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
Vorwort/Suchen Zeichen/Abkürzungen Impressum