been identified in a wide range of climatic conditions with temperature ranging from freezing to 41° C.

The web

The irregular and untidy web of the redback generally consists of three parts; a retreat, a trap section, and an array of several strands that act as trap threads.

Any contact with the sticky trap threads signals the spider to come out of its retreat. The prey is swathed with extremely strong silk which effectively immobilises it.

Once the prey has been restrained it is bitten and taken back to the retreat where it is ingested.

The spider has a varied diet with beetles and insects (most common), but other larger and heavier animals including lizards, snakes and mice, have fallen prey to the redback.

Reproduction

The male presence in the web generally goes unnoticed by the female, as she is unresponsive to prey less or equal in weight to that of the male spider. The courtship activated by web pheremones. To alert the female of his presence the male performs many acts including abseiling, leg waving, web cutting and web bouncing. This performance may continue for many hours and is considered to be physiological priming for the female.

When the female adopts the mating posture, the male climbs onto the ventral aspect of her abdomen and continues pre-copulatory foreplay by stimulating the epigynum (female reproductive opening) with his palps.

The embolus (male reproductive organ) is then inserted into the epigynal duct. Immediately after insertion the male raises himself into a headstand position and somersaults towards the female's sternum. She secures his abdomen with her fangs and exudes digestive fluids onto her mate. This behaviour is unique to L. hasseltii and is not seen in

any other Latrodectus species. The female eventually releases the male, 5 to 20 minutes later, he returns in approximately 10 - 15 minutes and performs a 2nd  insemination.

The somersault is also performed again. At this point the female then begins to ingest her mate. This sexual cannibalism is seen in relatively few other species.

The female may lay as many as six egg sacs each containing up to 300 eggs. The sacs = spherical and approximately 10mm in diameter and are usually suspended in the spider's retreat.

Neonatal spiderlings disperse by "ballooning", an aerial mode of transport which utilises silk.

Young spiderlings are highly cannibalistic and the mother may also devour some of her offspring. Cannibalism seems to be a growth strategy for the female, from the neonatal stage to adulthood the cannibalistic female grows quickly and in this competitive environment they prey on smaller siblings.

The female L. hasseltii is not aggressive unless she is protecting her young, or otherwise threatened. Usually she will feign death if disturbed.

 

[A. Richter]

Tiefe Sehnsucht nach Zuhause/kommen nie an/unerreichbare Wünsche

Verlangt Gemeinschaft (nicht Ehemann)

alter Kummer über Verlassen sein durch Eltern

trauern: alte Wunden öffnen sich/heilen nicht (kein Trost)

Gedanken kreisen um Beziehung

(Kopfschmerz tief in Augen)

tiefe Angst/bedroht: (nachts)/alleine sein/Zukunft/verfolgt sein/eigene Gesundheit (panische Angst)

Reizbar/Wut/Abgeneigt: Beziehung/Familie/Partner/Berührung

abwertende Beziehung: zu anderen/zu sich selbst

Selbstvorwürfe - sehr kritisch zu anderen

Traum von Selbstverletzung

will harten Druck                                                          

fühlt sich hässlich/schmutzig

Pickel/Ulcera im Gesicht

1. Sinne alarmiert: Geräusche/Geschmack

Schmerz

Genitale (Clitoris/Glans)

2. Gehetztes kurzes Agieren/wirft im Ärger mit Gegenstände/wildes Tanzen

kurzer Schlaf/schlaflos

springt aus Bett

ängstliche Ruhelosigkeit (Inneres Kribbeln: Rücken/Zähne/Larynx/Genitale/Arme/Haut)

innen erregt/schnelle Stimmungswechsel

kurz vor dem Sprung - auf und weg

Kitzelhusten, heftiges Niesen und Nase läuft massiv (Pollinosis)

häufiges/unwillkürliches Wasser lassen

fleißig, klarer Geist, fast hellsichtig

„Heiß werden“

3. Schmerzende Mitte (stechende Schmerz in Brustkorb/Herz)

Druck u. Schwellung der Drosselgrube (= Kuhle über Sternum)/“Wie Kloß“ in Schilddrüse

wunder Schmerz der Brüste/wunder Nacken/Schulter/Rücken

tiefer Nierenschmerz („es geht an die Nieren“)

Gestaut/voller Wünsche/überfüllt von Gedanken

Schwellung lokal

voll, schwer, dumpf, drückend/schmerzend

Kopf, Occiput - Rücken/Kehle/Brustkorb/Brüste/Sternum/Uterus/Beine

verstopfte Nase, blockierte Menses

Gesicht pulsierend gebläht

Steif - schmerzend Nacken/Lendenwirbelsäule

4. ?

5. Verzettelt: fruchtlose Aktivität/ungeschickt – stolpern/läuft gegen Gegenstände, knickt um

Zeit vergeht zu langsam

Kopf und Körper tun Verschiedenes

Indifferenz für Essen

abgelenkt, vergisst einzupacken

Konfusion/Fehler:

Schreiben, Sprechen, Rechnen, Zeit

lesen schwierig

müde Augen

Ohrgeräusche

6. Kalt ausgelaugt

will nicht aufstehen, lethargisch/verlangsamt/nicht zusammenhängend

Kälte: Abneigung sich aufzudecken

Ohnmacht - Übelkeit mit Hunger und auch Appetitlosigkeit

Kaltes schmerzt

ohne Selbstgefühl/-bewusstsein

taube Arme/Hände/Füße/Kopf

will eigenen Raum - „Detached“

weit entfernt gefühlt

tiefe Verlassenheit - isoliert

 

 

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