Hobo spider bite

 

Hobo spider bite

Scientific classification
Kingdom-	Animalia
Phylum-	Arthropoda
Class-	Arachnida
Order-	Araneae
Family-	Agelenidae
Genus-	Tegenaria
Species-	T. agrestis

The hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis) is brown in color and the adults spider measures around 1/3 to 2/3 inch in body length and 2/3 to 2 inches in leg span, roughly 12 to 18 mm in length, read on for hobo spider bite ….

What does a Hobo spider look like?

The hobo spider legs are covered in short hairs, their abdomens have an unusual “fish bone” marking on them or chevron shaped markings. The hobo spider is classified as a is a moderately large spider known for “The Hobo spider bite”

The hobo spider is member of the genus of “funnel web spiders” but are in no way related to the Australian Sydney funnel web spider (Atrax robustus) who is also believed to be an introduced species, also known as The Northwestern Brown spider and the Aggressive house spider or (AHS)

With identifying any spider (or any organism for that matter) using size and coloration is not a good guide for identification, the same applies to the hobo spider.

It is very easy to get positive identification wrong. So when positively identifying any spider, anatomical structures, and certain physical characteristics come into play, so all attempts at written identification of the various species of spider found on this site are written as a rough guide only, including hobo spider bite symptoms.

The hobo spider is an introduced species which was introduced from Europe, it is believed the hobo spider was introduced as a stowaway on-board ships and has been in the US since the 1920′s, there are no real records to speak of in way of Hobo spider bite in Europe as in the hobo spiders country of origin, hobo spider bite was virtually unheard of.

Is a Hobo spider bite venomous?

Yes, a Hobo spider bite is venomous, bites from the Hobo spider are known as their clinical term “Tegenarism” this term come about by the hobo spider genus being Tegenaria which is used to describe hobo spider bite, this is also the case with the naming of the Black widow or Australian red back spider which is known as Latrodectis.

It is important to treat all spider bite including hobo spider bite events as potentially dangerous, spider bite symptoms should be treated seriously if there are any adverse reactions to the spider bite. Certain individuals can develop severe allergic reactions to hobo spider bite and go into anaphylactic shock as a reaction to certain components in the venom, in some cases hobo spider bite can be dangerous.

The Hobo spider wanders away from its web in the fall, and this is when they are more likely to come into contact with people and this is when the potential risk of hobo spider bite increases.

A large percentage of hobo spider bite result in no symptoms at all, where the bite is regarded as dry, a “dry bite” is as its name suggests “dry” no envenomation has taken place as the hobo spider like many spiders as well as snakes can bite without the release of venom. This method of biting is usually used as a warning bite in the case of the hobo spider bite (as well as many others) as the hobo spider is not an aggressive spider by nature.

The Hobo spider is often labeled an aggressive spider species which is not the case. As mentioned above hobo spiders are also known as the aggressive house spider or AHS, the speed in which the hobo spider can travel is quite quick, so to many people this could be perceived as being “aggressive behavior” and probably how the name evolved and stuck with the Hobo spider.

The hobo spider like most species of spiders however do become aggressive when protecting their egg-sacs, or protecting themselves this is the time that hobo spider bite can occur. As a rule generally hobo spider bite rarely occurs unless provoked, and when provoked the hobo spider can attack at lightning speed. Like most animals the Hobo spider will defend itself it is “hard wired” to do so, it is then the risk increases for hobo spider bite.

Hobo spider bite symptoms

In most cases there is pain or a degree of burning at the bite site from hobo spider bite, in the first 10 minutes or so. Hobo spider bite symptoms may look like a “bull’s eye” and the center of the bite is usually a small blister surrounded by a reddened area.

A pale area may surround the discolored reddened area, and the blister may rupture leaving an open ulcer. In severe cases of Hobo spider bite the ulcer can become deep and infected causing tissue breakdown or tissue death? classic symptoms of hobo spider bite?

There have been no known proven deaths that have occurred from Hobo spider bite, but it has been linked to one death however this was not a proper finding and the hobo spider was simply “blamed” it is interesting to note that in Europe where the Hobo spider originates there have been no reported cases of a hobo spider bite being the cause of any form of necrotic lesions. In Europe it is considered to be no more than a harmless spider and hobo spider bite relatively rare.

So, is the Hobo spider and Hobo spider bite another victim of false media hype? I will let you be the judge of that.

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Studies performed by arachnologist Darwin/ Vest reported that the hobo spider venom caused significant necrotic effects in laboratory animals, and medical authorities in the Pacific Northwest who were aware of Vest’s research subsequently blamed the Hobo spider for at least one fatality.

Many agricultural authorities have published the advice that the Hobo spider is potentially harmful, and medical personnel in the western United States and Canada have been advised to consider hobo spider bite when patients present with necrotic wounds.

Many brown recluse bites have been reported in the U.S. west coast states (Washington, Oregon, and northern California) where populations of brown recluse spiders have not been found, some of these alleged bites have been attributed to hobo spiders instead.

Attempts to replicate Vest’s study that reported necrotic effects of the venom of the Hobo spider have failed, thus casting the “dangerous” status of the hobo spider into doubt. In addition, Vest’s methodologies have been questioned, he has been accused of incorrectly attributing symptoms to hobo spider bites when no positive identification of the spider was made.

The one fatality attributed to the spider by medical authorities has also been questioned, and there are no documented cases where an otherwise-healthy person has developed a necrotic lesion from a positively-identified hobo spider bite. Many scientists now question whether or not the spider is harmful at all.

Source Wikipedia.org

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